Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin cautioned Elon Musk that X's shift toward coordinated hate campaigns risks triggering a global backlash against free speech principles.
The warning came Tuesday after the European Commission fined X €120 million for violating the Digital Services Act.
Musk responded by calling for abolishing the EU.
Buterin wrote that discourse around Europe on X has grown "unhinged" in recent days.
He acknowledged legitimate criticisms of EU policies, citing GDPR requirements and proposed surveillance measures as problems requiring reform.
The tone and coordination of recent attacks signal something more dangerous than policy debate, he said.
"Turning X into a global totem pole for Free Speech, and then turning it into a death star laser for coordinated hate sessions is harmful for the cause of free speech," Buterin posted on Dec. 9.
He warned of "huge backlashes against values I hold dear" emerging within years if the platform continues down this path.
When challenged about whether he supported censorship, Buterin said Musk already "actively tweaks algorithms to boost some things and deboost other things based on pretty arbitrary criteria."
He added that he would prefer those tools boost civility rather than rage.
The European Commission's €120 million penalty marked the first enforcement action under the DSA.
Regulators cited three violations: the paid blue checkmark system that fails to verify identities, inadequate advertising transparency, and blocking researcher access to public data.
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Why It Matters
The exchange highlights growing tension between tech platforms' free speech claims and their algorithmic influence over public discourse.
Buterin framed the issue as a structural risk rather than political debate.
He supports the EU as a model for delivering benefits of unity without aggressive world power posturing.
The union needs more unity in foreign policy and less unity in bureaucracy and surveillance, he argued.
"If the experiment can be improved and thrives, it's a model that could set a really good example for the world," Buterin wrote.
The debate extends beyond EU regulations to fundamental questions about platform governance.
Musk acquired X in 2022 positioning it as a refuge against censorship.
Critics argue the platform now enables harassment networks and political manipulation at scale.
Buterin's intervention joins voices wrestling with where to draw the line between free expression and coordinated harm.
Social platforms face a paradox: empowering free speech while preventing weaponization of online mobs may determine whether they protect democratic values or destabilize them.
The Ethereum founder suggested anti-European sentiment on X appears more orchestrated than organic.
He noted that London has been specifically targeted despite claims the criticism only focuses on EU institutions rather than Europe broadly.
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