Three days before Elon Musk , the world91裸聊视频檚 richest man tweeted a photo of Bill Gates and used a crude term to make fun of his belly.

Playful, aggressive and often juvenile, Musk91裸聊视频檚 past tweets show how he has used social media to craft his public image as a brash billionaire unafraid to offend. They may also reveal clues as to how Musk he hopes to own.

91裸聊视频淟ook at the feed: It91裸聊视频檚 all over the place. It91裸聊视频檚 erratic. At times it91裸聊视频檚 pretty extreme,91裸聊视频� said Jennifer Grygiel, a Syracuse University professor who studies social media and who recently assigned Musk91裸聊视频檚 tweets as reading material for their students. 91裸聊视频淚t paints him as some sort of rebel leader who will take control of the public square to save it. That is a myth he has constructed.91裸聊视频�

Musk joined Twitter in 2010 and now has more than 85 million followers 91裸聊视频� the seventh most of any account and the highest for any business leader. He had mused about buying the site before for Twitter, which he said he hopes to turn into a haven where all speech is allowed.

91裸聊视频淚 hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means,91裸聊视频� Musk wrote in a tweet.

As the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk uses his Twitter account to make business announcements and promote his enterprises. He muses about technology and trade, but has also posted jokes about women91裸聊视频檚 breasts and once compared Canada91裸聊视频檚 prime minister to Hitler. He regularly weighs in on global events, as he did in March 2020 when he tweeted that 91裸聊视频淭he coronavirus pandemic is dumb.91裸聊视频�

He91裸聊视频檚 also used the account to punch back at critics, such as when working to rescue boys trapped in a cave in Thailand a 91裸聊视频減edo,91裸聊视频� short for pedophile. The diver had previously criticized Musk91裸聊视频檚 proposal to use a sub to rescue the boys. Musk, who won a defamation suit filed by the diver, later said he never intended 91裸聊视频減edo91裸聊视频� to be interpreted as 91裸聊视频減edophile.91裸聊视频�

A few years ago, after software engineer Cher Scarlett criticized Musk91裸聊视频檚 handling of the cave incident, the tech billionaire fired back and she was soon being harassed by dozens of Musk91裸聊视频檚 online fans. He later deleted the posts, but not before Scarlett had to lock down her account because she was receiving so many hateful messages.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 ironic to me that somebody who claims they want to buy Twitter to protect free speech has such thin skin,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淗e91裸聊视频檚 a very smart man, and when he replies to people that criticize him, he knows what he91裸聊视频檚 doing. To me that91裸聊视频檚 not championing free speech, it91裸聊视频檚 weaponizing free speech, and I think that91裸聊视频檚 what he91裸聊视频檒l do owning this platform.91裸聊视频�

Nineteen-year-old Jack Sweeney got Musk91裸聊视频檚 attention when he created an automated Twitter account that tracked the movements of Musk91裸聊视频檚 jet. Musk responded by offering Sweeney $5,000 to pull the account. When Sweeney refused, Musk blocked him on Twitter.

Sweeney said he91裸聊视频檚 worried he may get kicked off the site entirely if Musk91裸聊视频檚 takeover is approved. But he said he , and hopes he sees it through.

91裸聊视频淗e91裸聊视频檒l make it more open, and I think that91裸聊视频檚 a good thing,91裸聊视频� Sweeney said.

Musk91裸聊视频檚 use of Twitter has also led to . In one August 2018 tweet, for instance, Musk asserted that he had the funding to take Tesla private for $420 a share, although a court has ruled that it wasn91裸聊视频檛 true. That led to an SEC investigation that Musk is still fighting.

More recently, Musk appeared to have that required him to disclose that he91裸聊视频檇 acquired a 5% stake in Twitter; instead he waited until he had more than 9%. Experts say these issues aren91裸聊视频檛 likely to affect his Twitter acquisition.

Last year another federal agency, the National Labor Relations Board, ordered Musk to delete a tweet that officials said illegally threatened to cut stock options for Tesla employees who joined the United Auto Workers union.

Those tweets helped cement Musk91裸聊视频檚 reputation as a brash outsider, a workingman91裸聊视频檚 billionaire, Grygiel said. But that doesn91裸聊视频檛 mean he is equipped to run a social media platform with more than 200 million users, the professor added.

91裸聊视频淢aybe he wants to burn it down,91裸聊视频� Grygiel said. 91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 know. But I do know that it shows that no one person should have this kind of power.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频擠avid Klepper, The Associated Press