Musk: Virgin Islands Epstein subpoena ‘idiotic on so many levels’
Musk responds to the U.S. Virgin Islands government’s subpoena for documents in its lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase involving Jeffrey Epstein, calling it “idiotic” and “absurd.” and denying ever bsing advised by him. The government said its investigation revealed JPMorgan “knowingly, recklessly and unlawfully provided and pulled the levers through which Epstein’s recruiters and victims were paid.”
This is idiotic on so many levels:
1. That cretin never advised me on anything whatsoever.
2. The notion that I would need or listen to financial advice from a dumb crook is absurd.
3. JPM let Tesla down ten years ago, despite having Tesla’s global commercial banking business, which we then withdrew. I have never forgiven them.
This is idiotic on so many levels:
1. That cretin never advised me on anything whatsoever.
2. The notion that I would need or listen to financial advice from a dumb crook is absurd.
3. JPM let Tesla down ten years ago, despite having Tesla’s global commercial banking…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 16, 2023
Musk to personally approve all Tesla hires
Musk tells Tesla employees in an email that he wants to personally approve every new hire at the company (which hires about 30,000 people per year). He says that he wants to get a better understanding of hiring at Tesla.
No one can join Tesla, even as a contractor, until you receive my email approval.
Musk’s SEC ‘muzzle’ appeal rejected
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan rejects Musk’s bid to modify or end his 2018 securities fraud settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that requires a Tesla lawyer to approve some of his tweets in advance. (SEC v Musk, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 22-1291.). Musk argued that the SEC exploited his consent decree to conduct bad-faith, harassing investigations that violated his First Amendment free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution. His decree resolved an SEC lawsuit accusing him of defrauding investors with an Aug. 7, 2018, tweet that he had “funding secured” to take his electric car company private. (A San Francisco jury already found Musk not liable for investor losses over the tweet.)
In the appeal, Musk’s lawyers called the pre-approval mandate a “government-imposed muzzle” that amounted to an illegal prior restraint on his speech, but the court says the SEC had opened just two subsequent inquiries into Musk’s tweets, which “plausibly violated” the decree’s terms. The three-judge panel says that the SEC’s inquiries were “limited” and “appropriate,” and “have not made compliance with the consent decree ‘substantially more onerous'” for Musk, who chose to allow screening of his tweets and therefore has no right to revisit the matter “because he has now changed his mind.” Musk lawyer:
We will seek further review and continue to bring attention to the important issue of the government constraint on speech.
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
Yaccarino praises Musk’s vision
In her first tweet since the announcement by Musk of her hire as Twitter CEO, Yaccarino praises Musk:
I’ve long been inspired by your vision to create a brighter future. I’m excited to help bring this vision to Twitter and transform this business together!
I see I have some new followers👀…👋 I’m not as prolific as @elonmusk (yet!), but I’m just as committed to the future of this platform.
Your feedback is VITAL to that future. I’m here for all of it.
Let’s keep the conversation going and build Twitter 2.0 together!
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayacc) May 13, 2023
SpaceX launches 81st Starlink mission, lands booster at sea
SpaceX successfully launches a Falcon 9 rocket, carrying 56 Starlink spacecraft, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, returning it to Earth less than nine minutes later, landing on the SpaceX drone ship, Just Read the Instructions, in the Atlantic Ocean. This was the 11th launch and landing for this Falcon 9 first stage booster, while Starlink Group 5-9 marks the 81st operation Starlink mission, boosting the total number of Starlink satellites launched to more than 4,400.
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship pic.twitter.com/bYvC8sH9NX
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 14, 2023
Musk to Yglesias: ‘Did your brain fall out of your head?’
Musk responds to Yglesias’ criticism of Twitter’s compliance with legal requests by the Turkish government to restrict access to some content in Turkey during a closely contested presidential election:
Did your brain fall out of your head, Yglesias? The choice is have Twitter throttled in its entirety or limit access to some tweets. Which one do you want?
Did your brain fall out of your head, Yglesias? The choice is have Twitter throttled in its entirety or limit access to some tweets. Which one do you want?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 13, 2023
Yaccarino hired as Twitter CEO
Musk announces that Yaccarino, who was previously head of advertising and partnerships for NBCUniversal, will take over from him as Twitter CEO.
I am excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter! @LindaYacc will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology. Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app.
I am excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter!@LindaYacc will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology.
Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app. https://t.co/TiSJtTWuky
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 12, 2023
Musk: Twitter will not ‘shadow ban’ users
Responding to concerns from some Twitter users, Musk says the company’s next CEO will not “shadow ban” users (or discretely limit the visibility of their posts).
That will not be the case
His response comes before publicly naming his replacement.
That will not be the case
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 12, 2023
Musk announces Twitter CEO hire
Musk says he has found a new CEO for Twitter, a woman who will start in six week’s time. Musk does not revealed her identity. Musk says he will become CTO.
Excited to announce that I’ve hired a new CEO for X/Twitter. She will be starting in ~6 weeks! My role will transition to being exec chair & CTO, overseeing product, software & sysops.
Excited to announce that I’ve hired a new CEO for X/Twitter. She will be starting in ~6 weeks!
My role will transition to being exec chair & CTO, overseeing product, software & sysops.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 11, 2023
Twitter launches encrypted DMs for some users
Twitter launches end-to-end encryption for direct message, but only for verified users or those who pay for Twitter Blue. The company says it is “not quite there yet” with encryption, but is “working on it.”
[W]hile messages themselves are encrypted, metadata (recipient, creation time, etc.) are not, and neither is any linked content (only links themselves, not any content they refer to, is encrypted)…If someone – for example, a malicious insider, or Twitter itself as a result of a compulsory legal process – were to compromise an encrypted conversation, neither the sender or receiver would know.
Musk says he expects encrypted messaging on Twitter “to grow in sophistication rapidly” and wants the company’s standard to be that it cannot see users’ messages even “if someone puts a gun to our heads.” Still, he warns DM encryption users to:
Try it, but don’t trust it yet.
Early version of encrypted direct messages just launched.
Try it, but don’t trust it yet.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 11, 2023
Tesla to ‘cooperate’ with Samsung in IT development
Musk meets for the first time with Jay Y. Lee, Executive Chairman of Samsung Electronics, during Lee’s visit to the United States, to discuss ways Tesla and Samsung can work together in future high-tech industries, such as semiconductors for autonomous vehicles.
Musk breaks ground at Tesla lithium refinery
Joined by Governor Abbott (R), Musk breaks ground at the site of the Tesla’s $375 million lithium refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, after arriving in a Cybertruck with shovels strapped to the sides. Tesla says the facility will help it secure a domestic supply of lithium hydroxide, a key ingredient used to make its batteries. Musk says the availability of battery-grade lithium is a “fundamental chokepoint” for the electric vehicle industry and others. Tesla aims to produce enough battery-grade lithium at the refinery to manufacture one million vehicles per year, and to produce more lithium than the rest of North America’s refining capacity combined there.
Tesla promises it will use an “innovative” process, designed to consume less hazardous reagents, such as hydrochloric acid, and create “beneficial use opportunities” from byproducts, which they expect to be mostly sand and limestone. However, the company did not disclose the specific chemistry it would rely upon for processing. Musk:
There’s no toxic emissions or anything — you could live right in the middle of the refinery and not suffer any ill effects.
Abbott praises Musk as the greatest entrepreneur on Earth, saying:
Texas wants to be able to be self-reliant, not dependent upon any foreign hostile nation for what we need.
Increasing lithium refining capacity is critical to a sustainable energy economy—today, we're breaking ground on our in-house lithium refinery outside of Corpus Christi, TX.
This facility will also prioritize the elimination of a challenging refinery byproduct (sodium sulfate).… pic.twitter.com/mBnDBLNrW7
— Tesla (@Tesla) May 8, 2023
Musk responds to ‘wealthy background’ community note
In response to a Twitter Community Note that says that ‘Musk was born into an extremely wealthy family’, Musk writes:
I grew up in a lower, transitioning to upper, middle income situation, but did not have a happy childhood. Haven’t inherited anything ever from anyone, nor has anyone given me a large financial gift. My father created a small electrical/mechanical engineering company that was successful for 20 to 30 years, but it fell on hard times. He has been essentially bankrupt for about 25 years, requiring financial support from my brother and me. That said, he does deserve credit for teaching me the fundamentals of physics, engineering and construction, which is more valuable than money, but did not support me financially after high school in any meaningful way. Our condition of providing him financial support was that he not engage in bad behavior. Unfortunately, he nonetheless did. There are young children involved, so we continued to provide financial support for their well-being. Regarding the so-called “emerald mine”, there is no objective evidence whatsoever that this mine ever existed. He told me that he owned a share in a mine in Zambia, and I believed him for a while, but nobody has ever seen the mine, nor are there any records of its existence. If this mine was real, he would not require financial support from my brother and me.
I grew up in a lower, transitioning to upper, middle income situation, but did not have a happy childhood. Haven’t inherited anything ever from anyone, nor has anyone given me a large financial gift.
My father created a small electrical/mechanical engineering company that was…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 6, 2023
Musk meets Red Bull team with son at Miami GP
Musk takes his three-year-old son, X Æ A-12, to the Miami Grand Prix, touring the Red Bull garage and talking to team boss Christian Horner and drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Horner said Larry Ellison invited Musk to the race (Oracle sponsors the Red Bull team):
We were talking about batteries, regeneration and so on. Great to have them here this weekend. I proposed a pure EV vs gas/hybrid F1 race.
Musk also spoke with F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali at the event.
Fun discussion of aero & battery technology in F1.
I proposed a pure EV vs gas/hybrid F1 race.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 6, 2023
Musk: Chesky’s Twitter interaction is ‘awesome’
After Chesky lists the top suggestions to improve Airbnb he received from Twitter users, Musk responds:
This kind of interaction with users is awesome. Other companies should take note.
This kind of interaction with users is awesome. Other companies should take note.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 5, 2023
Musk: Climate change threat ‘overblown’ in short term
In response to a Twitter post that says ‘Global warming is the biggest scam in history’, Musk says:
Global warming risk is overblown in the short term, but significant in the long term
Global warming risk is overblown in the short term, but significant in the long term
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 5, 2023
65-mile Las Vegas Loop expansion approved
The Boring Company’s plans to expand The Vegas Loop from 29 miles and 51 stations to 65 miles of tunnels and 69 stations are approved by the commissioners of Clark County. The Loop currently has two miles of tunnel and has five stops and the original plans to expand it to 29 miles and 51 stations but The Boring Company have altered the plans. This expansion will connect Harry Reid International Airport, Allegiant Stadium and downtown Las Vegas.
Vegas Loop is expanding – 65 miles and 69 stations! Thanks to @ClarkCountyNV for the great partnership.
Vegas Loop is expanding – 65 miles and 69 stations! Thanks to @ClarkCountyNV for the great partnership. https://t.co/1vMU7Ha0mn
— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) May 4, 2023
Musk: Kremlin drone attack ‘likely false flag’
In response to a Twitter user’s post outlining what the user sees as a lack of evidence for the Kremlin drone attack being an assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin by Ukraine, Musk says that the attack was likely a ‘false flag’ attack, meaning it could have been set up by Russia for the purpose of blaming Ukraine.
Strange days. Seems more likely a false flag than an actual (weak) assassination attempt, but either are possible.
Strange days. Seems more likely a false flag than an actual (weak) assassination attempt, but either are possible.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 3, 2023
Musk: Ford’s EV strategy is ‘smart’
Musk calls Ford’s electric vehicle strategy “smart” despite continuing reports of losses from its EVs. Ford’s financials show its electric vehicle business to be generating 40% negative margins for the first time since separating its EV (Model e) business unit. Tesla leads the industry in EV margins, selling its vehicles at a 15-25% gross margin and ~10% net operating margin. Musk:
Always tough with margins for new vehicle lines, especially when there are major technology shifts. I think Ford’s overall strategy with EVs is smart. The electric F-150 (Lightning) has high demand.
Always tough with margins for new vehicle lines, especially when there are major technology shifts.
I think Ford’s overall strategy with EVs is smart.
The electric F-150 (Lightning) has high demand.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 3, 2023