Money talks: the deep ties between Twitter and Saudi Arabia

The article discusses the deep ties between Twitter and Saudi Arabia, and how the kingdom's investment in the social media platform has increased its influence in Silicon Valley, while also being used to silence critics of the Saudi regime at home. The article highlights the case of Ali al-Ahmed, a Saudi journalist and analyst living in Washington D.C., who is critical of the Saudi regime. He argues that Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter is not the sole reason for the platform's decline, but rather a continuation of an "old regime" that has long been influenced by Saudi Arabia's investment in the company. The article suggests that Saudi Arabia's investment in Twitter has been used to shut down critics of the regime, highlighting the case of Ali al-Ahmed and his work with the Institute for Gulf Affairs, a Saudi-focused think tank that focuses on human rights reporting. Overall, the article paints a picture of the complex and often opaque relationship between technology companies, like Twitter, and authoritarian regimes, like Saudi Arabia, and how these relationships can be used to silence dissent and consolidate power.