Stani Kulechov, the creator of Aave (AAVE), was briefly suspended from Twitter this week, just hours after jokingly announcing his intention to join the social media company as interim CEO.
“BREAKING: Joining Twitter as interim CEO,” Kulechov joked on Tuesday. At 2:48 p.m. PST, the tweet was sent (9:48 pm UTC). The Aave founder’s account was suspended the next day. Additionally, the official confirmed that Kulechov’s suspension was his first on the social media platform and that he had not received any prior warnings.
“Twitter, which Elon Musk just acquired, has chosen to suspend my account,” Kulechov stated in a statement, emphasizing the dangers of centralized content production ownership.
Kulechov said Thursday afternoon that he had returned to the social media company as “interim CEO.”
It is unknown if discussing becoming Twitter’s CEO violates the platform’s terms of service or the platform’s new free speech requirement. The comment seems to fit Musk’s concept of free speech, which he restated on Tuesday as speech that “complies with the law.”
Since the beginning of COVID-19, concerns of freedom of speech and the ability to challenge prevailing cultural narratives have been extensively disputed. According to others, the pandemic allowed governments and media outlets to marginalize individuals with opposing viewpoints. In February, the Canadian government confiscated the bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets of individuals who participated in local protests, bringing the issue of dissent and free expression to the fore.
