Indeed he did suggest "free speech doesn't equal free reach".
If we're now saying that statement is bad then we should hold his feet to the fire. Conflicting statements doesn't mean there is no principle to espouse; it just means there are conflicting statements.
It is an important topic but the Twitter thread linked is not a particularly useful resource. For one, none of this is new information:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/jgxd3d/twitter-insider-acces...
That it’s being brought out now with such fanfare smells like corporate propaganda.