Elon Musk will have a blue Xmas without you

Just imagine what he'll do in 2024. [Bloomberg]( This is the Theme of the Week edition of [Bloomberg Opinion Today](, a digest of our top commentary published every Sunday. New subscribers to the newsletter can [sign up here](; follow us on [Instagram](, [TikTok](, [X](, [Threads]( and [Facebook](. When 2023 started, some people thought Elon Musk might be able to rejuvenate Twitter. Instead, he hobbled it so badly, there’s no telling what it will look like in a year. Advertisers have fled. Brands have fled. Users have fled. Our tech columnist Dave Lee [fled]( earlier this year when he felt it was morally wrong to be posting on the platform due to the way in which monetization was incentivizing abhorrent behavior. “My eyeballs are no longer for sale to Musk and whatever grotesque content he wants to serve up in front of them,” he wrote at the time. In a special [end-of-year video]( for our social channels, Dave takes us through the chaotic changes that the billionaire brought to the bird app this year, starting with his nonsensical decision to rename it to X in July. All of the other modifications Musk made — and all the people [he fired]( in the process — have done nothing but make the platform worse. And despite claiming to be a champion of free speech, Musk has [sued]( organizations that dared to call out his objectionable behavior: What does 2024 bring? Dave fears it’ll be more of the same. Some things don't ever hit rock bottom; they just keep getting worse. Musk can’t seem to help himself from posting memes that drive [advertisers]( away, and there’s little evidence that his plan for an “everything app” is coming to fruition. Instead, investigations into the company by regulators in the US and Europe will start coming to a head. Thanks to Musk’s buyout, the company is riddled with [billions of dollars in debt]( that he needs to make payments on. Even if he were to make good on those debts, seldom investors are [confident]( that he will ever be able to gain back the value on his original purchase: “It won't be hard for users to leave behind the anti-Semitism and and get-rich-quick crypto schemes for something that feels more like the old Twitter,” he says. In 2024, users will continue to migrate to alternatives such as Meta’s Threads, and of course most young people would rather use TikTok or Instagram. Given all this, it’s worth asking: Will X [even exist]( a year from now? Dave wouldn’t bet on it. Would you? Notes: Have thoughts or questions about X? Please send your feedback to Dave Lee at dlee1285@bloomberg.net. [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Threads](, [TikTok](, [Twitter](, [Instagram]( and [Facebook](. Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Opinion Today newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. [Unsubscribe]( [Bloomberg.com]( [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( [Ad Choices](