Musk’s Mouthpiece: How Nick Pickles Fights Governments on Behalf of X

OTI Fellow Eirliani Abdul Rahman is quoted in an article from The Information about X Global Government Affairs Head Nick Pickles, with Abdul Rahman offering her perspective on X’s concerning approach to the surge of abusive speech on the platform.

Eirliani Abdul Rahman is a child-safety advocate who served as a member of Twitter’s external Trust and Safety Council from its founding in 2016. The volunteer-staffed group—long overseen by Pickles’ policy strategy team—aimed to help the company navigate sticky content decisions.

But, alarmed by what she judged to be a surge in abusive speech on the platform under Musk’s leadership, Abdul Rahman resigned from her post last December; Twitter disbanded the council shortly thereafter. Up until that point, said Abdul Rahman, “Twitter was trying to do its best.” But now? “The trajectory isn’t pretty, and I think it’s getting worse.”