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Elon Musk

Elon Musk409 posts

Elon Musk is a South-African born Canadian-American engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur, born in 1971. He was a co-founder of PayPal, which was sold to Ebay for $1.5 billion. He then founded Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Tesla Motors. He is chief executive and chief designer at SpaceX and CEO and head of product design at Tesla and chairman of Solar City. Musk purchased Twitter in September 2022.

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24 Apr, 2023

Musk: no ‘assisted suicide’ for kids

Political statement0 Comments

Musk tweets his opposition to “assisted suicide” for children.

I agree with assisted suicide if someone is a mature adult, but definitely not kids. There is a reason we have an age of consent.

He was responding to a Twitter user who mentioned euthanasia legislation in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands legalizes parents euthanizing their sick children at any age

The user was referring to an announcement by the Dutch government that euthanasia is now legal there for children under the age of 12, if they are so ill that “death is inevitable” and “expected in the foreseeable future.” It also has to be “the only reasonable alternative.”

FAA grounds Starship pending crash investigation

FAASpaceXStarship (rocket)Investigation0 Comments

SpaceX’s Starship rockets are grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration, after the rocket exploded on Thursday morning, to investigate the failed launch. FAA statement:

An anomaly occurred during the ascent and prior to stage separation resulting in a loss of the vehicle.  No injuries or public property damage have been reported. The FAA will oversee the mishap investigation of the Starship / Super Heavy test mission. A return to flight of the Starship / Super Heavy vehicle is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety. This is standard practice for all mishap investigations. The FAA is responsible for protecting the public during commercial space transportation launch and reentry operations.

23 Apr, 2023

Dead celebrities get Twitter blue checks

X (formerly Twitter)Design Change0 Comments

Twitter adds blue checks to the accounts of numerous dead celebrities, including some that have been inactive for years. Paul Walker, Kobe Bryant, Anthony Bourdain, Chadwick Bosman and Norm Macdonald are among the celebrities whose accounts have been “verified” posthumously. Whether this is another “trolling” stunt by Musk remains unclear.

Musk to King: ‘I’ve donated $100M to Ukraine, how much have you donated?’

StarlinkStephen KingX (formerly Twitter)DonationMakes Statement0 Comments

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!

Bannon: Musk is a ‘stone cold liar’ with ‘paymasters in Beijing’

Steve BannonAccusation0 Comments

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.

20 Apr, 2023

Musk pays for Shatner, LeBron and King blue ticks

LeBron JamesWilliam ShatnerX (formerly Twitter)Donation0 Comments

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

Twitter removes blue ticks from non-paying users

X (formerly Twitter)Design Change0 Comments

 Twitter removes blue ticks from as many as 300,000 accounts, including journalists, athletes and public figures, who have not paid a monthly fee to get one. High-profile users who lost their blue ticks include Beyoncé, Pope Francis, Oprah Winfrey and Donald Trump. A Twitter Blue subscription costs $8 a month for individuals to a starting price of $1,000 monthly to verify an organization, plus $50 monthly for each affiliate or employee account.

Starship launch debris covers Texas coast

SpaceXStarship (rocket)Anomaly0 Comments

SpaceX’s Starship rocket launch causes a massive debris field around the launch pad. The force of the rocket engines creates a crater under the concrete launch pad, sending debris away from the pad at thousands of miles an hour, causing damage to the nearby tank farm, a car parked miles away and forming a dust cloud that blocks out the sun over the Texas coast until strong winds blows it away. Video shows chunks of debris landing in the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Starship explodes four minutes into second test attempt

SpaceXStarship (rocket)AnomalyUnmanned launch0 Comments

After being delayed from April 18, SpaceX makes a second attempt at launching Starship. After a short countdown hold at 40 seconds the spacecraft launches and clears the tower. Four minutes into the flight, at a height of 34km, the vehicle explodes, after the second stage fails to separate. Musk congratulates the team:

Congrats @SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship! Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months.

Starship Flight Test

Tesla stock drops nearly 10% over continued price cuts

Tesla Inc.Financial Report0 Comments

Tesla stock (TSLA) drops nearly 10%, nearly $50 billion in market capitalisation, after Musk says the electric vehicle manufacturer will keep cutting prices in a bid to drive up demand in a weak economy. Focusing on sales growth rather than immediate profit, Musk said:

We’ve taken a view that pushing for higher volumes and a larger fleet is the right choice here versus a lower volume and a higher margin.

With this drop, Tesla’s market capitalization ending below Meta Platforms’ for the first time since 2021.

19 Apr, 2023

Musk threatens Microsoft over Twitter data: ‘Lawsuit time’

MicrosoftX (formerly Twitter)Makes Statement0 Comments

Musk threatens to sue Microsoft for using Twitter data without permission.

They trained illegally using Twitter data. Lawsuit time.

He does not elaborate any further or provide evidence to support his claim.

18 Apr, 2023

Trans advocates criticise Twitter policy change

GLAADHuman Rights CampaignX (formerly Twitter)Accusation0 Comments

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.

Musk announces Starship blowtorch

SpaceXStarship (rocket)AnnouncementProduct Release0 Comments

Following Musk’s tweet about a “Mini Starship with flame,” SpaceX announces the pre-sale of a collectable, Starship-themed blowtorch. The $175 burner has a safety lock as well as a windproof, adjustable flame and is being marketed for things like melting cheese and lighting candles. As one advert puts it:

It’s collectible. It’s functional. And it burns, burns, burns. The Starship Torch.

CBC: Twitter’s response not ‘serious’

Canadian Broadcasting CorporationX (formerly Twitter)Makes Statement0 Comments

A spokesperson for CBC says Twitter’s labelling fo the corporation as “69% government funded” is not “serious.”

The real issue is that Twitter’s definition of government-funded media means open to editorial interference by government. As the Editor-in-Chief of CBC News has said the government has no — zero — involvement in our editorial content or journalism

Musk changes CBC label to ‘69% government funded’

Canadian Broadcasting CorporationX (formerly Twitter)Makes Statement0 Comments

In reponse to complaints from CBC, Musk changes the label on their account to say the corporation is ‘69% government funded’.

Canadian Broadcasting Corp said they’re “less than 70% government-funded”, so we corrected the label

Musk to build ‘TruthGPT’ AI platform

ChatGPTOpenAITruthGPTTucker CarlsonInterview0 Comments

In an interview with Carlson, Musk says he is planning to build an alternative to ChatCPT, which he claims has been trained to lie. Musk says that OpenAI, which built ChatGPT, has now become a closed source, for-profit organization that’s far removed from the startup he helped found.

I’ve been thinking about AI since I was in college…I think I will create a third option, although I’m starting very late in the game…I’m going to start something which I call TruthGPT or a maximum truth-seeking AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe. I think this might be the best path to safety, in the sense that an AI that cares about understanding the universe is unlikely to annihilate humans because we are an interesting part of the universe.

Musk also says he supports the regulation of artificial intelligence.

AI is more dangerous than, say, mismanaged aircraft design or production maintenance or bad car production in the sense that it has the potential, however, small one may regard that probability, but it is not trivial; it has the potential of civilizational destruction

Elon Musk tells Tucker his plans to create a ‘TruthGPT’ AI platform

17 Apr, 2023

CBC pauses ‘Twitter activities’

Canadian Broadcasting CorporationX (formerly Twitter)Makes Statement0 Comments

CBC says it is pausing its activities on Twitter.

Our journalism is impartial and independent. To suggest otherwise is untrue. That is why we are pausing our activities on @Twitter. | Notre journalisme est impartial et indépendant. Prétendre le contraire est faux. C’est pourquoi nous suspendons nos activités sur @Twitter

Starship launch scrubbed

SpaceXStarship (rocket)ScrubbedUnmanned launch0 Comments

The first Starship launch is scrubbed, ten minutes before launch, due to a pressurant valve being frozen. The countdown continues as a ‘wet dress rehearsal’, to T minus 40 seconds. Another launch attempt may happen in the next 48 hours.

Starship launch rescheduled to Apr 20

SpaceXStarship (rocket)Launch announcement0 Comments

SpaceX says it is targeting Thursday, April 20 for the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Starbase in Texas. The 62 minute launch window opens at 8:28 a.m. CT and closes at 9:30 a.m. CT.