Elon Musk has blocked actor James Woods following a weekend spat over the CEO’s plans to remove that exact feature from Twitter.
On Friday (18 August), Musk, 52, announced that the social media site – which he has attempted to rebrand as X – will dramatically limit the ability of users to block other accounts. Many believe that the decision will allow harassment to flourish on the platform.
“Block is going to be deleted as a ‘feature’, except for DMs [direct messages],” Musk tweeted. “It makes no sense.”
The next day, Woods, who is known to be one of Hollywood’s most vocal conservatives, criticised the billionaire’s decision.
The 76-year-old argued that, if Musk “removes the ability to block concerted harassment by trolls or organised political entities, how will ‘X’ be any different from Jack Dorsey’s horrid Twitter”?
Dorsey was the co-founder and CEO of Twitter before he sold it to Musk for $44bn in October 2022.
Hercules voice actor Woods continued: “Musk, whom I once championed, is only doing this to protect his advertisers anyway. Users of X are mere pawns to turn the site into an electronic shopping mall.
“The man I thought was a defender of free speech is just another greedy capitalist. Disappointing, but not surprising.”
You prerogative, sir, which is exactly my point. Have a nice day. pic.twitter.com/qt8ZD3wbM9
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) August 20, 2023
“Then delete your account,” Musk responded, before he later tweeted: “I’m having a good time blocking people who complain that blocking is going away. How does the medicine taste?”
Shortly after, Woods shared a screenshot confirming that he had been blocked by the Tesla CEO. “Your prerogative, sir, which is exactly my point. Have a nice day,” he wrote.
“I’ve received such astonishing support from all of you, I’m truly humbled. The recurring theme in your many heartfelt DM’s was a fear that I would leave X,” Woods said in a follow-up post. “I’ve have now decided I will never leave, and will only ever be silent when they find an excuse to remove my account.”
Since Musk’s Twitter takeover, the social media site has undergone several controversial changes, including the removal of the verified blue checkmark, which was initially granted to celebrities, politicians, journalists and other users of significance. Now, any user is able to receive the checkmark if they pay an $8 monthly subscription fee.
In May, Dorsey reacted to Musk’s recently rebranded site, saying that “it all went south” after the Tesla chief’s purchase of the platform. He said Musk should have “walked away” from the acquisition.