6. Blake Masters

Category of Candidate: Run-of-the-mill cranks.

In that big court-ordered dump of Musk’s messages, an unidentified person texted the SpaceX founder with a little strategic advice, saying:

It will be a delicate game of letting rightwingers back on Twitter and how to navigate that (especially the boss himself, if you’re up forthat) I would also lay out the standards early but have someone who has a savvy cultural/political view to be the VP of actual enforcement

A Blake Masters type

That was before Blake Masters flamed out of the Arizona senate race in November. It was also before we learned that Musk has no interest in putting anyone in charge of moderation.

So, hey, why not put Masters in the Twitter CEO role?

Pros:

It would own the libs.

Masters has spent more than a decade as Peter Thiel’s lapdog, so it would be an easy transition.

Cons:

He’s a loser.

Doesn’t really have demonstrable business experience outside of his proximity to Thiel.

It’s clear that Masters has a lot going for him but Musk and Thiel’s relationship has always been a bit awkward. Thiel replaced Musk as PayPal’s CEO after Musk screwed up the company and was booted by the board. According to a source speaking to Thiel biographer Max Chafkin, “Peter thinks Musk is a fraud and a braggart,” and “Musk thinks Peter is a sociopath.”

They’re both right about each other and I think Musk would be too afraid of Masters loyalties remaining with Thiel.