Why I’m leaving X (and why you should think about leaving too)

For years, X (formerly known as Twitter) has enabled me to engage with a global audience interested in ethical questions, especially those focusing on animals, effective altruism, utilitarianism and bioethics. It’s been good to connect with more than 100,000 followers who care about these topics, many of whom also share my commitment to improving the world.

But the platform has changed—drastically. Under Elon Musk’s leadership, X has increasingly shifted toward serving his political agenda. The tipping point for me was the deliberate manipulation of algorithms to boost his own posts after he endorsed Donald Trump. But even before I learned about that, I had become increasingly uncomfortable about supporting a social media platform that was owned by an individual who has become such a strong supporter of a candidate who espouses dreadful policies, the most disastrous of which seems likely to be his refusal to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.  Without the U.S. taking strong action, it is unreasonable to expect China to cut its emissions, which, although they are growing rapidly, are still far less, on a per capita basis, than those of the U.S.  If neither the U.S. nor China takes strong action during the next four years, the temperature increases, heatwaves, wildfires, floods and hurricanes these emissions are now causing, will be minor compared to what the world will see in another 20 years.

And that is to say nothing of Trump’s many other policies that will be bad for the world as a whole, nor about his total lack of ethical standards.

So after much consideration, I’ve decided to leave X.  I’m moving to Bluesky, a platform that holds promise as a space for genuine engagement and thoughtful discussion. I’ll continue sharing my work and ideas there, and I invite you to join me. Here is an article that describes the platform.

I’ll also remain active on Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram and, of course, here on Substack, where I’ll dive deeper into the ethical questions that matter most to me. If you haven’t subscribed already, consider subscribing to stay connected.

If you choose to join me in leaving X, please leave a comment here and share your support and the reasons why you, too, are leaving.