Elon Musk
Dec 20, 2022: Vox: Wasn’t Elon Musk supposed to quit by now?
It’s been over 36 hours since people voted overwhelmingly for Elon Musk to step down as CEO of Twitter (out of some 17 million votes, 57.5 percent were in favor of Musk resigning). But instead of immediately and publicly accepting the results, which he said he’d do, Musk is now casting doubt on the validity of his poll after Musk himself launched it on Twitter, a platform that he owns. Dec 19, 2022: Deutsche Welle: Opinion: Elon Musk's Twitter poll is ridiculous Around 58% of all 17.5 million people voting ticked "yes" when Elon Musk tweeted a poll asking whether he should step down as the head of Twitter. What does this tell us? The short answer is: nothing, really. The long answer is: Elon Musk seems to be growing bored with the new $44-billion (€41 billion) toy that's caused him nothing but trouble since he bought it. But it seems out of place to feel sorry for the world's now only second-richest man — he's brought this misery upon himself by acting out like a spoiled 4-year-old. Dec 17, 2022: Aljazeera: Advertisers should fear more than the chaos at Twitter In the wake of Elon Musk’s chaotic takeover of Twitter, several of the world’s largest ad agencies have advised clients to pause advertising their brands on the social media network due to concerns over “brand safety”. Thousands of Twitter employees either quit or were let go which reportedly affected moderation capacities, including those dedicated to ensuring adverts do not appear next to online content that could damage the image or reputation of a brand. Dec 17, 2022; NPR: Twitter lifts suspensions on several journalists amid rift between the site and media
The company has not explained why the accounts were taken down. But Musk took to Twitter on Thursday night to accuse journalists of sharing private information about his whereabouts, which he described as "basically assassination coordinates." He provided no evidence for that claim. Dec 16, 2022: The Atlantic: No One Wins in Elon Musk’s Battle With Journalists Last night, several well-known journalists, including Ryan Mac of The New York Times and Drew Harwell of The Washington Post, were suspended from Twitter. The suspensions were ostensibly related to the journalists’ reporting on an account—@ElonJet, operated by the 20-year-old Jack Sweeney—which was dedicated to publishing the location of Elon Musk’s private jet based on public data. Musk had once promised that his commitment to free speech would prevent him from ever suspending or banning @ElonJet, but he pivoted this week after an apparently unrelated alleged stalking incident. Dec 16, 2022: Insider: Twitter's real problem is that the constant string of Elon Musk scandals is making it boring
Dec 15, 2022: NPR: Twitter suspends several journalists who shared information about Musk's jet Press freedom advocates on Thursday criticized Twitter owner Elon Musk, who has suspended the accounts of several high-profile journalists who cover the billionaire and his chaotic leadership of the social media site. Dec 14, 2022: SFGate: Elon Musk’s Twitter is allegedly failing to pay rent on its San Francisco HQ Bills are reportedly piling up at Elon Musk’s Twitter, including overdue rent for the tech company’s San Francisco headquarters. Dec 14, 2022: Los Angeles Times: Paul Pelosi’s alleged attacker also targeted Tom Hanks, Hunter Biden, Gavin Newsom, investigator says The 911 call, played in the courtroom and transcribed by KRON4 News, suggested Pelosi did not know DePape before the attack, disputing conspiracy theories online that were amplified on Twitter by Chief Executive Elon Musk. Dec 12, 2022: CNN: Elon Musk booed off stage at a Dave Chappelle show Elon Musk joined Dave Chappelle on stage Sunday in San Francisco, home of Twitter’s headquarters where the world’s richest person recently laid off many of its employees. It went about as well as you’d expect. The crowd at the Chase Center loudly booed Musk, who had spent much of the weekend wading into the culture wars, making transphobic statements and seemingly echoing QAnon tropes. Dec 10, 2022: New York Times: A Political Theory of King Elon Musk Musk claims to want Twitter to serve as a digital town square. But that seems like a category error: Social media includes aspects of a town-square experience, but fundamentally it’s a larger parallel reality, a prototype of the immersive virtual world that Mark Zuckerberg has so far failed to build. It’s a place where people form communities and alliances, nurture friendships and sexual relationships, yell and flirt, cheer and pray. And all this happens transnationally, the system spreading itself across borders while policing who can cross its own. |
“This is a direct result of that disgusting political rhetoric, whether it’s from Donald Trump or Marjorie Taylor Greene or Newsmax or Fox News. And I’m really worried that now that Elon Musk is taking over Twitter, he is going to unleash the hate. I’m concerned about that. It’s going to make things worse.” California State Senator Scott Wiener on violence against Paul Pelosi 10.28.22 ![]() Nov 7, 2022:
Elon Musk said on Sunday Twitter users engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying it as a "parody" account will be permanently suspended without a warning. Actress Valerie Bertinelli started it off on Sunday. Kathy Griffin did it after her. Griffin was permanently suspended. Not the first time Griffin has been suspended from Twitter. ![]() November 8, 2022: Elon Musk's net worth slips below $200 billion as Tesla shares waver
Elon Musk's net worth dropped below $200 billion on Tuesday as investors dumped Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) shares on fears the top executive and largest shareholder of the world's most valuable electric-vehicle maker is more preoccupied with Twitter. Musk now has a net worth of $194.8 billion, according to Forbes, with a big share of that coming from his nearly 15% stake in Tesla, which has a market value of $622 billion. ![]() Human Rights Advocates Are Fighting Elon Musk’s 'Amnesty' Plan for Suspended Twitter Users
Elon Musk’s plan to offer ‘amnesty’ to suspended Twitter users puts human rights in jeopardy across the globe, advocacy experts say. Musk’s announcement that he will grant a “general amnesty” to banned Twitter accounts starting this week comes roughly a month after he took over day-to-day management of Twitter and laid off nearly half of its workforce—including the entirety of the human rights team and an untold number of outsourced content moderators who tracked hate and harmful posts on the site. Key security, privacy, and trust and safety executives have also left the company since Musk took over. 11.29.22 |
Dec 9, 2022: New York Magazine: The ‘Twitter Files’ Is What It Claims to Expose
That’s the story that conservatives want to tell about what Twitter used to be, in the bad old days before Elon Musk begrudgingly bought it. Fortunately, Twitter’s new CEO has a deep-seated objection to social-media companies using their power over discourse to promote partisan causes. Therefore, Musk is using his newfound power over discourse to promote the conservative movement’s demagogic narratives about Twitter and the Democratic president’s son.
Nov 30, 2022: NBC News: Twitter has grown under Elon Musk — mainly in the U.S., data shows
Elon Musk has generated fresh interest in Twitter, and you don’t have to take his word for it.
Data from two independent research firms, Apptopia and Sensor Tower, indicate that downloads and activity on Twitter are on the upswing in the weeks since Musk bought it and in comparison to last year, appearing to confirm recent boasting from the tech billionaire that he has reinvigorated the social media app.
That’s the story that conservatives want to tell about what Twitter used to be, in the bad old days before Elon Musk begrudgingly bought it. Fortunately, Twitter’s new CEO has a deep-seated objection to social-media companies using their power over discourse to promote partisan causes. Therefore, Musk is using his newfound power over discourse to promote the conservative movement’s demagogic narratives about Twitter and the Democratic president’s son.
Nov 30, 2022: NBC News: Twitter has grown under Elon Musk — mainly in the U.S., data shows
Elon Musk has generated fresh interest in Twitter, and you don’t have to take his word for it.
Data from two independent research firms, Apptopia and Sensor Tower, indicate that downloads and activity on Twitter are on the upswing in the weeks since Musk bought it and in comparison to last year, appearing to confirm recent boasting from the tech billionaire that he has reinvigorated the social media app.
New York Times: Trump, Musk and Kanye Are Twitter Poisoned Elon Musk used to be a serious person more concerned with engineering and building businesses than with petty name-calling. He didn’t seem like the kind of person to amplify a preposterous, sordid story about Paul Pelosi. 11.12.22
Proactive Investors: Eli Lilly shares fall after fake verified account tweets 'insulin is free now'
Elon Musk’s new pay-$8-for-Twitter-verification system has gone awry in a matter of days. Now, instead of just costing Twitter money, other companies are taking losses too.
Eli Lilly and Company shares tumbled more than 5% on Friday after a parody Twitter account purporting to be the pharmaceutical firm (which had purchased one of Musk’s $8 checkmarks) tweeted on Thursday afternoon that insulin would now be free.
11.11.22
CNBC: Sen. Markey demands answers from Musk on Twitter imposters
After a Washington Post reporter successfully set up a fake verified account impersonating him, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., demanded answers from Twitter owner Elon Musk about how it happened.
Twitter appeared to have paused the $7.99/month Twitter Blue verification program shortly after the Post ran its test as impersonations of celebrities and brands proliferated across the platform.
“Allowing an imposter to impersonate a U.S. Senator on Twitter is a serious matter that you need to address promptly,” Markey wrote. 11.11.22
CNBC: Twitter pauses paid verifications after users abuse service to impersonate brands and people
Twitter appears to have paused its $7.99/month Blue subscription service, which allowed people to pay for a verification check mark, after users were abusing it to impersonate brands and famous people. 11.11.22
Proactive Investors: Eli Lilly shares fall after fake verified account tweets 'insulin is free now'
Elon Musk’s new pay-$8-for-Twitter-verification system has gone awry in a matter of days. Now, instead of just costing Twitter money, other companies are taking losses too.
Eli Lilly and Company shares tumbled more than 5% on Friday after a parody Twitter account purporting to be the pharmaceutical firm (which had purchased one of Musk’s $8 checkmarks) tweeted on Thursday afternoon that insulin would now be free.
11.11.22
CNBC: Sen. Markey demands answers from Musk on Twitter imposters
After a Washington Post reporter successfully set up a fake verified account impersonating him, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., demanded answers from Twitter owner Elon Musk about how it happened.
Twitter appeared to have paused the $7.99/month Twitter Blue verification program shortly after the Post ran its test as impersonations of celebrities and brands proliferated across the platform.
“Allowing an imposter to impersonate a U.S. Senator on Twitter is a serious matter that you need to address promptly,” Markey wrote. 11.11.22
CNBC: Twitter pauses paid verifications after users abuse service to impersonate brands and people
Twitter appears to have paused its $7.99/month Blue subscription service, which allowed people to pay for a verification check mark, after users were abusing it to impersonate brands and famous people. 11.11.22
NPR: Some Twitter users flying the coop hope Mastodon will be a safe landing
Few people outside computer programmers or engineers had heard of the social network Mastodon before Elon Musk bought Twitter.
Now, Twitter users queasy about changes the eccentric billionaire is making are signing up for Mastodon accounts in droves. Mastodon reached a million users earlier this week, up from under 400,000 before Musk closed the Twitter deal on Oct. 27. 11.10.22
Few people outside computer programmers or engineers had heard of the social network Mastodon before Elon Musk bought Twitter.
Now, Twitter users queasy about changes the eccentric billionaire is making are signing up for Mastodon accounts in droves. Mastodon reached a million users earlier this week, up from under 400,000 before Musk closed the Twitter deal on Oct. 27. 11.10.22
CNBC: Tesla stock has dropped more than 35% since Elon Musk first said he’d buy Twitter
Since Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced his bid to buy social network Twitter, shares in his electric vehicle maker have dipped by more than 35%, and closed down just 3.6% for the day on Friday, amid a market rally that followed a volatile week. By way of comparison, the Nasdaq Composite is down by about 18% over the same time frame.
Musk first announced he had agreed to buy Twitter on April 25, 2022. Tesla shares closed that day at $332.67, and closed today at $207.47 capping his first full week of Twitter ownership.
11.4.22
Since Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced his bid to buy social network Twitter, shares in his electric vehicle maker have dipped by more than 35%, and closed down just 3.6% for the day on Friday, amid a market rally that followed a volatile week. By way of comparison, the Nasdaq Composite is down by about 18% over the same time frame.
Musk first announced he had agreed to buy Twitter on April 25, 2022. Tesla shares closed that day at $332.67, and closed today at $207.47 capping his first full week of Twitter ownership.
11.4.22
Reuters: Twitter sued for mass layoffs -Bloomberg
Twitter was sued over Elon Musk's plan to lay off about half of its workforce, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing a class-action lawsuit filed in a San Francisco federal court.
Twitter employees say the company is eliminating workers without enough notice in violation of federal and California law, the report said. 11.4.22
NBC News: Elon Musk, new owner of Twitter, tweets unfounded anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theory about Paul Pelosi attack
Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, tweeted and deleted an unfounded anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theory Sunday morning about the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband from a website that has a history of publishing false information. 10.30.22
Twitter was sued over Elon Musk's plan to lay off about half of its workforce, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing a class-action lawsuit filed in a San Francisco federal court.
Twitter employees say the company is eliminating workers without enough notice in violation of federal and California law, the report said. 11.4.22
NBC News: Elon Musk, new owner of Twitter, tweets unfounded anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theory about Paul Pelosi attack
Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, tweeted and deleted an unfounded anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theory Sunday morning about the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband from a website that has a history of publishing false information. 10.30.22
Oct 30, 2022: Los Angeles Times: Elon Musk spreads unfounded conspiracy theory about Paul Pelosi attack on Twitter
Days after taking control of Twitter, Elon Musk on Sunday posted and later deleted an unfounded conspiracy theory about the attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Oct 30, 2022: Los Angeles Times: Elon Musk spreads unfounded conspiracy theory about Paul Pelosi attack on Twitter
Days after taking control of Twitter, Elon Musk on Sunday posted and later deleted an unfounded conspiracy theory about the attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Days after taking control of Twitter, Elon Musk on Sunday posted and later deleted an unfounded conspiracy theory about the attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Oct 30, 2022: Los Angeles Times: Elon Musk spreads unfounded conspiracy theory about Paul Pelosi attack on Twitter
Days after taking control of Twitter, Elon Musk on Sunday posted and later deleted an unfounded conspiracy theory about the attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.