Stephen King Shares Thoughts On Elon Musk, Says $44B Acquisition Of 'What's Essentially A Social Media Plaything' Is Ridiculous

Acclaimed author Stephen King recently said that, while he doesn't take Twitter too seriously, the social media platform has "gotten very strange" since Elon Musk took over.

In an interview with Slate published on Friday, King said that, even though there are a lot of things to admire about Musk, the billionaire entrepeneur's takeover of the Twitter company was "ridiculous." 

"[Forty-four billion dollars] for what's essentially a social media plaything is a little bit ridiculous," King said. "The whole thing is a tempest in a teapot."

When asked about the time he wondered aloud why his Twitter account said he had subscribed to Twitter Blue, King said, "Elon Musk, after I said that, he tweeted back. And I thought to myself, This is weird. He gifted me this thing, but it said on the original blue check I'd approved of it, or I had paid for it or given a phone number. And none of that stuff was true."

King also said Twitter has been a great platform for gossip and dad jokes.

"You know, there are a lot of people that I don't follow who are now part of my Twitter feed," King said in the interview. 

Read Also: Musk Slammed For Saying Twitter Is Seeking 'The Least Wrong Truth' With Community Notes Feature

"Every day I get tweets from Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, Lauren Boebert, a number of different people who are just sort of like all-in on Trump to the extent that it's actually sort of amusing," he added. 

Last year, in a tweet, King wrote, "I think I liked Twitter better in the pre-Musk days. Less controversy, more fun."

The author also called Musk a "terrible fit" for Twitter, to which Musk responded, "Stephen King is one of most creative people on Earth. While I may not agree with everything he says, I do actually want to hear it."

King told Slate he doesn't plan to leave Twitter anytime soon, but he's still opposed to subscribing to Twitter Blue.

"The thing is, you know, not to brag or anything, but I get paid to write," King said. "I don't have to pay to do it."

Read Next: Elon Musk Says Bots With 'Good Content' Can Use Twitter API Days After Revoking Free Access

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