Tech Desk 
Jan 12, 2025
In a move which seems unfavourable for tech billionaire Elon Musk, over 60 German universities bid farewell to his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), reportedly owing to a "lack of compatibility between the platform and the institutions' core values."
Coming on the heels of similar decisions taken by top European research organisations including the Dutch Research Council and Paris-Saclay University, the exodus of various German universities includes well-acclaimed academic institutes like Goethe University in Frankfurt and Free University of Berlin.
The two aforementioned academia marked their exit from the renowned microblogging site by issuing a joint statement on January 10, expressing dissent over charges incurred upon them under Musk's ownership of the platform, according to The Express Tribune.
The outgoing academia also urged fellow institutions to join the exodus, highlighting the platform's lack of acceptance towards scientific and factual content which has been continuously targetted since Musk took over the platform in 2022.
The institutes lamented that content regulations on X prevent free, fair and meaningful discourse. They also held accountable the deployment of algorithms which elevate anti-elitist sentiments while causing a roadblock to the organic reach of impartial views.
Goethe University specifically pointed to the platform's biased censorship favouring the content which resonates more with the owner’s worldview. This favouritism in terms of content, they said, has contributed significantly to the notable decline in interaction and the reach of "fact-based communication" and "democratic values."
