Elon Musk Just Proved Why the Social Enterprise Movement Is So Important

What will Elon Musk do with Twitter?

I have no idea, but what I do know is that the very fact that we are left wondering is the real issue — and that is what we should be talking about.

The fact that there is speculation about layoffs and product changes at Twitter based on one man’s preferences points to a much bigger issue in society: corporations existing purely for economic gains and with outsized influence on our democratic systems.

If you find yourself pondering the future of Twitter, I invite you to reflect on a bigger question:?What does it mean when some of the most influential companies in the world can be bought and sold without any commitment to employees, customers, communities, and partners?

The rise of the “social enterprise ” is designed to protect not only against outlandish billionaire buyouts, but to also protect our planet, communities, employees, and more importantly, our shared futures. In fact, in the very articles of incorporation and governance documents of these entities, a social and environmental commitment is codified and managed against by the organization's leadership and board — and it supersedes changes in leadership.

As worrisome as Twitter’s pseudodrama is, there are also reasons to hope — lots of them.

Social enterprises are becoming mainstream:

• At the upcoming World Economic Forum, over five sessions will feature social enterprises.
• Companies like SAP, IKEA, Unilever, Google, and more have made spending commitments with social enterprises.
• In Europe, over 1/3 of new businesses are founded for this expanded purpose.
• Even in the US — the stalwarts of capitalism and “free markets” (and, not uncoincidentally, also laggards on social and environmental governance)? — the rise of benefit corporations and social enterprises is gaining speed.

Beyond big institutional commitments, things are changing on a more human level, too. As an example, in our MovingWorlds Institute , we teach the principles of social enterprises to up-and-coming leaders from across sectors and demand for this education grows every year. Through our TRANSFORM Support Hub , we help up-and-coming social enterprises build partnerships to achieve scale and impact, and more corporations than ever before are looking to partner with us to support social enterprises.

While I’m certainly alarmed at the impact that organizations like Twitter and Facebook have on the fraying of our collective society and mental health, the underlying issue is so much bigger.

But we know what the issue is... and knowledge is power.

Knowing this, we can hold our leaders and employers accountable.

Knowing this, we can become more intentional about working with, working at, and/or working for the benefit of the social enterprise movement.

Knowing this, we can advocate to policymakers to invest in social procurement and support social enterprise ecosystems.

Every day, we make choices to work for, buy from, and partner with businesses, many of which are not prioritizing society above their shareholders. I hope you'll join me in choosing to support the social enterprise movement.