Black Billionaires Could Save X (Twitter), But Why Would They?

This article is part of The Root Institute 2023 pre-event coverage.

Currently, the most infamous man on the internet right now, Elon Musk, is ruining the social media platform that many have grown to love. Not only as he made the user experience much worse, but he also changed the name of it from Twitter to X, a basic and bland name for a company let alone a social media app. He’s done everything from banning journalists and making the verification process easier to belittling Black users on the app and his Black employees.

With that in mind, The Root came up with the names of Black billionaires (and millionaires) who could use their talents and ties to rich friends to save X from the villain that is Musk. While some of them may not be too interested in saving a platform that may be too far from saving, they have the connections to make something happen.

Bob Johnson

The founder of BET and the former owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, Johnson has always been one to invest in companies and projects he believes in. With this billionaire at the forefront, he could put together a group of investors that could take and make X good.

David L. Steward

David L. Steward is a billionaire who is the founder and chairman of World Wide Technology, one of the largest Black-owned companies in the United States. Since he’s already in the tech world, his transition into X would be seamless.

Julia Collins

Julia Collins is the first Black woman to co-found a company valued at $1 billion by investors. She already works in the world of technology thanks to her company, Zume Pizza, which uses robots for pizza production. If she wants to get into the social media space, X could be an option.

Tope Awotona

Awotona is the CEO and founder of the scheduling software company Calendly. Similar to other billionaires on this list, he already works in the tech space and could make a smooth transition into X. Awotona is a businessman just like Musk; he has the smarts to fix this mess.

Robert F. Smith

One of the richest Black men in the world, Smith is the founder of Vista Equity Partners. Remember, he pledged $34 million to help Morehouse students pay off student loan debt, so we know he’s likely down with Black people on the app. Smith focuses on investing in software companies. Investing in X would be a natural pivot for this Master of the Universe.

Dr. Dre

Although Dr. Dre is known for his ability as a producer, he’s also a savvy businessman. He’s already worked in the tech world thanks to his company Beats by Dre, which he sold for $3 billion to Apple, so maybe he’s looking for the next tech company to get involved in.

Jay-Z

Jay-Z already has a relationship with the co-founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, so maybe the hip-hop legend might want to dive head-first into the world of social media and technology by saving X. He already has the connections, why doesn’t he pull the trigger?

Rihanna

The youngest woman to be named a self-made billionaire, Rihanna, can pretty much do anything she puts her mind to. If that means saving X from itself, I won’t doubt her.

LeBron James

LeBron James has close relationships with Dr. Dre and Jay-Z; if these three put their minds together and use all of their connections, they could bring X back to its past glory.

Mellody Hobson

As the president ad CEO of Ariel Investments, her next venture could be with X. Obviously, that’s easier said than done, but with the help of other savvy billionaires, including her husband George Lucas, she might have the ability to get it done.

Condoleeza Rice

Former Secretary of State Rice is not a billionaire, though she has billionaire connections and she is not afraid to dip her toe into other spaces such as Sports. So why not try social media?

Oprah 

Oprah can damn near do anything, whether that’s having the most popular talk show in history or starting her own production company. If she thinks she can make X better, she’ll do it and we will be right behind her cheering and helping her along the way.

Stephen Curry

As a Golden State Warrior, Stephen Curry already has a plethora of connections to the tech world. X’s headquarters are in San Francisco, and with the help of many other local investors, maybe Curry can stop X from dying a slow death.

Shaquille O’Neal

Whether it’s in Crypto or Insurance, Shaq is always investing, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the NBA Hall of Famer worked with an investment group to take over X.

Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson is not quite a billionaire yet, but he’s pretty close to it. As a player, he was known as a teammate that got everyone involved, the same could be applied to his experience as a businessman. His connections have gotten him far and could help him get X out of its misery.