Musk announces and awards $1 million lottery prize
During an America PAC rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Musk announces that the PAC will award daily $1 million lottery prizes to a registered voter in key swing states until the US presidential election on 5 November. The winner will be chosen at random from those who sign the PAC’s pro-US Constitution petition.
I have a surprise for you, which is that we are going to be awarding a million dollars to randomly to people who have signed the petition… every day from now until the election.
He then awards the first $1 million prize to audience member John Dreher, a registered Republican in Pennsylvania, who has already voted by email. Dreher is presented with an oversized check on stage. Dreher:
Thanks Elon, This is great. I’m really ecstatic. I want to congratulate you on your rocket catch last week. I’ve been following you for ten years. Got your biography ten years ago and been watching you ever since. I’m a big fan.
Starship Test 5: Mechazilla arms catch Booster
For its fifth flight test, Starship, consisting of the Super Heavy booster (Booster 12) – powered by 33 Raptor engines – and the Starship spacecraft (Ship 30), lifts off from Boca Chica, Texas. At 2m 40s the Super Heavy booster separates from the Starship spacecraft (Ship 30) using hot-staging. Post-separation, the Super Heavy ascends to 69 km (43 miles) and then executes a boostback burn to reverse its course and return towards the launch site, where it slides horizontally into the Mechazilla launch tower’s 30m “chopstick” arms, completing the first successful Heavy Booster catch.
Meanwhile, Starship continues its suborbital trajectory, reaching an apogee of about 212 km (132 miles) over the Indian Ocean. Despite damage to one of its control flaps, Starship maintains stability using its flaps through re-entry to splashdown in the Indian Ocean, approximately 7,000 km (4,350 miles) from separation. Musk:
Even rockets need hugs
Even rockets need hugs 🥰 pic.twitter.com/oF36F0AvBf
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2024
Rowling, Musk named in Khelif cyberbullying lawsuit
Kheif names Rowling, Musk in a criminal complaint filed to French authorities over alleged “acts of aggravated cyber harassment’. The lawsuit was filed against ‘X’, which under French law means that it was filed against unknown persons. as well as those named. Keif’s lawyer claims that while the lawsuit is filed in France, there are agreements with the U.S. equivalent of the French office for combating online hate speech. Kheif’s lawyer says Trump will also be included::
J. K. Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others. Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.
Musk to Yousaf: ‘I dare that scumbag to sue me.’
Reacting to news that Yousaf is considering legal action against him, Musk says:
He’s obviously super racist against white people. I dare that scumbag to sue me. Go ahead, make my day…Legal discovery will show that however big a racist he’s been in public communications, he is vastly worse in private communications.
He’s obviously super racist against white people. I dare that scumbag to sue me. Go ahead, make my day …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 11, 2024
Lawyer: Yousaf considering legal action against Musk
Anwar, acting for Yousaf, says Yousaf is considering legal action against Musk:
Anybody who goes on social media, even if they own the platform and thinks that free speech is absolute whether in the UK or USA, needs to think again. Free speech carries responsibility and if you break the law there are consequences, as we have seen in recent days. Elon Musk has effectively painted a target on Humza Yousaf’s back with his completely unacceptable, untrue and inflammatory comments.
Humza has chosen to stand up against racism and prejudice and hate, no matter the community or individual being targeted. There has been a concerted attempt over a number of years to paint a target on Humza’s back and nobody understands more than him and his loved ones the strain that causes – genuinely having to wonder whether every day could be your last day.
The primary issue that may arise from the postings of Mr Musk is how others choose to ride on the back of the fire he is clearly igniting. If others choose to incite racial hatred against Humza or others, they should expect multiple years in prison. Social media is not a law-free zone and where actions are criminal and harmful you can expect the full force of the law. Wannabe Tommy Robinsons and Elon Musk’s need to realise words carry consequences, no different to those Islamic hate preachers face for domestic terrorism.
Musk: Yousaf is ‘super, super racist’
Musk responds to Yousaf’s comments on CNN:
He is super, super racist. Scotland gave him everything and yet he loathes white people. This is obvious, because he has never complained about the race of any other country’s leadership. There are over 200 countries in the world, most of whom have single-race leadership. Why is he only attacking Scotland?
He is super, super racist. Scotland gave him everything and yet he loathes white people.
This is obvious, because he has never complained about the race of any other country’s leadership.
There are over 200 countries in the world, most of whom have single-race leadership. Why…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 9, 2024
Yousaf repeats ‘dangerous man’ claim on CNN
In a CNN interview, Yousaf repeats his claim that Musk is one of the most dangerous men on the planet:
As for Elon Musk, he is, I would suggest, one of the most dangerous men on the planet. He uses his billions – he’s unaccountable to anyone – to amplify far-right white supremacist ideology. Hs is hoping for civil war in some parts of Europe, including the UK. Instead of using X as a platform for good, and using his enormous wealth for good, he’s using it for the most wicked evil possible.
Scotland's former PM Humza Yousaf calls for a crackdown against X and calls Elon Musk "one of the most dangerous men"
"The most wicked, evil possible" pic.twitter.com/yIFhATgNW1
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 9, 2024
Yousaf: Musk is ‘one of the most dangerous men on the planet’
At a sparsely-attended event at the Edinburgh Festival, Yousaf, in conversation with Stadlen, criticises Musk:
I have to say, in my opinion, he is one of the most dangerous men on the planet. He is accountable to nobody, he has vast wealth at his fingertips. He has vast wealth at his fingertips, and he uses it for some of the most wicked evil I’ve seen. He is not an idiot — Elon Musk is very smart, very tech-savvy.
So he’s amplified these white supremacists, these far-right neo Nazi conspiracy theories, and has almost called for civil war in Europe. He does it with a question mark, with emojis, and tries to make it as though it’s an innocent question. He is using his wealth to amplify the far right.
Discussing a debunked post by Musk that claimed the UK Government was considering creating temporary detainment camps on the Falkland Islands for those arrested during riots:
Elon Musk, again, is not an idiot. He’s a smart individual who can easily use a search engine to see whether that headline is true. He didn’t. He chose to amplify that to his 190 million followers. He’s as I say, I think one of the most dangerous men on the planet particularly because he’s so unaccountable.
Starship Test 4: Succesful splashdowns
SpaxeX conducts the fourth flight test of Starship, comprising the Starship Ship 29 upper-stage and Super Heavy Booster 11. The test successfully achieved its two main objectives: simulate a landing with the Super Heavy booster near the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, and ensure Starship could survive peak heating during atmospheric re-entry. Despite minor engine issues, the flight was considered a success, with successful spashdowns. The test was a step forward from the third test, where both stages were destroyed upon re-entry. Modifications included upgrades to the oxygen tanks for better propellant filtration, enhancements to the Raptor engines for improved reliability, and additional roll control thrusters on the ship. The mission profile omitted certain demonstrations from previous tests but included jettisoning the hot staging ring from the booster, a temporary measure for mass reduction during descent.
The FAA did not require a mishap investigation, a first for Starship flights, indicating that the flight stayed within the parameters of planned and authorized activities.
Musk gives high fives to the SpaceX team and his son, Lil X.
Watch Starship’s fourth flight test → https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK https://t.co/SjpjscHoUB
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 6, 2024
Musk wants more control of Tesla as it moves into AI and robotics
TeslaMusk says he is ‘uncomfortable’ about building Tesla AI and robotics products without 25% voting control:
I am uncomfortable growing Tesla to be a leader in AI & robotics without having ~25% voting control. Enough to be influential, but not so much that I can’t be overturned. Unless that is the case, I would prefer to build products outside of Tesla. You don’t seem to understand that Tesla is not one startup, but a dozen. Simply look at the delta between what Tesla does and GM. As for stock ownership itself being enough motivation, Fidelity and other own similar stakes to me. Why don’t they show up for work?
Musk reduced his ownership stake in Tesla by selling billlions to fund his purchase of Twitter. Musk’s current £56 billion compensation package is ccurently being examined by Delaware Chancery Court to see if it was fair to shareholders.
I am uncomfortable growing Tesla to be a leader in AI & robotics without having ~25% voting control. Enough to be influential, but not so much that I can’t be overturned.
Unless that is the case, I would prefer to build products outside of Tesla. You don’t seem to understand…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 15, 2024
Musk: Yousaf is a ‘blatant racist’
In response to a post about Yousaf’s speech complaining about the lack of white people in senior positions in Scottish society:
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf openly despises white people Why would Scotland’s Parliament and King select a guy who hates almost 100% of the country?
Musk says:
What a blatant racist!
What a blatant racist!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 26, 2023
Ukrainian official: Musk ‘committed evil’ with Starlink ban
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak says that Musk switching off Starlink access to Crimea led to the deaths of civilians:
Sometimes a mistake is much more than just a mistake. By not allowing Ukrainian drones to destroy part of the Russian military (!) fleet via interference, @elonmusk allowed this fleet to fire Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian cities. As a result, civilians, children are being killed. This is the price of a cocktail of ignorance and big ego. However, the question still remains: why do some people so desperately want to defend war criminals and their desire to commit murder? And do they now realize that they are committing evil and encouraging evil?
Sometimes a mistake is much more than just a mistake. By not allowing Ukrainian drones to destroy part of the Russian military (!) fleet via #Starlink interference, @elonmusk allowed this fleet to fire Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian cities. As a result, civilians, children are…
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) September 7, 2023
Musk borrowed $1 billion from SpaceX in same month of Twitter deal
The Wall Street Journal reports that Musk borrowed $1 billion from SpaceX in October 2022, the same month he bought Twitter. The loan was backed by some of Musk’s SpaceX stock and Musk drew all of the funds down the same month. According to a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, as of March 2023, Musk is SpaceX’s largest shareholder with a 42% stake and almost 79% of its voting power. SpaceX had $4.7 billion in cash and securities on hand at the end of 2022.
Musk: Starship ‘ready to launch’
Reponding to a video posted on X by SpaceX, showing a “fully stacked” Starship on the launchpad at Boca Chica Starbase, Musk says Starship is ready for its second attempt at an orbital flight test, pending regulatory approval.
Starship is ready to launch, awaiting FAA license approval
Starship is ready to launch, awaiting FAA license approval https://t.co/WjENkdudo9
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 6, 2023
The FAA says the launch licence application for Starship depends on various requirements being met, including reviews on policy, payload, safety, airspace integration, financial responsibility and environmental impacts.
The FAA will make a licence determination only after the agency is satisfied SpaceX meets all licensing, safety and other regulatory requirements.
Musk biography: Ex-Twitter CEO Agrawal lacked ‘leadership quality’
An excerpt from an upcoming Musk biography reports that, after meeting Twitter’s CEO Parag Agrawal for dinner in March 2022, Musk concluded that the CEO did not have leadership quality:
He’s a really nice guy. What Twitter needs is a fire-breathing dragon and Parag is not that.
Musk fired Agrawal shortly after he purchased the company.
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 accused of ‘hijacking’ £5.5bn satellite deal
In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), SpaceX demands the Commission “expeditiously review and rescind” a decision to green light a £5.5 billion merger between American company Viasat and Britain’s Inmarsat. SpaceX, which had unsuccesfully tried to block the takeover, claims Viasat is causing interference with its satellites and breaching its licensing conditions in a long-running row between the two companies. It says the regulator has “improperly” failed to consider its claims the first time and that the acquisition was “contrary to the public interest” because of Viasat’s “blatant disregard” for regulations. Viasat says the FCC had already found it “qualified to obtain licences” and that its rival’s latest assault was an attempt to “hijack” the takeover. It also accuses Musk of creating the risk of orbital collisions by launching thousands of small satellites.
These are old arguments that have been tried and failed before – the FCC expressly rejected them in clearing the acquisition. And they will certainly fail again. Our focus is on integrating Inmarsat’s assets and capabilities into the Viasat family to offer the innovative new services our customers want.
X to train AI models with users’ posts
X plans a change to its privacy policy that will allow information posted by users to be used to train its AI models. Musk says X will train AI models only with publicly available information. It will not use “DMs or anything private.” The updated policy states that the company:
may use the information we collect and publicly available information to help train our machine learning or artificial intelligence models for the purposes outlined in this policy.
Musk: trans daughter a ‘full communist’
According to Musk biographer Isaacson, Musk says his daughter’s school turned her into a “full communist” who thinks rich people are “evil.” (Vivian, who is transgender, legally changed her name and gender in 2022, partly to distance herself from Musk.) Isaacson says that Musk’s rift with Vivian “pained him more than anything in his life since the infant death of his firstborn child Nevada,” who died just 10 weeks old of sudden infant death syndrome. He says that Musk was “generally sanguine” when he first learned of his child’s transition, but things changed when Vivian began expressing extreme Marxist views and declared her intention to sever all ties with her father. Musk partly blames her private K-12 school, “Crossroads,” in Santa Monica, saying:
She went beyond socialism to being a full communist and thinking that anyone rich is evil.
Musk booed by gamers chanting ‘Bring back Twitter’
When Musk is briefly shown on camera during the broadcast of the Valorant World Championship Final, the crowd of gamers boos, prompting a surprised reaction from the event’s announcers, who did not address Musk’s roughly four-second appearance on camera. The crowd then shouts “Bring back Twitter!. Organiusers:
Where is that from? That can’t be from in here, surely?
Musk later laughed off the incident, describing the booing crowd members as “unhinged leftists.”
Elon Musk getting booed at VALORANT Champs and the crowd starts chanting "bring back Twitter" lmao pic.twitter.com/lDoWse78YV
— Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) August 26, 2023