[yellowapple]

> This is not exactly free speech issue, because Twitter does not ban based on political preferences/opinions.

Freedom of speech encompasses far more than just "political preferences/opinions".

> This is dishonest competition (all other major companies do the same but not as blunt: Facebook, Google, Amazon for example).

1. I know of exactly zero other social media platforms that ban the mere mention of other social media platforms.

2. Precisely none of those companies are owned entirely by individuals claiming to be "free speech absolutists".

3. Mastodon is not a company, major or otherwise. It's a "competitor" to Twitter in the same sense that me raising chickens in my backyard makes me a "competitor" to Tyson or Foster Farms.

[asteroidbelt]

> I know of exactly zero other social media platforms that ban the mere mention of other social media platforms

WhatsApp banned links to Telegram.

Facebook ranks links to Twitter/YouTube lower than content without such links.

> Precisely none of those companies are owned entirely by individuals claiming to be "free speech absolutists"

Either Elon Musk is no longer "free speech absolutist" or does not consider Twitter policy must match his personal preferences.

> Mastodon is not a company, major or otherwise

Competition may be not only for money, but also competition for users. It is quite possible that critical number of users will leave Twitter for Mastodon.

[yellowapple]

> WhatsApp banned links to Telegram.

> Facebook ranks links to Twitter/YouTube lower than content without such links.

Right, links, not "mere mentions".

> Either Elon Musk is no longer "free speech absolutist" or does not consider Twitter policy must match his personal preferences.

Very likely the former - or more accurately, he wasn't ever a "free speech absolutist" in the first place, but dishonestly claimed to be one. The latter is obviously a possibility, though it would go against the whole ostensible point of him buying Twitter in the first place.

> It is quite possible that critical number of users will leave Twitter for Mastodon.

It is also quite possible that a critical number of chicken eaters will stop buying frozen chicken strips in favor of raising chickens themselves or getting chicken meat from neighbors who do so. That doesn't make backyard chicken farmers Tyson/Foster competitors in any meaningful sense.