Tech billionaire Elon Musk has made the surprising decision to reinstate far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones's account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Musk, who owns X, conducted an informal poll among users on Saturday to gauge their opinion on the matter. The results showed that 70 percent of respondents were in favor of reinstating Jones's account, leading Musk to announce on X, "The people have spoken and so it shall be." As of Sunday afternoon, Jones's account appears to be back online.

This move comes approximately five years after Jones was permanently banned from the platform for engaging in abusive behavior. Prior to Musk's ownership, Twitter, now X, had faced criticism for not taking action against Jones sooner. Many groups cited his controversial conspiracy theories and hate speech as reasons to ban him.

One of the prominent conspiracy theories propagated by Alex Jones was his claim that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, which tragically claimed the lives of 20 children, was orchestrated as a "false flag" event to promote gun control. In response, families of the victims filed lawsuits against Jones and Infowars, ultimately winning judgments totaling nearly $1.5 billion.

Earlier this year, a judge ruled that Jones cannot claim bankruptcy protection to evade paying the families of the victims. The Sandy Hook shooting holds a personal significance for Elon Musk, who made his stance clear last year when asked about reinstating Jones's account. Musk, who had lost his own child, expressed his lack of sympathy for individuals who exploit the deaths of children for personal gain, politics, or fame.

Musk's decision to override his previous opposition and reinstate Alex Jones's account on X has raised eyebrows and sparked debate. While some applaud Musk for allowing free speech and the will of the majority to prevail, others criticize him for giving a platform to a figure with a history of promoting conspiracy theories and spreading hate. Only time will tell how this decision will impact X and its user base moving forward.