Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum
On December 31, Buterin posted on X, acknowledging Musk’s dedication to free speech but urging him to soften the tone of discussions.
Buterin also criticized Musk’s alleged use of account suspensions, sometimes referred to as the "banhammer". This term describes the removal of users or their privileges for policy violations.
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He emphasized that free speech matters most when dealing with ideas we disagree with. Buterin stated:
Respecting free speech is easy when we agree with the speech and hard when we think it’s awful.
Buterin also highlighted the responsibility of leaders to set a positive tone in public discussions. He wrote, "The role of leaders in setting the tone is really important and can be used to great good or great evil".
The conversation began after Musk defended immigrants working under H1B visas in the US, which drew backlash from some conservatives.
Critics argued that such hiring practices harm job opportunities for Americans. Tensions grew when users accused Musk’s social media platform of penalizing accounts that opposed his stance.
Aside from the debate, Musk recently changed his X account name to "Kekius Maximus" and updated his profile picture to a Pepe
