Elon Musk announced today (Sunday) that conspiracy theorist and far-right figure Alex Jones would have his account reinstated to X/Twitter, after he was banned for what previous CEO Jack Dorsey called "abusive behavior."
Far-right media figure Alex Jones is no stranger to controversy. With his penchant for incendiary rhetoric and actions and conspiracy theories ranging from questioning 9/11 to arguing that the Sandy Hook mass shooting was a hoax (the latter leading to a defamation lawsuit which he lost), he has gained a devoted following and also much scorn and anger.
Like many such figures, including former President Donald Trump, Jones had his account banned for what the former CEO of Twitter called "abusive behavior" and violating Twitter rules.
These bans were decried at the time by many on the right as political censorship, and many hoped that Elon Musk would reverse these decisions once he became CEO.
While he demurred at first about Jones, yesterday he posted a poll asking whether to reinstate Jones. These were the final results:
Following this decisive result, Musk said Jones would be reinstated, saying "the people have spoken and so it shall be."
It remains to be seen whether Jones comes back and whether this decision remains in place.