Twitter vs. Tesla in race to the bottom as climate deniers surge

By Trey Thoelcke Updated Dec 20, 9:35AM EST · Published Dec 20, 4:11AM EST

Twitter vs. Tesla in race to the bottom as climate deniers surge — © Scott Olson / Getty Images News via Getty Images

Matthew Diebel

Most likely to be dinged worse by Elon’s antics? Tesla or Twitter?

Surprise, surprise — Tesla $TSLA titan Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter and his relaxation of standards for posting have resulted in a bunch of climate deniers spouting their stuff on the platform with increasing intensity and frequency. Also not surprising is that climate scientists and environmental activists are worried about it.

Now with Musk’s leadership at Twitter in question, it’s even worse. It was no surprise that Twitter shares shot up this morning after Musk’s Twitter poll on whether he should resign as head of the social media outlet came back firm with more than 57% of voters saying he should.

“Folks noticing a rise in climate denialism and disinformation is particularly worrying and I am concerned that it could slow climate action in ways that are devastating to economies, communities and health,” Twila Moon, a scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, told The Guardian, adding that she was worried that years of connections formed between scientists could “crumble” if trust in Twitter collapses.

Also on Twitter, meanwhile, are netizens angered by Musk’s malarkey and saying they are putting ownership of a Tesla in the rearview mirror. With such hashtags as #NeverTesla #WreckTesla, many are attacking “chief Twit” Musk and swearing they will switch to another EV brand.

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About the Author Trey Thoelcke →

Trey has been an editor and author at 24/7 Wall St. for more than a decade, where he has published thousands of articles analyzing corporate earnings, dividend stocks, short interest, insider buying, private equity, and market trends. His comprehensive coverage spans the full spectrum of financial markets, from blue-chip stalwarts to emerging growth companies.

Beyond 24/7 Wall St., Trey has created and edited financial content for Benzinga and AOL's BloggingStocks, contributing additional hundreds of articles to the investment community. He previously oversaw the 24/7 Climate Insights site, managing editorial operations and content strategy, and currently oversees and creates content for My Investing News.

Trey's editorial expertise extends across multiple publishing environments. He served as production editor at Dearborn Financial Publishing and development editor at Kaplan, where he helped shape financial education materials. Earlier in his career, he worked as a writer-producer at SVE. His freelance editing portfolio includes work for prestigious clients such as Sage Publications, Rand McNally, the Institute for Supply Management, the American Library Association, Eggplant Literary Productions, and Spiegel.

Outside of financial journalism, Trey writes fiction and has been an active member of the writing community for years, overseeing a long-running critique group and moderating workshop sessions at regional conventions. He lives with his family in an old house in the Midwest.