Elon Musk reportedly surrenders to Brazil in battle over X ban

Elon Musk blinked first in a high-profile game of chicken between the tech billionaire and Brazil’s government.

Musk’s X quietly complied with demands from Brazil’s Supreme Court in a court filing Friday night, the New York Times reported. The hope is Brazil will soon lift its nationwide ban of the social media platform.

Musk publicly feuded with Brazilian Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes, who ordered that X take down content that spread fake news and misinformation, saying it was a threat to the country’s democracy. Musk and X balked at the Court’s demands and refused to pay fines, leading to the website being barred in the entire country.

Now, all of a sudden, Musk has given in, according to the Times. The company’s lawyers reportedly noted that X had taken down the accounts in question, paid the required fines, and named a formal representative for the country.

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The switch marked quite the turnaround from Musk calling Moraes an “evil dictator cosplaying as a judge.”

It wasn’t yet clear why X and Musk had a change of heart — though, obviously, Brazil is a massive market — but whatever the reason, the social media site may soon be back for Brazilians. ‘

X did not immediately reply to Mashable’s request for comment. We will update if we receive a response