King: Musk has been ‘a terrible fit’ for Twitter
King says:
I think Elon Musk is a visionary. Almost singlehandedly, he’s changed the way Americans think about automobiles. I have a Tesla and love it. That said, he’s been a terrible fit for Twitter. He appears to be making it up as he goes along.
Musk replies:
Suggestions are welcome Mr. (crown emoji)….The goal is a trusted digital town square, where a wide range of views are tolerated, provided people don’t break the law or spam. For example, any incitement to violence will result in account suspension.
King also noted that “Twitter ain’t cars. And Twitter ain’t rockets.
Suggestions are welcome Mr. 👑
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 26, 2022
Musk later praises King:
Stephen King is one of most creative people on Earth. While I may not agree with everything he says, I do actually want to hear it.
Stephen King is one of most creative people on Earth. While I may not agree with everything he says, I do actually want to hear it.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 27, 2022
Musk will make phone if Apple, Google block Twitter
In response to a Twitter user who says Musk should make his own phone if Apple and Google remove Twitter from their app stores, Musk replies:
I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone
I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2022
Roth: Twitter ‘safer’ under Musk than before
In an op-ed in the New York Times, Roth says Twitter is safer under Musk’s ownership:
Almost immediately upon the acquisition’s close, a wave of racist and antisemitic trolling emerged on Twitter. Wary marketers, including those at General Mills, Audi and Pfizer, slowed down or paused ad spending on the platform, kicking off a crisis within the company to protect precious ad revenue. In response, Mr. Musk empowered my team to move more aggressively to remove hate speech across the platform — censoring more content, not less. Our actions worked: Before my departure, I shared data about Twitter’s enforcement of hateful conduct, showing that by some measures, Twitter was actually safer under Mr. Musk than it was before.”
His ability to make decisions unilaterally about the site’s future is constrained by a marketing industry he neither controls, nor has managed to win over.
However:
[Even as Musk] criticizes the capriciousness of platform policies, he perpetuates the same lack of legitimacy through his impulsive changes and tweet-length pronouncements about Twitter’s rules. In appointing himself ‘chief twit,’ Mr. Musk has made clear that at the end of the day, he’ll be the one calling the shots. It was for this reason that I chose to leave the company: A Twitter whose policies are defined by edict has little need for a trust and safety function dedicated to its principled development.
Twitter HQ projection trolls Musk
A projection displayed on Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters trolls Musk with taunts and insults, including calling him a “bankruptcy baby”,”supreme parasite”,”petulant pimple”,”apartheid profiteer”,”space Karen” and “mediocre manchild”. It is not clear who ran the projection.
Twitter's San Francisco headquarters has gone hardcore tonight. #TwitterTakeover pic.twitter.com/DoG5pDD4AD
— Strictly Woke AF (@christoq) November 18, 2022
Fallon asks Musk to take down #RIPJimmyFallon hashtag
Fallon asks to Musk to take down the hashtag #RIPJimmyFallon that has been trending on the platform.
Elon, can you fix this? #RIPJimmyFallon
Musk intitially replied with ‘Fix what?’, and later replied with a joke:
Wait a second, how do we know you’re not an alien body snatcher pretending to be Jimmy!? Say something that only the real Jimmy would say …
Wait a second, how do we know you’re not an alien body snatcher pretending to be Jimmy!?
Say something that only the real Jimmy would say …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 16, 2022
Musk to Twitter staff: Do hardcore work or get out
In an internal email, Musk gives Twitter employees until the evening of Nov 17 to commit to “extremely hardcore” work or else leave the company:
A Fork in the Road
Going forward, to build a breakthrough Twitter 2.0 and succeed in an increasingly competitive world, we will need to be extremely hardcore. This will mean working long hours at high intensity. Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade.
Twitter will also be much more engineering-driven. Design and product management will still be very important and report to me, but those writing great code will constitute the majority of our team and have the greatest sway. At its heart, Twitter is a software and servers company, so I think this makes sense.
If you are sure that you want to be part of the new Twitter, please click yes on the link below. Anyone who has not done so by 5pm ET tomorrow (Thursday) will receive three months of severance. Whatever decision you make, thank you for your efforts to make Twitter successful. Elon
Musks says he has ‘too much work on his plate’
In a videolink interview for the B20 Indonesia conference in Bali, Musk, who is wearing a traditional batik shirt sent by the event’s organizers, says that has too much work:
You know my workload has recently increased quite a lot. I mean, I have too much work on my plate that is for sure. No doubt about it
When asked about his thoughts on other business leaders in Asia who wish to become the “Elon Musk of the East” the Tesla CEO says:
I’d be careful what you wish for. I’m not sure how many people would actually like to be me. They would like to be what they imagine being me, which is not the same thing as actually being me. The amount that I torture myself is next level, frankly.
Musk also noted that longer video content is coming to Twitter.
Twitter for sure, I think it’s gonna be a lot more on video… And it’s kind of a no-brainer to enable longer video and also enable content creators to make a living with content on Twitter
Peterson: It would be a catastrophe to see Musk derailed
On Piers Morgan Uncensored, Peterson say he supports Elon Musk’s efforts to improve Twitter.
Well, I know people who know him very well and have worked with him very closely. These are very solid people, extremely competent and extremely creative. And they’re admirers of Musk. I talked with my brother-in-law Jim Keller, who is one of the word’s great chip engineeers, and he worked very closely with Musk for years. He believes that he is, in many ways, exactly what you think he was: He’s a genius, a visionary genius. But he’s also someone who is very, very good at implementing, very good at running companies, as you can tell because he has a multitude of impossible, succesful companies. So he goes into a company and he cleans house and puts things in order and makes things work efficiently. Maybe he can do that at Twitter. I hope he can, because Musk is doing all sorts of things that are useful and difficult and it would be a catstrophe to see him derailed.
"It would be a catastrophe to see him derailed."
Jordan Peterson says he hopes Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter will be a success.@elonmusk | @jordanbpeterson | @piersmorgan | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/XdBFyv75Sc
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) November 10, 2022
Biden: Musk’s foreign ties ‘worthy of being looked at’
At a news conference at the White House, when Biden is asked if Musk is a ‘threat to national security’ and whether his acquisition of Twitter with the help of foreign governments, notably Saudi Arabia, should be investigated, the President says:
I think that Elon Musk’s cooperation and/or technical relationships with other countries is worthy of being looked at. Whether or not he is doing anything inappropriate — I’m not suggesting that — I’m suggesting it’s worth being looked at. And that’s all I’ll say.
Recently, Musk has given opinions on the Russia-Ukraine war and China-Taiwan relations, while Senator Chris Murphy has called for an investigation into the national security implications of Saudi Arabia’s stake in Twitter.
Musk says he voted Democrat until this year
After urging ‘independent-minded ‘ voters to vote Republican, Musk says that his party affilation is Independent, but that he has actually voted for Democrats until this year, and says that he is open to the idea of voting Democrat again.
To be clear, my historical party affiliation has been Independent, with an actual voting history of entirely Democrat until this year
And I’m open to the idea of voting Democrat again in the future
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2022
Goldberg leaves Twitter
Goldberg announces she is leaving Twitter.
To everyone, thanks for everything! Until we meet again! Love, Whoop.
She elaborates on The View, listing Musk’s introduction of the $8 blue check fee, the mass layoffs, and the recent banning of Kathy Griffin for breaking the site’s impersonation rules.
I’m getting off today because I just feel like it’s so messy, and I’m tired of now having certain kinds of attitudes blocked now getting back on. So I’m gonna get out, and if it settles down enough and I feel more comfortable maybe I’ll come back. But as of tonight, I’m done with Twitter…People keep saying it’s free speech, but all speech is not free speech. Some speech is not okay free speech. So everybody has to agree on that, but if people keep saying ‘You hurt my free speech’ it’s going to be a problem. You know what? This is our problem. But it ain’t my problem today because I’m out.
She says she may return later:
I’m going to get out, and if it settles down and I feel more comfortable, maybe I’ll come back.
.@WhoopiGoldberg says on #TheView that "as of tonight," she's "done with Twitter."
"I'm going to get out, and if it settles down and I feel more comfortable, maybe I'll come back." https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA pic.twitter.com/0Ih9fp9yHG
— The View (@TheView) November 7, 2022
Musk: ‘Independent-minded’ voters should vote for a Republican Congress
Musk says ‘independent-minded’ voters should vote for a Republican Congress, to balance ‘the worst exceses of both parties’;
To independent-minded voters: Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic.
To independent-minded voters:
Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2022
Musk says hardcore Democrats or Republicans never vote for the other side, so independent voters are the ones who actually decide who’s in charge. Musk previously said he would vote for Republicans but that he backs moderates of both major political parties.
Like most people in America, I agree with some of the Democrat and some of the Republican policies, but not all. However, if executive and legislative branches are dominated by *one* party, then we lose balance of power.
Like most people in America, I agree with some of the Democrat and some of the Republican policies, but not all.
However, if executive and legislative branches are dominated by *one* party, then we lose balance of power.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2022
Musk lets jet tracker stay on Twitter, despite ‘risk’
Musk says he will not ban a Twitter account that tracks his private jet, even though its information affects his personal safety
My commitment to free speech extends even to not banning the account following my plane, even though that is a direct personal safety risk
The owner of the @ElonJet account, Jack Sweeney, replies:
Thank you backing your commitment to free speech. Overwhelmingly the followers of my account are supporters and admirers of your endeavors. Which was my motivation for creating @ElonJet
https://twitter.com/ElonJet/status/1589419007954022400
Musk: Anti-Twitter activists ‘destroying free speech in America’
Musk says Twitter revenues have dropped massively, as activist groups pressure advertisers. He says this is despite there being no change to Twitter’s moderation rules
Twitter has had a massive drop in revenue, due to activist groups pressuring advertisers, even though nothing has changed with content moderation and we did everything we could to appease the activists.
He claims that despite ‘appeasing’ activists, they are trying to ‘destroy free speech’:
Extremely messed up! They’re trying to destroy free speech in America.
Twitter has had a massive drop in revenue, due to activist groups pressuring advertisers, even though nothing has changed with content moderation and we did everything we could to appease the activists.
Extremely messed up! They’re trying to destroy free speech in America.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 4, 2022
Musk: Twitter is a ‘collective, cybernetic super-intelligence’
Musk compares Twitter to a super-intelligent organism:
Because it consists of billions of bidirectional interactions per day, Twitter can be thought of as a collective, cybernetic super-intelligence…… with a lot of room for improvement
Followed up with:
A neuron doesn’t realize it’s a neuron
… with a lot of room for improvement
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 3, 2022
Musk jokes it will cost $8 to complain about Twitter
Musk says that it will cost $8 to complain about Twitter. He says he stole the idea from Monty Python sketch, called The Argument,
To all complainers, please continue complaining, but it will cost $8
Totally stole idea of charging for insults & arguments from Monty Python tbh https://t.co/oFKRyp3BS7
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2022
Musk debates Twitter verification fee with King
After Stephen King complains that he will leave Twitter if he is made to pay $20 a month to keep his ‘blue tick’:
$20 to keep my blue check? F*** that, they should pay me. If that gets instituted, I’m gone like Enron
Musk debates the fee amount with him:
We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8.
We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2022
Musk defends Roth
After the disclosure of internal Twitter communications by Roth, that Musk says showed other Twitter staff hiding evidence, Musk defends Roth.
We’ve all made some questionable tweets, me more than most, but I want to be clear that I support Yoel. My sense is that he has high integrity, and we are all entitled to our political beliefs.
We’ve all made some questionable tweets, me more than most, but I want to be clear that I support Yoel. My sense is that he has high integrity, and we are all entitled to our political beliefs.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2022
Musk: Twitter lawyers hid evidence
Musk shares internal Twitter communications that he says were hidden by Twitter’s lawyers, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. The messages were written by Yoel Roth, Head of Safety & Integrity at Twitter, apparently about Amir Shevat, Head of Product, alleging Shevat was using ‘fraudulent metrics’ and may be actively trying to hide the ball’, which was what Musk was accusing the company of. Roth’s messages:
But also lol if Amir continues to BS me my escalation route is “Amir’s OKRs are entirely based on fraudulent metrics ad he doesn’t care an may be actively trying to hide the ball”
Literally doing what Elon is accusing us of doing
Musk says:
Wachtell & Twitter board deliberately hid this evidence from the court. Stay tuned, more to come …
Wachtell & Twitter board deliberately hid this evidence from the court. Stay tuned, more to come … pic.twitter.com/CifaNvtRtt
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2022
Musk later clarifies that he supports Roth:
I want to be clear that I support Yoel. My sense is that he has high integrity, and we are all entitled to our political beliefs.
We’ve all made some questionable tweets, me more than most, but I want to be clear that I support Yoel. My sense is that he has high integrity, and we are all entitled to our political beliefs.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2022
Musk: NYT Twitter severance payouts story is ‘false’
Musk denies a story by The New York Times [link] that he plans to lay off employees before the start of November to avoid having to make special payouts as part of their compensation deals.
This is false
This is false
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 30, 2022