Musk to form Twitter ‘moderation council’
Musk says Twitter will be forming a ‘content moderation council’ to deal with account bans and reinstatements.
Twitter will be forming a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints.
No major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2022
Musk fires Gadde
Musk fires Gadde, Twitter’s head of Legal & Policy. Gadde banned Donald Trump from Twitter in January 21.
BREAKING: Elon Musk has fired Vijaya Gadde, head of legal policy, trust & safety, who made the decision to permanently suspend Donald Trump.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 28, 2022
Musk completes takeover of Twitter
Musk completes his $44 billion takeover of Twitter.
the bird is freed
the bird is freed
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2022
Later:
let the good times roll
🎶 let the good times roll 🎶
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2022
Musk: ‘Dear Twitter Advertisers’
In a tweet titled, ‘Dear Twitter Advertisers’, Musk says he bought the company to ‘help humanity’, that it must be ‘warm and welcoming to all’ and that ‘ advertising, when done right, can delight, entertain and inform’:
I wanted to reach out personally to share my motivation in acquiring Twitter. There has been much speculation about why I bought Twitter and what I think about advertising. Most of it has been wrong. The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence. There is currently great danger that social media will splinter into far right wing and far left wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society.
In the relentless pursuit of clicks, much of traditional media has fueled and catered to those polarized extremes, as they believe that is what brings in the money, but, in doing so, the opportunity for dialogue is lost. That is why I bought Twitter. I didn’t do It because it would be easy. I didn’t do it to make more money. I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love. And I do so with humility, recognizing that failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility.
That said, Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences! In addition to adhering to the laws of the land, our platform must be warm and welcoming to all, where you can choose your desired experience according to your preferences, just as you can choose, for example, to see movies or play video games ranging from all ages to mature.
I also very much believe that advertising, when done right, can delight, entertain and inform you; it can show you a service or product or medical treatment that you never knew existed, but is right for you. For this to be true, it is essential to show Twitter users advertising that is as relevant as possible to their needs. Low relevancy ads are spam, but highly relevant ads are actually content! Fundamentally, Twitter aspires to be the most respected advertising platform in the world that strengthens your brand and grows your enterprise. To everyone who has partnered with us, I thank you. Let us build something extraordinary together.
Dear Twitter Advertisers pic.twitter.com/GMwHmInPAS
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 27, 2022
Musk carries a sink into Twitter HQ
In a physical play on words, Musk walks into Twiter HQ carrying a sink
Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in!
He also updated his Twitter bio to ‘Chief twitt’ and changed his location to Twitter headquarters.
Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in! pic.twitter.com/D68z4K2wq7
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 26, 2022
‘Elon Musk kidnapped’ deepfake
In an attempt to gain Musk’s attention, reAlpha Tech Corp, a real estate tech startup, releases a deepfake hostage video of Musk tied to a chair.
Hey, remember us? Yep, we are the ones that posted that INSANE video of Elon Musk taking a bubble bath… & we are back for more. This time, we took matters into our own hands & may or may not have kidnapped ol’ Elon’s twin. In case you forgot, we are reAlpha, a startup tech-company democratizing investment in the short term rental market and we are on a mission to enable anyone to invest in the $1.2 Trillion short-term rental real estate industry. The whole purpose of this video is to have you help us get Elon Musk to join our Board.
Musk has not responded.
Musk says Twitter deal will close on Friday
In a video call with bankers who are providing $13 billion in debt financing to his purchase of Twitter, Musk says that he will close the deal on Friday, 28 October. Musk has pledged to provide $46.5 billion in equity and debt financing for the acquisition, which covers the $44 billion price tag plus closing costs. Equity investors, including Sequoia Capital, Binance, Qatar Investment Authority and others have received paperwork for the financing commitment from Musk’s lawyers.
Musk has to comply with a Delaware court judge’s deadline to complete the transaction by the 28th. Twitter declined to comment.
Psychologist: Musk is ‘psychopathic and manipulative’
Psychologist Desiree Silverstone says Musk’s recent behaviour and family upbringing has made him ‘psychopathic and manipulative’.
The back and forth (with Twitter) could easily be an ambivalent early attachment to his caregivers. You see it in friendships and romantic relationships – I want you, I don’t want you. People who grow up with trauma often create a false sense of self which is usually about control and power. When one grows up with trauma, the right side of the brain becomes very active and developed, The way the media portrays his treatment of his employees also shows that he doesn’t seem to have a great deal of empathy. That can be sociopathic or psychopathic. No empathy, very manipulative and a grandiose sense of self but can achieve great things because of it.
Silverstone says he analysis is just a “speculative hypothesis*.
Neuralink ‘show & tell’ delayed by a month
Musk says Neuralink’s “show & tell” event will be pushed back by a month to Nov. 30. He does not provide further information. The event was supposed to take place on Oct 30.
Neuralink show & tell now on Nov 30
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 23, 2022
Musk announces Quicksilver & Midnight Cherry Red Tesla colors
Musk introduces two new colours for the Model Y, available from Giga Berlin – Quicksilver & Midnight Cherry Red. Tesla:
Quicksilver & Midnight Cherry Red — made at Giga Berlin. Both are made from highly-pigmented metallic paint, designed to change depending on viewing angle & light. Our most advanced paint system yet, allowing up to 13 layers for depth, dimension & a hand-painted look. Available in Europe & the Middle East
Musk:
Only Giga Berlin can make these colors, as paint shop was specially built to apply many fine layers of paint, giving it complexity not otherwise possible
Only Giga Berlin can make these colors, as paint shop was specially built to apply many fine layers of paint, giving it complexity not otherwise possible https://t.co/Htis0LfRzV
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 21, 2022
Musk wants to fire 75% of Twitter staff
Elon Musk tells prospective investors that, after his purchase on October 28, he plans to get rid of nearly 75% of Twitter’s 7500 workers, reducing the staff to 2000. Musk has told investors that he plans to double revenue in three years, by reducing costs and tripling the number of users that can view ads.
In June, Musk said he didn’t see a reason low performers should remain employed. Twitter’s top lawyer sent out a note to all employees saying the company did not have any confirmation from Musk about his plans. Human resources staff at Twitter have told employees that they aren’t planning for mass layoffs, but documents show that extensive plans to cut staff and reduce infrastructure costs were already in place before Musk offered to buy the company. Those plans are currently on hold, until after the purchase.
Musk: ‘Obviously we’re overpaying for Twitter right now’
During Tesla’s third-quarter earnings’ call. Musk says that, while he is overpaying for Twitter now, it will be worth it in the long-term
I am excited about the Twitter situation. It’s an asset that has languished for a long time, but it has incredible potential. Although myself and the other investors are obviously overpaying for Twitter right now, the long-term potential for Twitter is an order of magnitude greater than its current value.”
The Twitter stock price on this day is $52.42, compared with Musk’s $54.20 offer.
Musk: Tesla could be worth ‘more than Apple and Saudi Aramco combined’
Pointing to past performance as an indicator, Musk tells analysts during an earnings call, that he sees a path for the auto manufacturer to become the most valuable company in the world.
I see a potential path for Tesla to be worth more than Apple and Saudi Aramco combined. I see a way for Tesla to be roughly twice the value of Saudi Aramco. This is the first time I’ve seen that potential.
Apple and Saudi Aramco are valued at about $2.3 trillion and $2.1 trillion. That growth would imply an over $4T market cap for Tesla. Musk has previously made good on bullish promises. For example, he proclaimed in 2015 that the automaker would exceed a $700B valuation. At the time, the company was worth only about $25B.
Burnt Hair sells out
Musk says the entire stock of Burnt Hair has been sold out, raising $3 million in sales, from 30,000 bottles at $100 each. Delivery is expected in early 2023.
Only 1,300 left of this unique, limited edition, collector’s item.
And … sold out!
And … sold out!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 19, 2022
Musk thinks Grimes is a ‘simulation’
Journalist Devin Gordon says that Grimes told him that Musk believed that she was his “perfect companion” but not “real”.
She [Grimes] told me repeatedly that Musk has this theory of her that she’s not real. That she’s a simulation who was created by him and exists in his cerebral cortex as sort of the perfect companion to him. Which sounds a little crazy and maybe even a little creepy, except, she agrees with it. She said she does feel like this simulation which was perfectly created for him. Her interests are all the same as his and her music is very technologically oriented, [and they also] both made a similar nerdy joke about a scary AI theory of the future.
In March 2022, Grimes said:
We keep having this conversation where E’s like, ‘Are you real? Or are we living in my memory, and you’re like a synthesised companion that was created to be my companion here?’. The degree to which I feel engineered to have been this, like, perfect companion is crazy.”
Breed: Musk ‘Got tax breaks then took money and ran’
When asked about Musk’s frequent criticism of Democrat-run states and cities, San Francisco Mayor, London Breed says:
You mean the person who got a ton of tax breaks in California and decided to take that money and run?
in 2021, Musk relocated Tesla headquarters from Palo Alto, CA, to Austin, TX, a decision that was met with outrage from California lawmakers who reminded him that Tesla had received more than $3.2 billion worth of direct and indirect subsidies from Sacramento since 2009.
Musk will continue to cover Ukraine Starlink costs
Despite earlier tweeting that SpaceX could not fund Starlink ‘indefinitely’, Musk says he will continue to pay for Starlink to cover Ukraine. SpaceX has told the US government that Ukraine’s use of Starlink has already cost $80 million and could cost close to $400 million over the next 12 months.
The hell with it … even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free
The hell with it … even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 15, 2022
When a Twitter user told Musk “No good deed goes unpunished”, he replied:
Even so, we should still do good deeds.
Even so, we should still do good deeds
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 15, 2022
Musk added to Ukrainian ‘kill list’ website
After the independent journalist Eva Bartlett claimed that Musk had been added to Ukraine’s Myrotvorets (‘Peacemaker’) ‘kill list’ website, Musk asks for more information:
Is this real? What’s the URL?
Is this list real? What’s the URL?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2022
The website publishes a list and personal information of people who are considered its authors to be “enemies of Ukraine. It recently came to public attention after Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters highlighted his own inclusion on the list. Some Ukrainians who have had their names and addressed published on the list as “collaborators” were hunted down and prosecuted, and the website shows an image of some of the people on the list, who have been “liquidated”, with their images crossed out.
Musk then tweeted a link to a Wikipedia page about the list. Finally, Musk said his inclusion on the list was:
Concerning
Concerning
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2022
Musk’s name has since been removed from the site.
Musk: SpaceX cannot fund Starlink in Ukraine ‘indefinitely’
Following a report that SpaceX told the US government that Ukraine’s use of Starlink has already cost $80 million and could cost close to $400 million over the next 12 months, Musk says SpaceX cannot fund the existing system “indefinitely and send several thousand more terminals” that have high data usage. SpaceX’s donated Starlink internet terminals have been crucial in keeping Ukraine’s military online during the war against Russia.
SpaceX is not asking to recoup past expenses, but also cannot fund the existing system indefinitely *and* send several thousand more terminals that have data usage up to 100X greater than typical households. This is unreasonable.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2022
Musk also said he was following the recommendation of Andrij Melnyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, who told Musk to ‘F off’ after he posted his Twitter peace plan.
We’re just following his recommendation 🤷♂️
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2022
Twitter: Musk under federal investigation
In a court filing, Twitter says Musk is being investigated by federal authorities over his conduct in his $44 billion takeover deal for the company. The company does not say what the exact focus of the probes is, nor which federal authorities are conducting them. The court filing asks Musk’s attorneys to provide documents that are being withheld, which Musk’s attorney’s say contain ‘privileged’ information. Twitter:
This game of ‘hide the ball’ must end.
An attorney for Musk:
[Twitter’s court filing is a] misdirection. It is Twitter’s executives that are under federal investigation.