Musk to sue ADL for £22 billion for ‘trying to kill’ X with false anti-semitism claims
In a series of tweets, Musk says he will sue the Anti-Defamation League for $22 billion, which he says is 60% in lost revenue, as a result of the organisation putting pressure on advertisers to stop using the platform with claims that Musk and X is anti-semitic.
To be super clear, I’m pro free speech, but against anti-Semitism of any kind. Since the acquisition, The @ADL has been trying to kill this platform by falsely accusing it & me of being anti-Semitic. Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL (that’s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X/Twitter! If this continues, we will have no choice but to file a defamation suit against, ironically, the “Anti-Defamation” League. If they lose the defamation suit, we will insist that they drop the the “anti” part of their name, since obviously …
Musk later explains:
Advertisers avoid controversy, so all that is needed for ADL to crush our US & European ad revenue is to make unfounded accusations. They have much less power in Asia, so our ad revenue there is still strong. This “controversy” causes advertisers to “pause”, but that pause is permanent until ADL gives the green light, which they will not do without us agreeing to secretly suspend or shadowban any account they don’t like. That is the relationship they’ve had with X/Twitter for many years. Presumably, they have that with all western search or social media orgs.
Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL (that’s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X/Twitter!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2023
When told about a $10.5 million defamation fine awarded against ADL, Musk says that the organisation would be potentially liable for half of X’s revenue:
Interesting. In our case, they would potentially be on the hook for destroying half the value of the company, so roughly $22 billion.
Interesting.
In our case, they would potentially be on the hook for destroying half the value of the company, so roughly $22 billion.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2023
Musk blocks Woods after actor complains about block feature removal
Musk blocks Woods following his comments on the X CEO’s plans to remove the block feature from Twitter.
If @elonmusk removes the ability to block concerted harassment by trolls or organized political entities, how will “X” be any different from Jack Dorsey’s horrid Twitter? Musk, whom I once championed, is only doing this to protect his advertisers anyway. Users of X are mere pawns to turn the site into an electronic shopping mall. The man I thought was a defender of free speech is just another greedy capitalist. Disappointing, but not surprising.
To which Musk responds:
Then delete your account
Then delete your account
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 20, 2023
Woods then posts a screenshot showing that Musk has blocked him:
Your prerogative, sir, which is exactly my point. Have a nice day.
You prerogative, sir, which is exactly my point. Have a nice day. pic.twitter.com/qt8ZD3wbM9
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) August 20, 2023
Musk lifts West’s X block after anti-semitic assurances
After assurances that he will not post anti-semitic or harmful content, Musk reinstates West’s account on X (formerly Twitter), almost eight months after Musk banned him from Twitter after West posted an image of a swastika blended with a star of David to Twitter.
Musk’s ketamine use ‘could jeopardize security clearance’
Musk’s ketamine use could prompt an investigation into his security clearance for SpaceX and Tesla. It was reported that Musk microdoses ketamine for depression, and takes full doses of ketamine at parties. He has also tweeted approvingly of ketamine use to treat depression. Two national security attorneys say drug use is typically grounds for the government to revoke someone’s security clearance. They expect to see the federal agency in charge of security clearances investigate Musk’s use of ketamine, which is a schedule III drug, meaning it can be legally prescribed under federal law. One of the attorneys says:
[S]omeone who takes a cavalier approach to drug use may take a cavalier approach to the handling of classified information.
Musk does not respond to a request for comment. There is no evidence that the government has opened a review of Musk’s clearance.
Musk meets Modi, hints at Tesla expansion
On a two-day visit to New York, Indian Prime Minister Modi meets with Musk. Musk:
[It was an] excellent and a very good conversation. I am confident Tesla will be in India and will do so as soon as humanly possible, Hopefully we’ll be able to announce something in the not-too-distant future….I am a fan of Modi. I like him quite a lot.
Musk, who said he hopes to visit India in 2023, said Modi is pushing Tesla to make “significant investments in India,” and that’s “something we intend to do.” He also added that he hopes to bring Starlink to remote and rural areas of India.
I am incredibly excited about the future of India
I am a fan of Modi – @elonmusk says after meeting PM @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/A9TLwotV9Y— 🦏 Payal M/પાયલ મેહતા/ पायल मेहता/ পাযেল মেহতা (@payalmehta100) June 20, 2023
Musk talks birth rates, AI with Italian PM Meloni
Musk flies from Texas to Rome to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Among other things, they discuss birth rates and the risks of artificial intelligence. After leaving Italy, he will speak at the Viva Tech conference in Paris and is expected to meet with Macron. Meloni tweets that she and Musk discussed:
…innovation, opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence, European market regulations, and birth rates.
Ho accolto con grande piacere oggi a Palazzo Chigi @elonmusk. Un incontro molto proficuo e un momento di grande cordialità dove abbiamo affrontato alcuni temi cruciali: innovazione, opportunità e rischi dell'intelligenza artificiale, regole europee di mercato e natalità. Avanti… pic.twitter.com/MOQlirj7XC
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) June 15, 2023
Musk: China and U.S. are like ‘conjoined twins’
In his first visit to China since January 2020, before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Musk meets with Foreign Minister Qin Gang. Musk compares US-China interests to conjoined twins and says Tesla opposes “decoupling” of the world’s two biggest economies. Gang told Musk that the two countries should “avoid dangerous driving” and:
keep the steering wheel in the right direction of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation…A healthy, stable and constructive China-US relationship is not only beneficial to both countries, but also to the world.
Gang also said that China’s development is an opportunity for the world.
Cuban: Twitter algorithms designed to help Musk
Cuban accuses Musk of rigging Twitter algorithms to promote his own tweets. He says that because Twitter’s “For You” timeline, which is the first thing users see on the app, ranks tweets by the amount of interaction by a user’s followers, that it make’s Musk’s posts more influential, as he has the most followers, and the most interactions on the app. Cuban still has 8.8 million followers, but worries the algorithm change will affect how he promotes his online pharmacy, Cost Plus Drugs.
I figured I was/am on some Twitter s— list that doesn’t show me to new or existing users as a possible follow. I thought maybe, by paying the annual contract, that would change. It didn’t…It stands to reason that the person with the greatest number of followers will have the greatest influence on the most number of For You timelines. And For You candidates include, as stated above , tweets that people you follow engage with. So who @elonmusk engages with on Twitter has an ENORMOUS impact on what an indeterminable number of people see in their For You Timelines
Oops, I left out possibly the most obvious and important influence to For You timelines.
“What tweets did the people I follow recently engage with “
It stands to reason that the person with the greatest number of followers will have the greatest influence on the most number…
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) May 19, 2023
Musk meets Macron in France
Musk meets Emmanuel Macron, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, and other political leaders at a business conference near Paris. Musk told Macron that he had to “sleep in the car” before their meeting – hours after he was seen partying in Mexico and Los Angeles. He will also visit the sixth annual “Choose France” summit in Versailles, aimed at boosting international investment in France. Musk said he was confident Tesla would make “significant investments” in France in the future, without giving a timetable.
No announcement today but I am very impressed with President Macron and the French government and how welcoming they are.
Macron:
With @ElonMusk, we talked about the attractiveness of France and the significant progress in the electric vehicle and energy sectors. We also talked about digital regulation. We have so much to do together. See you this afternoon at the #ChooseFrance Summit!
With @ElonMusk, we talked about the attractiveness of France and the significant progress in the electric vehicle and energy sectors. We also talked about digital regulation. We have so much to do together. See you this afternoon at the #ChooseFrance Summit! pic.twitter.com/wkdwjv45OG
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 15, 2023
Musk to Yoon: South Korea could get Tesla Gigafactory
Musk meets South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol to discuss building a Tesla factory in South Korea. Yoon wants a Tesla factory there and is visiting the U.S. for six days, so Musk requested the Washington meeting. Citing its high-skilled workers and advanced industrial robots, Yoon said South Korea is a good place for a Tesla “Gigafactory” and Musk told him that the country is a top candidates for one. Yoon also said that if Tesla decides to invest there, he would actively support the company in regards to location, human resources and tax.
Musk talks ‘the future’ with Schumer
Musk meets with Schumer to discuss artificial intelligence and more.
We talked about the future. We talked about AI and the economy.
Schumer says the meeting went very well.
We talked about Buffalo (New York) – Tesla has a large plant in Buffalo. And we talked about AI.
Met with @SenSchumer and many members of Congress about artificial intelligence regulation today.
That which affects safety of the public has, over time, become regulated to ensure that companies do not cut corners.
AI has great power to do good and evil. Better the former.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 27, 2023
Musk to King: ‘I’ve donated $100M to Ukraine, how much have you donated?’
After King says that Musk should give the blue check fee he donated to King to a Ukraine charity:
I think Mr. Musk should give my blue check to charity. I recommend the Prytula Foundation, which provides lifesaving services in Ukraine. It’s only $8, so perhaps Mr. Musk could add a bit more.
Musk responds, saying he has donated $100 million to Ukraine, and asks King how much he has donated.
I’ve donated $100M to Ukraine, how much have you donated?
Musk links his tweet to an October 22, 2022, tweet from former Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, thanking him for donating Starlink to Ukraine’s war effort.
Thanks @elonmusk. Before all the talks about funding, you confirmed to me that in any case you will ensure the work of Starlinks in Ukraine. This was critically important for Ukraine. We are grateful to you!
I’ve donated $100M to Ukraine, how much have you donated?
(We turned down the DoD money btw) https://t.co/wpLa6dTnP6
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 23, 2023
Bannon: Musk is a ‘stone cold liar’ with ‘paymasters in Beijing’
Bannon accuses Musk of lying about his support for journalistic freedom after Musk said he believes in elevating “citizen journalism”, during a keynote discussion at the MMA Possible Conference in Miami.
I think it’s very important to elevate citizen journalism. It’s very important to hear the voice of the people. The actual voice of the people, not the filtered voice of people, and let the people choose the narrative, and let the people determine the truth and not five editors-in-chief of major publications.
Bannon:
Elon Musk is a stone cold liar, His paymasters in Beijing have given him strict orders to suppress the leading ‘SuperHawk’ Anti-CCP Voices…Elon Musk is a running dog for The [Chinese Communist Party] totally and completely compromised by their financial ownership of Tesla Shanghai…
It is not clear which individuals Bannon believes Musk suppressed, nor is the specific incident he referred to.
Musk pays for Shatner, LeBron and King blue ticks
After legacy blue verification checkmarks are removed from Twitter, Musk says he is personally paying the $8 a month fee for William Shatner, LeBron James & Stephen King. King had previously said that he would not pay for the verification. After the author tweeted he has been subscribed, despite not giving his phone number, Musk replies:
You’re welcome namaste
You’re welcome namaste 🙏
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 20, 2023
Just Shatner, LeBron and King
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 21, 2023
Trans advocates criticise Twitter policy change
Trans advocates criticise Elon Musk for quietly removing a Twitter policy designed to protect transgender people from harassment. The policy previously forbade users of the social media network from deliberately “misgendering” (referring to someone using pronouns that do not reflect their gender identity) or “deadnaming” (calling a transgender person by the name they were given at birth, rather than the name and gender they now identify with) trans users. An archived version of Twitter’s policy indicates that the rule was scrubbed on April 8 without announcement. GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis:
Twitter’s decision to covertly roll back its longtime policy is the latest example of just how unsafe the company is for users and advertisers alike.
Trans rights group Human Rights Campaign:
This policy change makes Twitter more unsafe for trans and non-binary users and paves the way for outright discrimination. Twitter has an obligation to protect people on the platform, not expose them to hate and vitriol.
This policy change makes Twitter more unsafe for trans and non-binary users and paves the way for outright discrimination.
Twitter has an obligation to protect people on the platform, not expose them to hate and vitriol. https://t.co/0nFvxLjBIQ
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) April 18, 2023
Musk meets Biden EV officials
Musk meets with Podesta, Biden’s senior advisor for clean energy innovation, and Landrieu, who oversees infrastructure spending, in the building that houses Tesla’s Washington lobbying operation and the Center for American Progress, Podesta’s think tank.
John Podesta and Mitch Landrieu met with Elon Musk to discuss shared goals around electrification and how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act can advance electric vehicle production and charging as well as the broader cause of electrification
True
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 27, 2023
Twitter suspends @ElonJet account, Musk to take legal action
Despite earlier vowing to allow the account that tracks his private jet to continue on Twitter, Musk bans the @elonjet account and says he will take legal action against Jack Sweeney, the accounts owner. Musk had previously offered Sweeney $5000 to delete the account.
Any account doxxing real-time location info of anyone will be suspended, as it is a physical safety violation. This includes posting links to sites with real-time location info. Posting locations someone traveled to on a slightly delayed basis isn’t a safety problem, so is ok. Last night, car carrying lil X in LA was followed by crazy stalker (thinking it was me), who later blocked car from moving & climbed onto hood. Legal action is being taken against Sweeney & organizations who supported harm to my family.
For hours after the suspension of the @elonjet account, other Sweeney-run accounts tracking private jets used by Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and various Russian oligarchs were still live on Twitter. But by later on Wednesday, Twitter suspended all of them, including Sweeney’s personal account of Jack Sweeney. Twitter’s Help Center tweeted an updated media policy that begins: “You may not publish or post other people’s private information without their express authorization and permission.”
Last night, car carrying lil X in LA was followed by crazy stalker (thinking it was me), who later blocked car from moving & climbed onto hood.
Legal action is being taken against Sweeney & organizations who supported harm to my family.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 15, 2022
Elton John quits Twitter, Musk responds
John says he is leaving Twitter:
All my life I’ve tried to use music to bring people together. Yet it saddens me to see how misinformation is now being used to divide our world. I’ve decided to no longer use Twitter, given their recent change in policy which will allow misinformation to flourish unchecked.
Musk responds:
I love your music. Hope you come back. Is there any misinformation in particular that you’re concerned about?
I love your music. Hope you come back. Is there any misinformation in particular that you’re concerned about?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 9, 2022
Musk fires Baker for vetting Twitter Files
Musk fires Baker, Twitter’s deputy general counsel, over concerns he tried to suppress information about the social media platform’s handling of the Hunter Biden laptop controversy. Baker was involved in discussions about whether the laptop falls under Twitter’s “hacked materials” policy. In one of the Twitter files’ emails Baker wrote:
I support the conclusion that we need more facts to assess whether the materials were hacked. At this stage, however, it’s reasonable for us to assume that they may have been and that caution is warranted.
Matt Taibbi, the journalist releasing Twitter’s files, said that he and another journalist, Bari Weiss, were dealing “with obstacles to new searches” when Weiss discovered that Baker had vetted the first batch of “Twitter Files” – without knowledge of new management.
Over the weekend, while we both dealt with obstacles to new searches, it was @BariWeiss who discovered that the person in charge of releasing the files was someone named Jim. When she called to ask “Jim’s” last name, the answer came back: “Jim Baker.” “My jaw hit the floor,” says Weiss
“My jaw hit the floor,” says Weiss.
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 6, 2022
Musk said Baker, had offered an “unconvincing” explanation for his actions when confronted.
In light of concerns about Baker’s possible role in suppression of information important to the public dialogue, he was exited from Twitter today…His explanation was …unconvincing.
In light of concerns about Baker’s possible role in suppression of information important to the public dialogue, he was exited from Twitter today
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 6, 2022
Musk, Macron meet
Macron and Musk meet in New Orleans, where they discuss environmental issues and freedom of speech. Macron:
I’ll say it here, on Twitter, because it’s all about the blue bird. This afternoon I met with @elonmusk and we had a clear and honest discussion: Transparent user policies, significant reinforcement of content moderation and protection of freedom of speech: efforts have to be made by Twitter to comply with European regulations. Elon Musk confirmed the Twitter’s participation to the Christchurch Call. There is no place for terrorist and violent extremist content anywhere. We will work with Twitter to improve online child protection. Elon Musk confirmed it to me today. Let’s better protect our children online !
I'll say it here, on Twitter, because it’s all about the blue bird. This afternoon I met with @elonmusk and we had a clear and honest discussion:
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 2, 2022