The European Union has become the new favorite enemy of X's owner. Is it just about business? Or is it more about actual political interference?

Brussels

Elon Musk has renewed his public criticism of the European Union, suggesting that the EU should be dismantled. The dispute has escalated through several incidents, including Musk's claims of censorship, political commentary on European elections, and a 120 million euro fine imposed on his platform X for consumer fraud. 

The fine relates to issues such as the sale of verification to bots, blocking researchers from accessing public data, and lack of transparency in advertising. Despite the penalty being below the maximum possible, the ongoing conflict raises questions about Musk's motivations in his dealings with EU authorities.

Elon Musk's war against the EU — should it really be 'dismantled'?

Over the weekend, there was yet another battle between the EU and Elon Musk, who claims the European Union should be dismantled. It sounds extreme, but if you look at the timetable, the bells have been ringing for some time already. Let's go back to July 2024. Musk claimed Brussels offered him a secret illegal deal to censor speech. It was a standard compliance procedure offered to every platform, but Musk used it to frame himself as a victim. Then was August 2024. The European Commission sent a formal warning letter to follow EU law. In response, Musk tweeted a very non-diplomatic meme from the movie Tropic Thunder. In late 2024, he told German voters to back the far-right alternative for Deutschland. And then he attacked Italian judges on migration, claiming they need to go. And his current battle is against the 120 million euro fine for his social media platform X. However, the fine is not about supposed censorship, but about consumer fraud. It means selling verification to anyone, including bots, actively blocking researchers from seeing public data, and hiding who actually pays for the ads you see. Given that the penalty is well below the maximum possible fine, we need to ask one question. Is the game you play, Elon, actually about business? Or maybe it's about something else.

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