17 better ways Elon Musk could have wasted $446 million
The 446 million figure is the hook, but the real target here is the platform itself. I spend enough time on X to recognize the failure mode the article describes: the feed rewards whoever shouts loudest, and the algorithm keeps you angry rather than informed. That dynamic predates Musk. He had a chance to change the incentives and instead doubled down on the amplification.
What I'd want to know is what the 17 alternatives actually are. A listicle like this hides the real argument behind the gimmick, and the worthwhile part tends to sit around item nine. If the point is that 446 million could have funded a dozen newsrooms or a serious moderation overhaul, then the money was wasted, and the lost opportunity to fix the information problem the article starts with is the real cost.
I land on the side of the premise: the money was spent poorly. But I'd push back on the idea that any amount of cash could have fixed X. The incentives of an ad-driven, engagement-maximizing network are baked into the business model, and no single check was going to rewrite those. The real question is whether anyone can run a large public square without it degrading into exactly what the article describes. I'm not sure the answer is yes.