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Who is Michael Shellenberger? Author releases Part 4 of Twitter Files on Trump’s ban from platform

'Twitter Files 4' highlight the chaos within Twitter on the day after the January 6 Capitol Hill riot and how they wanted to ban Donald Trump

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Twitter CEO Elon Musk teamed up with another author and journalist to continue his explosive 'Twitter Files'. This time, he roped in Michael Shellenberger who worked with left-wing groups in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1990s and has since renounced the Democratic Party. 'Twitter Files 4' highlight the chaos within the tech giant on the day after the January 6 Capitol Hill riot and how the executives mainly wanted to alter their policies to implement a permanent ban on former president Donald Trump. 

Michael Shellenberger begins the fourth installment of the billionaire tech mogul's moment of truth by saying, "1. TWITTER FILES, PART 4 The Removal of Donald Trump: January 7 As the pressure builds, Twitter executives build the case for a permanent ban." The 51-year-old journalist revealed that the executives at Twitter were preparing "justifications to ban Trump - seek a change of policy for Trump alone, distinct from other political leaders - express no concern for the free speech or democracy implications of a ban" Shellenberger reveals how Twitter was under a lot of pressure from political leaders to ban Trump after the January 6 incident permanently.

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Shellenberger revealed that then-CEO Jack Dorsey was on a vacation in French Polynesia from January 4 to January 8, 2021. While was active in meetings, he delegated most of his authority to Former Twitter Head of Trust and Safety Yoel Roth, and Head of Legal, Policy, & Trust, Vijaya Gadde. He explained, "As context, it's important to understand that Twitter’s staff & senior execs were overwhelmingly progressive. In 2018, 2020, and 2022, 96%, 98%, & 99% of Twitter staff's political donations went to Democrats." After Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss, Musk gave the information to Michael Shellenberger.

Who is Michael Shellenberger?

Born on June 16, 1971, Shellenberger is an American author and former public relations professional. His writing mainly revolves around politics, the environment, climate change, and nuclear power. He is the founder of Environmental Progress, co-founder of the Breakthrough Institute, and co-founder of the California Peace Coalition. He also has a political background. He was a Democratic candidate for Governor in the 2018 California gubernatorial election, where he finished ninth in a field of 27 candidates with 0.5% of the vote. Shellenberger ran as a "No Party Preference" candidate in the 2022 gubernatorial election, placing third in a field of twenty-six with 4.1% of the vote.

Shellenberger also shared how only one person from a junior level showed concerns over comprising free speech. He wrote, "The *only* serious concern we found expressed within Twitter over the implications for free speech and democracy of banning Trump came from a junior person in the organization. It was tucked away in a lower-level Slack channel known as “site-integrity-auto." Shellenberger is popularly known for his books like San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities, Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All, The Death of Environmentalism: Global Warming in a Post-Environmental World, Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility, and more.