Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter (now X) and Square (now Block), ignited debate over intellectual property laws this weekend with a brief but provocative online statement insisting: “delete all IP law.” Elon Musk, who currently owns X, swiftly endorsed Dorsey’s sentiment with the succinct reply, “I agree.”
The context for the statements remains unclear, but they emerge amid mounting legal pressures on artificial intelligence firms, including OpenAI, which face multiple lawsuits accusing them of infringing copyright protections while training their AI models.
Tech investor Chris Messina somewhat supported Dorsey’s viewpoint, suggesting that automated intellectual property penalties might evolve into a new form of unjust punishment comparable to harsh drug laws against disadvantaged populations. However, others voiced strong disapproval. AI training ethics advocate Ed Newton-Rex criticized the exchange between Dorsey and Musk as a “declaration of war” on creators, whose life’s work he argues would be “pillaged for profit.” Writer Lincoln Michel bluntly added that neither Musk nor Dorsey would be in business were it not for existing IP laws: “They just hate artists.”
Dorsey expanded upon his initial remarks later, arguing that present systems exploit creators through unfair intermediary expenses and gatekeeping. Responding to pushback from attorney Nicole Shanahan, who contended IP laws were the sole barrier differentiating human creation from AI-generated content, Dorsey countered that human creativity itself should serve as that distinction. He characterized current IP frameworks as restricting genuine creativity and funneling disproportionate profits into the hands of intermediaries rather than creators themselves.
Musk’s concurrence with abolishing IP rules aligns with his past declarations. He has famously called patents a crutch for weaker innovators, most notably pledging ten years ago to allow other companies to use Tesla technology “in good faith” free of patent enforcement—an agreement later complicated by cross-litigation involving patents with Australian company Cap-XX.
Dorsey, likewise, has a track record of supporting open alternatives. He initiated the decentralized social media project that ultimately evolved into Bluesky, though he later withdrew from that project’s board amidst public reflections by Bluesky leadership stating his departure allowed them greater independence.
Finally, observers noted the increasingly narrow gap between casual social media discussions and governmental policymaking—particularly relevant given Musk’s recent governmental role under the Trump administration, where he led significant workforce cuts via the newly established “Department of Government Efficiency.”
As these influential voices continue to clash publicly, the implications for creators, tech companies, and intellectual property regulation remain significant, and the debates appear likely to intensify further.
