but the US has already “broken down” in all the meaningful respects here. Musk’s concerns are no more independent of the Federal government that ByteDance. 1/

The President owes his victory to Musk’s financial and media support. 2/

Musk’s wealth is entirely dependent (by his own admission!) on Trump’s protecting the EV market from (other) Chinese competition (Tesla is largely a Chinese firm itself, its biggest factory is there, the firm is entirely dependent on Chinese parts.) 3/

The incoming President has assiduously, intentionally demolished the last paper-thin remnants of the postwar rules-based order. 4/

He has purposely retroactively normalized Putin’s invasion of Ukraine by threatening four — four! — sovereign states, three of which in violation of the core, inviolable principle of that order, no annexation of territory by force or threat of force. 5/

If I had to choose which firewall to build, one against speech supporting the politics of Elon Musk (and therefore Donald Trump), another against speech supporting the CCP, it’s not remotely clear that Musk would be a better influence. 6/

Pretty much all of the distinctions you are trying to draw strike me, quite simply, as outdated. 7/

Perhaps in a different America, Americanness alone would meaningfully distinguish communication companies at least somewhat aligned with our — your and my — values and interests from foreign concerns with very different values and interests. 8/

But at this moment, powerful domestic and foreign concerns alike are ambitiously promoting values and interests different from our own. Mere foreignness, even Chineseness, signifies nothing. 9/

I’m not saying we don’t want to regulate these firms. On the contrary! Again, I’m saying we craft to find regulation that ensnares X and ByteDance on equitable terms. Nationality is not what’s worth caring about in our actually existing world. /fin