There's a bit of amusing irony in the article due to how a lot of the article's reasoning could be enlisted against the concept of democracy itself rather than

There's a bit of amusing irony in the article due to how a lot of the article's reasoning could be enlisted against the concept of democracy itself rather than the "democracy-poisoning" free speech. Analogous to the article's concerns about how everything is "optimized for engagement," one could say that the democratic values promoted by the author "optimize for votes/reelection/contributions." The dismissal of Mill's "notion that a 'marketplace of ideas' will elevate the truth" could similarly dismiss the idea that the masses voting would elevate the best leaders or reasonable long-term policy. The common refrain might be that it's the worst form of government except for all else that's been tried. I'd invite the author to explore similar critiques for democracy, or else to consider the idea that societal taboos against restricting free speech exist out of concern of the alternative.