French European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton resigned Monday following disputes with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
During his time as commissioner for the internal market, Breton clashed with Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X (formerly Twitter) over content regulation on the site, but several experts told Newsweek that Monday’s development is unlikely to represent a win for the tech billionaire.
“Given the personally fraught relationship between Musk and Breton, this resignation may indeed bring a sense of relief for Musk, as Breton had been highly involved in scrutinizing Twitter/X under EU regulations,” Philipp Hacker, research chair for Law and Ethics of the Digital Society at European University Viadrina in Frankfurt told Newsweek.
“However, it is important to note that much of the team working on these issues will remain, and the concerns surrounding the platform’s disintegration of their content moderation and safety teams will still require attention under the Digital Services Act,” he added.
Elon Musk and Thierry Breton, who resigned Monday. Breton previously took on Musk over content regulation on X, but experts told Newsweek his departure is unlikely to ease pressure Musk from the EU.
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Hacker said he did not expect enforcement actions to slow under a different commissioner.
“In fact, it could result in a more neutral, less personally charged, and more professional approach to the issues, allowing for a more focused engagement on critical challenges like combating hate speech and disinformation within the EU and beyond that urgently need to be addressed, by X and other platforms,” the professor said.
Anil Doshi, lecturer with University College London’s School of Management also said Breton’s resignation may not be a win for Musk.
“Any governing body is susceptible to internal conflict and politicking—that is to be expected. But the EU’s regulatory institutions are robust and will persist beyond any one individual. Ultimately, X must confront and comply with the regulations, not with an individual,” Doshi said.
“The European Commission is a solid institution, people count up to a certain degree, but it is the overall agenda they act upon that has the utmost importance. And whoever will be there, I do not believe that the implementation of the DSA and DMA will be jeopardized,” Andrea Renda, director of research at the Centre for European Policy Studies told Newsweek.
“That said, of course Breton is a very competent policymaker with a strong personality and the ability to stand against big tech leaders such as Musk. The newcomer may not have the same ‘persona,'” Renda added.
Newsweek has contacted Musk for comment via Twitter’s press email.
Who Is Thierry Breton and Why Was X Being Investigated By the EU?
As the EU’s digital commissioner, Breton was involved with an investigation into X for potentially breaching the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
This investigation was triggered by concerns that X was allowing the spread of disinformation, hate speech, and violent content, particularly in the context of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The platform has faced scrutiny for not doing enough to moderate this harmful content despite user reports.
The EU has been looking into whether X’s content moderation policies, including the handling of illegal content and disinformation, comply with the DSA, which requires strict measures for large platforms like X to protect users.
If a platform is found to have violated these rules, it could face hefty fines or even a suspension of services within the EU.
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