Elon Musk Says He's Buying Twitter to 'Help Humanity' — And Doesn't Want It to Be 'Free-for-All Hellscape'

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Elon Musk

Elon Musk is sharing his vision for Twitter.

In a note addressed to "Twitter advertisers," the billionaire — who has a day left to close the $44 billion deal — said he wanted to "personally share my motivation in acquiring Twitter."

"There has been much speculation about why I bought Twitter and what I think about advertising. Most of it has been wrong," he wrote in the note, which was shared publicly on his Twitter account.

Musk wrote that the social media company is "important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence."

"I didn't do it because it would be easy. I didn't do it to make more money. I did it to try and help humanity, whom I love," he continued. "And I do so with humility, recognizing that failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility."

Although Musk's previous comments about "free speech" have raised concerns — including his thoughts on reversing Donald Trump's permanent ban — the businessman told advertisers that he doesn't want the platform to "become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences!"

"In addition to adhering to the laws of the land, our platform must be warm and welcoming to all," he wrote. "Fundamentally, Twitter aspires to be the most respected advertising platform in the world that strengthens your brand and grows your enterprise."

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He didn't spell out his thoughts on the matter in Thursday's statement, though, instead writing that it should be possible to "choose your desired experience according to your preferences" just like with "movies or video games."

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But Musk has previously been more candid. "If it's a gray area, I would say let the tweet exist. In a case where there's perhaps a lot of controversy, you don't necessarily promote that tweet," he said during a Ted2022 conference over the summer, according to Axois. "I'm not saying I have all the answers here, but I do think we want to be very reluctant to delete things, and just be very cautious with permanent bans — timeouts, I think, are better."

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Musk's note to advertisers came just hours after he paid a visit to Twitter's offices in San Francisco.

"Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in!" he tweeted alongside a video that showed him literally carrying a sink.

Musk also seemingly teased the purchase by updating his Twitter bio to read "Chief Twit" and changing his location to "Twitter HQ."

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Shortly before Musk's arrival, CNN reported that Twitter Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Berland sent an email to staff letting them know that the businessman would be stopping by the office this week.

"As you'll soon see or hear, Elon is in the SF office this week meeting with folks, walking the halls, and continuing to dive in on the important work you all do," read the email, according to the outlet. "If you're in SF and see him around, say hi! For everyone else, this is just the beginning of many meetings and conversations with Elon."

During Musk's visit, he allegedly told employees that he did not plan to cut 75% of the workforce as owner, as was previously reported by The Washington Post, according to Bloomberg, which cited people familiar with the matter.

Bloomberg and CNN previously reported that in response to the Post's report, Twitter General Counsel Sean Edgett informed staff in a memo that the company does "not have any confirmation of the buyer's plans following close and recommend not following rumors or leaked documents but rather wait for facts from us and the buyer directly."

RELATED: Elon Musk Says He's 'Obviously Overpaying' in $44 Billion Twitter Deal, But Is Still 'Excited'

Musk first agreed to purchase Twitter in April. However, nearly three months later, he announced his plans to back out of his agreement, alleging that Twitter was in "breach of multiple provisions" of an original agreement.

Twitter promptly filed a lawsuit against Musk, in hopes of compelling him to follow through with the acquisition. In court documents obtained by PEOPLE in July, Twitter claimed Musk acted in "bad faith" after reaching a deal to buy the social media platform.

After months of back-and-forth, Musk sent a letter to Twitter earlier this month, according to Bloomberg and The New York Times. The outlets reported that in the letter, he proposed to acquire the platform at the original price he agreed on, provided Twitter dropped its lawsuit.

Musk has until Oct. 28 to close the deal, or the case is set to go to trial in November.