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
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
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 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
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
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
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’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 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: 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
X Corp acquires tech recruiting platform Laskie
In its first deal under Musk’s leadership, Twitter’s parent company X Corp acquires Laskie, a talent recruitment tool. Though the exact price of the acquisition is unclear, it was apparently “tens of millions” of dollars, with the deal including cash and equity elements.
Laskie is a San-Francisco based startup founded in 2021 by current CEO Chris Bakke, and apparently has somewhere between 11 and 50 employees. Its aim has been to connect tech talent with employers using tools that are “designed to make your job search faster, more efficient, and less stressful,” but now the platform’s website displays a message saying its platform is “no longer available.” Twitter has not publicly confirmed the deal.
Nadella: Musk ‘not correct’ about Microsoft controlling OpenAI
Nadella says Musk is “factually not correct” about Microsoft controlling OpenAI. Musk cofounded OpenAI in 2015, but left its board in 2018 over potential conflicts of interest. He is now a vocal critic of the company, at one point saying it is a “maximum profit company effectively controlled by Microsoft,” which is “not what I intended at all.” Musk later repeated his claim:
In effect, Microsoft has a very strong say, if not directly controls OpenAI at this point.
Nadella says he is wrong:
First of all, I have a lot of respect for Elon and all that he does. I would just say that’s factually not correct. The last time I checked, we are the only for-profit company that is comfortable with a nonprofit company and a board controlling technology, and I would welcome others to do that as well.
"I would just say that's factually not correct," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says on Elon Musk's comment that Microsoft is now "controlling" OpenAI. https://t.co/qKdtoq56ET pic.twitter.com/20JJbPClEs
— CNBC (@CNBC) May 16, 2023
Musk: U.S.-China tensions ‘should be a concern for everyone’
Asked if he was concerned about “the growing belligerence” between the U.S. and China, Musk says that people should be concerned about tension between the two nations.
I think that should be a concern for everyone.
Musk believes China wants to take control of Taiwan – a country Tesla depends on for processors.
The official policy of China is that Taiwan should be integrated. One does not need to read between the lines…I think you should take their word seriously.
The Chinese economy and the rest of the global economy are like conjoined twins. It would be like trying to separate conjoined twins. That’s the severity of the situation. And it’s actually worse for a lot of other companies that it is for Tesla. I mean, I’m not sure where you’re going to get an iPhone, for example. There are some constraints on our ability to expand in China, and so we’re making as many cars as we can. It’s not a demand issue.
Musk: Soros like Magneto, ‘hates humanity’
After Soros sells all his Tesla stock, Musk says that Soros reminds him of the X-Men character, Magneto:
Reminds me of Magneto
When a Twitter user says that Magneto, like Soros, is a Holocaust survivor and has ‘good intentions’, Musk responds:
You assume they are good intentions. They are not. He wants to erode the very fabric of civilization. Soros hates humanity.
You assume they are good intentions. They are not. He wants to erode the very fabric of civilization. Soros hates humanity.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 16, 2023
Musk responds to Soros tweet criticism: ‘I’m a pro-semite’
During an interview with CNBC anchor David Faber, Musk is asked about his tweets that compared Soros to Magneto, and claimed he ‘hated humanity’, which led to accusations of anti-semitism from the Anti-Defamation League. Musk says he is not an anti-semite.
This is freedom of speech — I’m allowed to say what I want…I’m like a pro-semite, if anything…
Musk also says he will continue to speak freely even if it hurts Twitter, and his other companies, financially:
You know, I’m reminded of a scene in ‘The Princess Bride,’ great movie, where [Mandy Patinkin’s character, Inigo Montoya] confronts the person who kills his father. And he says, ‘Offer me money. Offer me power. I don’t care…I’ll say what I want to say, and if the consequence of that is losing money, so be it.
Elon Musk is asked about his Tweet saying George Soros reminds him of Magneto 🤣 pic.twitter.com/4gfsURVGIF
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) May 16, 2023
Musk may rehire fired Twitter staff
During an interview with CNBC anchor David Faber, which is also broadcast as a Twitter space, Musk says he may rehire some of the staff he fired when he took over the company. At that time, Musk cut Twitter’s headcount by 80%, from 7,800 to about 1,500.
Some people who were let go probably shouldn’t have been. Desperate times call for desperate measures… Unfortunately, if you do it fast, there are some babies who will be thrown out.
Musk: Tesla will have a ‘ChatGPT moment’ with full self-driving cars
Comparing Tesla’s self-driving AI to OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, which came to sudden public attention at the end of 2022, Musk says that a similar situation will happen when Teslas are able to drive themselves without human intervention.
I think Tesla will have sort of a ChatGPT moment, maybe if not this year, I’d say no later than next year…Suddenly, three million cars will be able to drive with no-one [at the wheel].
Musk says he envisions a future where millions of Tesla cars would operate autonomously, gradually expanding to three million, five million, and eventually 10 million self-driving vehicles. When owners are not using the vehicles, they will be used as Robotaxis, licenced by Tesla.
Comparing Tesla’s self-driving capabilities to Google’s Waymo, Musk says that while Waymo has achieved limited success in a tightly-mapped geographic area, Tesla has a more advanced and generalized solution. Musk argues that if Microsoft, and Tesla was tasked with producing a large language model akin to ChatGPT, his company would emerge victorious.
Musk: ‘Working from home ‘morally wrong’
During an interview with CNBC anchor David Faber, Musk criticises the hypocrisy of expecting service industry workers to go to work while others had the privilege of working from home, using a quote often attributed to Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France before the French Revolution.
There are some exceptions, but I think that the whole notion of work from home is a bit like the fake Marie Antoinette quote, ‘Let them eat cake’. It’s like, really, you’re going to work at home and you’re going to make the people who made your car come to the factory? You’ve got people who deliver your food, but they can’t work from home? The people that come fix your house, they can’t work from home, but you can? Does that seem morally right? It’s a productivity issue and a moral issue. Get off the goddamn moral high horse with the work-from-home bulls**t. The laptop class is living in la-la land.
Musk says that he works seven days a week, but doesn’t expect others to do that.
I’m saying put 40 hours in.
"I'm a big believer that people are more productive when they're in person," Elon Musk said Tuesday on the work from home trend. "People should get off their goddamn moral high horse with their work-from-home b*******." https://t.co/W1BjwKobX8 pic.twitter.com/FWzVHtZFEH
— CNBC (@CNBC) May 16, 2023
Judge: Musk can be subpoenaed through Tesla
A federal judge rules that the U.S. Virgin Islands can serve Musk a subpoena through Tesla, as part of the government’s lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase over its ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The ruling comes after lawyers for the Virgin Islands government said that it had not been able to serve Musk personally with the subpoena, as is the norm. Nor did a Musk lawyer reply to a request to accept the subpoena for his client. The judge authorizes the U.S. Virgin Islands to:
arrange alternative service of its Subpoena to Produce Documents by serving Elon Musk via service upon Tesla Inc.’s registered agent.
Tesla releases promo video on Twitter
Tesla releases a two-minute Twitter video on its Tesla Asia account (which has only 172,000 followers, compared to its main account’s 21 million) called “Drive to believe.” The ad highlights Tesla’s Autopilot feature, infotainment system, the Tesla app, as well as featuring a Model 3 owner and mother of two children saying she was initially drawn to the vehicle because of its technology, but has grown to appreciate its safety measures as well.
I would say it’s one of the greatest gifts, that my kids can have, in terms of their future.
Drive to believe——why she chose Tesla? ❤️ pic.twitter.com/LXtGl15QUy
— Tesla Asia (@Tesla_Asia) May 19, 2023