Zuckerberg ‘ready’ to fight Musk
Zuckerberg says he is “ready today” for his cage fight with Musk. He says he even proposed a date for it on Threads (August 26th), but Musk has not responded. Musk has said that he might need surgery for a neck and back problem and has to undergo an MRI scan. He says the exact date of the fight is “in flux.” Zuckerberg reportedly has been eating 4,000 calories a day and has built an octagon in his backyard.
I’m ready today… but [Musk] hasn’t confirmed.
Musk: Fight with ‘Zuck’ to be streamed on X
Musk says that his fight with Zuckerberg will be streamed on X. He tweets:
Zuck v Musk fight will be live-streamed on 𝕏. All proceeds will go to charity for veterans.
Zuck v Musk fight will be live-streamed on 𝕏.
All proceeds will go to charity for veterans.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 6, 2023
Musk: X will never launch crypto coin
Musk says that Twitter/X will never launch a crypto coin. In a tweet, user @DogeDesigner stated:
Elon Musk and 𝕏 never launched a crypto token
to which Musk replied:
And we never will.
Elon Musk and 𝕏 never launched a crypto token. Be careful of such articles. ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/tZqfwMMm2X
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) August 5, 2023
Musk: X will pay ‘unfairly’ treated users’ legal bills
Musk says that if any X (formerly Twitter) users are treated unfairly by their employers for posting or liking something on the platform, X will pay their legal bills and even sue on their behalf. Financial assistance from X will have no limit, he says, and asks that users “let us know” if they have experienced unfair treatment for their activity on the site.
If you were unfairly treated by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill.
No limit.
Please let us know.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 6, 2023
Musk accuses South African party of pushing for white genocide
In response to footage of a football stadium of Economic Freedom Fighters Party loyalists singing “Kill the Boer,” Musk accuses the party of pushing for genocide of white people, tagging President Ramaphosa for a response:
They are openly pushing for genocide of white people in South Africa. @CyrilRamaphosa, why do you say nothing?
They are openly pushing for genocide of white people in South Africa. @CyrilRamaphosa, why do you say nothing?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2023
Biographer: Musk considers father ‘evil’
Musk biographer Walter Isaacson says Musk told him “vivid and psychologically brutal tales” about his past, calling his father “evil” and a “terrible human being,” while Errol gave his side “forcefully.” (Musk previously described his father as “evil” in a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone.) Isaacson’s biography describes Musk being beaten regularly by bullies as a boy, but says the physical scars from that trauma were “minor compared to the emotional ones inflicted by his father – an engineer, rogue, and charismatic fantasist.” Isaacson says Musk inherited many of his most distinctive traits from his father Errol, who “instilled his drive but also his demons, beginning at an early age.” Crying, Musk said this about his father:
He was such a terrible human being, you have no idea. My dad will have a carefully thought-out plan of evil. He will plan evil. Almost every crime you can possibly think of, he has done. Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done. It’s so terrible, you can’t believe it.
Musk congratulates Riley on engagement
Musk congratulates Riley on her engagement to Sangster.
Congratulations!❤️
Congratulations! ♥️
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 27, 2023
Police: O’Connor’s death not suspicious
London police say O’Connor‘s death is not being treated as suspicious. The statement did not name O’Connor in line with U.K. police protocols:
A 56-year-old woman is pronounced dead at the scene and a file will be prepared for the Coroner.
Musk takes over @x username without paying
Musk takes over the @x Twitter account without paying its owner as part of the app’s ongoing rebrand. The user. a photographer in San Franscisco, said he had been offered some X merchandise and a meeting with the company’s management, but was not offered any financial incentive. He stated:
They just took it essentially – kinda what I thought might happen. They did send an email saying it is the property of ‘x’ essentially.
X: no verification unless companies buy ads
X (formerly known as Twitter) warns companies on the site that they will lose their verification badges if they have not spent at least $1,000 on advertisements over the past month or $6,000 in the preceding 180 days. The yellow check marks will reportedly start disappearing on August 7.
Musk: Bronny James cardiac arrest may be vaccine related
Referring to Bronny James’ cardiac arrest, Musk says:
We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing. Myocarditis is a well known side-effect
We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing.
Myocarditis is a known side-effect. The only question is whether it is rare or common.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2023
Twitter briefly adds a Community Notes fact check to the tweet, however, it was removed later that day.
Studies show that the risk of myocarditis is significantly higher after an actual Covid infection than with the vaccine. Among adolescent boys, the risk of myocarditis following a Covid infection was approximately twice that of the risk following the second vaccine dose.
Musk: Twitter logo will change to X
Musk says Twitter is planning to change its logo, Larry the Bird, which has been in place since creation of the company in 2006, to an X. Along with the logo change, the domain for the social media site will become X.com, and Twitter will become a subsidiary of Musk-owned X-Corp.
And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds
And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 23, 2023
Musk then asked for logo suggestions:
If a good enough X logo is posted tonight, we’ll make go live worldwide tomorrow
If a good enough X logo is posted tonight, we’ll make go live worldwide tomorrow
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 23, 2023
Thousands of users replied before Musk posted a short video of an X with a flickering background.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 23, 2023
Starship Super Heavy booster moved to launch pad
SpaceX says the Starship Super Heavy booster is being moved to the launch pad and will be undergoing testing leading up to its next test flight.
Starship Super Heavy Booster 9 transported to the orbital launch pad at Starbase for testing ahead of flight
Starship Super Heavy Booster 9 transported to the orbital launch pad at Starbase for testing ahead of flight pic.twitter.com/fF6U13thzs
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 20, 2023
Musk wants to give amputees robotic limbs powered by brain implants
While updating investors on Tesla’s second-quarter performance, Musk says he wants to help amputees by combining advanced robotics from Tesla with brain-implant technology from Neuralink. Musk says the combination could give amputees…
a robot arm or leg that is as good, maybe better long term, than a biological one…We believe we can give, basically, a cyborg body that is incredibly capable.
Malaysia issues Starlink license
Malaysia issues a license to Starlink to provide Internet services in the country, particularly in remote areas. The communications minister said in a Facebook post that Starlink would begin by providing its services to schools and higher education institutions. The government was also prepared to work with satellite communications firms, including Starlink, to ensure 100% internet coverage in populated areas. Around 3% of populated areas in Malaysia face issues with internet access, due to geographical and infrastructure challenges.
Musk: Tesla may cut prices in ‘turbulent times’
On an analysts’ call, Musk says that he will cut prices again on Tesla’s vehicles due to “turbulent times”:
One day it seems like the world economy is falling apart, next day it’s fine. I don’t know what the hell is going on. We’re in, I would call it, turbulent times.
Tesla shares fall nearly 5% after Musk’s comments.
Musk sees “deflationary pressures” on lithium prices
On a Tesla earnings call, Musk says he is “seeing what seems to be deflationary pressures” on lithium prices, which “went absolutely insane there for a while.” He attributes the spike to rising commodity prices that made it difficult to cut costs in 2022. Karn Budhiraj, Tesla’s vice president for supply chain, says the reduction in commodity prices translates into thousands of dollars on a per-vehicle basis, adding that the company is extending some fixed-price contracts with suppliers through the end of this decade to lock in the lower costs.
Warren urges SEC to investigate Tesla over Twitter ties
Warren sends a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, urging them to investigate Tesla over possible conflicts of interest, misappropriation of corporate assets, and other negative impacts to Tesla shareholders related to Musk’s Twitter takeover. Warren says the Tesla board’s “apparent lack of independence” from Musk raises questions about possible violations of security laws and exchange rules which fall under SEC’s jurisdiction.
McGregor “interested” in Musk-Zuckerberg fight, but would not train them
McGregor says he would be willing to “do a bit of work with” Musk or Zuckerberg prior to their cage match, but would not formally train either of them, because he is busy training for a bout of his own. He is “interested” in the fight, he says, and hopes they “go ahead with it.”
I’m interested. Are they gonna go ahead with it? Is it gonna happen? If it happens under the UFC banner, I’m with it. It has to happen under the UFC banner… I’d do a bit of work with them. I hope they go ahead with it. Their pockets might be large, but is the talk cheap? They said it. Are they gonna do it now? I’m excited to see how it unfolds.
Musk: Twitter’s ad revenue down ~50%
Musk says Twitter has a “negative cash flow” and its advertising revenue has declined by about 50% amid a “heavy debt load” as competition between Twitter and Threads intensifies. This comes just as Twitter began paying content creators for posting advertisements. Some users are reporting payouts of over $100,000, and Musk himself says Twitter will pay creators $5 million through its first block of payments. It is unclear, though, which kinds of posts or which users are eligible for advertising payments, and some users have criticized the platform’s payout program.
We’re still negative cash flow, due to ~50% drop in advertising revenue plus heavy debt load. Need to reach positive cash flow before we have the luxury of anything else.
We’re still negative cash flow, due to ~50% drop in advertising revenue plus heavy debt load. Need to reach positive cash flow before we have the luxury of anything else.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 15, 2023