Elon Musk, a self-proclaimed ‘free-speech absolutist’ just dropped $44 billion to purchase one of the largest online communication platforms in the world. He heralded Twitter as “the digital town-square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.” 

But Twitter’s relationship with free speech and freedom in general deserves some serious examination – especially now that it’s owned by one of the richest men in the world. “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy,” Musk continued. But what happens when the biggest ethical, political and social issues of our time are mediated by a small handful of the world’s richest individuals? 

Here’s what you might have missed this week: 

• Musk’s takeover of Twitter highlights the complexities of media conglomerates and free speech. His desire to follow free speech that matches the law may be harder to put into practice that he thinks – The Guardian 
• The next step for branding is adverts that you can see from space. Rooftop solar panels could give big brands a new way to supersize their advertising – Fast Company 
• All you need to start impact investing is a smartphone and some spare change. A closer look at the best apps and tools that make it easy to invest in companies that are doing good things in the world – 5 Media
• Your whole team benefits when individuals focus on their strengths and passions. Alison Beard speaks with Marcus Buckingham, head of research on people and performance at the ADP Research Institute about how to get your team to love what they do – HBR IdeaCast 
• Failure is as old as humankind, and so is its history. Ornella Sinigaglia digs into our past to understand exactly why we shouldn’t always write failure off as a bad thing – The Beautiful Truth
• Regulators, lawmakers and investors are calling for more transparency in the big tech sector. Opaque financial reporting is adopted to contribute to big tech’s air of omnipotence. But the veil of secrecy is wearing thin – The Economist 
• The pandemic exposed our empathy deficit. Individuals have absorbed personal risk calculations and society seems to have become resigned to accepting a certain level of cases and deaths as normal – The New York Times
• Why silence and fear go hand in hand when it comes to workplace anxiety. Studies show that many people retreat into silence and absence when they experience workplace anxiety – but the best solution is doing the opposite – Financial Times