Stephen King‘ announced his departure from X (formerly Twitter), marking another significant exit from a platform that has undergone dramatic transformations since its acquisition by Elon Musk. Of course, the MAGA crowd didn’t wait long to prove why King was right to quit X.
Twitter’s decline began in October 2022 when Elon Musk acquired the platform for $44 billion and immediately implemented sweeping changes, including renaming it as X. After taking control, Musk fired several top executives and merged the company into a new entity called X Corp, setting the stage for what would become a significant shift in social media dynamics.
Under Musk’s stewardship, the platform has increasingly amplified right-leaning narratives, with its AI-driven trending section highlighting conspiracy theories and partisan content. This shift hasn’t been subtle – Musk himself has emerged as one of Trump’s most significant financial backers, effectively turning X into an unofficial promotional outlet for the MAGA initiative.
movement. This devolution has left many users, like King, feeling that there’s no longer room for balanced discourse on a platform that once prided itself on being a space for diverse voices and perspectives.
Under Elon Musk, X has become a MAGA megaphone
X’s new direction has led to a mass exodus of prominent figures, with King being the latest in a growing list. Other notable departures include Jenna Ortega, former CNN host Don Lemon, and actress Jamie Lee Curtis, all citing similar concerns about the platform’s increasingly toxic atmosphere. The exodus has coincided with a surge in user migration to alternative platforms like Threads and Bluesky, which have seen significant growth in their user bases in the past few months.
King’s departure is particularly symbolic given his long-standing presence on the platform and his history of engaging with political discourse. As such, his decision to leave reflects a broader concern about the platform’s role in amplifying extreme viewpoints and fostering an environment hostile to moderate voices. The immediate response to his departure announcement — a flood of hostile reactions from MAGA supporters — quickly validated his concerns about the platform’s deteriorating state.
The irony of X’s transformation into a MAGA echo chamber lies in its devastating financial impact. While Musk has successfully cultivated a platform that amplifies right-wing voices, the company’s value has plummeted by an astounding 80% since his takeover. Advertising revenue, once the platform’s lifeblood, has been cut in half, with the company expected to generate only $2.5 billion in 2023 compared to over $5 billion before Musk’s acquisition. This financial hemorrhage suggests that Musk’s self-proclaimed business acumen might be significantly overrated, as he’s effectively paying billions to create a social media platform that caters to an increasingly narrow audience.
Given the coarse level of replies King’s last tweet got, that’s not exactly surprising. To celebrate the departure of the renowned author, the MAGA crowd unleashed a barrage of hostile messages, many including sexist, homophobic, and ableist language. This deranged reaction pattern has become increasingly common on X, where civil discourse has been replaced by aggressive trolling and hate speech, driving away not just prominent figures but also advertisers who don’t want their brands associated with such content.