Elon Musk reportedly surrenders to Brazil in battle over X ban
Elon Musk blinked first in a high-profile game of chicken between the tech billionaire and Brazil's government.
Musk's X quietly complied with demands from Brazil's Supreme Court in a court filing Friday night, the New York Times reported. The hope is Brazil will soon lift its nationwide ban of the social media platform.
Musk publicly feuded with Brazilian Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes, who ordered that X take down content that spread fake news and misinformation, saying it was a threat to the country's democracy. Musk and X balked at the Court's demands and refused to pay fines, leading to the website being barred in the entire country.
You May Also Like
Now, all of a sudden, Musk has given in, according to the Times. The company's lawyers reportedly noted that X had taken down the accounts in question, paid the required fines, and named a formal representative for the country.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The switch marked quite the turnaround from Musk calling Moraes an "evil dictator cosplaying as a judge."
It wasn't yet clear why X and Musk had a change of heart — though, obviously, Brazil is a massive market — but whatever the reason, the social media site may soon be back for Brazilians. '
X did not immediately reply to Mashable's request for comment. We will update if we receive a response
Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).
