Dorsey: ‘It all went south’ after Musk bought Twitter
In a discussion started by Bluesky users, Dorsey criticizes Musk’s leadership of Twitter, saying he should have paid the penalty to back out of buying the platform.
I think he should have walked away and paid the $1b.
Asked whether he thinks Musk is the right leader for Twitter, Dorsey replied:
No. Nor do I think he acted right after realizing his timing was bad. Nor do I think the board should have forced the sale. It all went south.
Dorsey (still a Twitter shareholder) also said he is glad new platforms like Bluesky are appearing.
Twitter to take 10% cut of users’ content subscriptions
As Twitter seeks more revenue streams, Musk says the platform will take a 10% cut of the money generated by users who sell subscriptions to their content (such as long-form text and video), but only after the first year. He also mentioned a drop in iOS and Android subscription fees:
We will keep 10% after 12 months, but iOS/Android subscription fees drop from 30% to 15% in year 2, so still a net gain to creators.
Twitter is trying to boost revenue following a drop in its advertising income just as it was being purchased by Musk.
We will keep 10% after 12 months, but iOS/Android subscription fees drop from 30% to 15% in year 2, so still a net gain to creators
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 28, 2023
Musk: no ‘assisted suicide’ for kids
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.”
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.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 25, 2023
Musk to King: ‘I’ve donated $100M to Ukraine, how much have you donated?’
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!
I’ve donated $100M to Ukraine, how much have you donated?
(We turned down the DoD money btw) https://t.co/wpLa6dTnP6
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 23, 2023
Bannon: Musk is a ‘stone cold liar’ with ‘paymasters in Beijing’
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.
Microsoft removes Twitter from advertising platform
Microsoft says it plans to remove Twitter from its corporate advertising platform, though other social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn will still be available.
Starting on April 25, 2023, Smart Campaigns with Multi-platform will no longer support Twitter
This means that users of Microsoft’s free social media management tool will no longer be able to access their Twitter accounts through it. They will not be able to create new tweets, view past tweets, manage drafts, schedule posts, or manage engagement in any way. Microsoft does not provide a reason for the change.
Musk threatens Microsoft over Twitter data: ‘Lawsuit time’
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.
They trained illegally using Twitter data. Lawsuit time.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 19, 2023
Trans advocates criticise Twitter policy change
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.
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. https://t.co/0nFvxLjBIQ
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) April 18, 2023
Yaccarino interviews Musk
Yaccarino interviews Musk at the MMA’s POSSIBLE Miami Event 2023
CBC: Twitter’s response not ‘serious’
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’
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
Canadian Broadcasting Corp said they’re “less than 70% government-funded”, so we corrected the label pic.twitter.com/lU1EWf76Zu
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 18, 2023
Musk to build ‘TruthGPT’ AI platform
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
CBC pauses ‘Twitter activities’
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
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.
— CBC/Radio-Canada (@CBCRadioCanada) April 17, 2023
Angry Tesla Shanghai workers take to social media over bonus cuts
Workers at Tesla’s Shanghai factory take to social media in an attempt to appeal to Musk after their supervisors informed them of upcoming cuts to their performance bonuses. The posts are appearing on Twitter as well as forums like Baidu Tieba, with some even containing appeals to Musk’s mother, Maye Musk. Two workers at the plant, where Tesla employs around 20,000, said they were informed by their supervisors over the weekend about a cut to their quarterly bonus payout, which is linked to the factory’s performance. The workers said Tesla supervisors mentioned a “safety incident” when they were asked about reasons for the cut.
Was alerted this weekend. Looking into it.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2023
Musk: Starship launch ‘may not be successful’
Musk says expectations should remain low for the Starship system, and that his team is mainly looking to gather data about how the vehicle ascends to space and returns back to Earth.
I guess I would just like to set expectations… low…Success is not what should be expected. It’s just a very fundamentally difficult thing. Probably, tomorrow will not be successful… If we get far enough away from the launchpad before something goes wrong, I would consider that to be a success. Just don’t blow up the launchpad.
Starship is due to launch at 8am CST (2pm BST).
Launch attempt tomorrow pic.twitter.com/czFsQ53Xsa
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 16, 2023
Musk: US Government had access to Twitter DMs
In a trailer for his interview with Carlson, Musk says the US authorities had full access to everything that happened on Twitter, including users’ private messages . Everything that happened on the social network was monitored by “various government departments.”
Musk: The degree to which various government agencies had effectively full access to everything that was going on at Twitter blew my mind. I was not aware of that.
Carlson: Would that include people’s DMs?
Musk: Yes
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) April 16, 2023
Taibbi quits Twitter citing Substack restrictions
Taibbi says he will no longer use Twitter, after the company decided to heavily restrict all links and tweets about Substack following that company’s announcement it would be launching Substack Notes, a short form social network and potential competitor to Twitter. The restrictions require Substack writers to sign a pledge not to criticize Musk or his companies. Taibbi had previously tweeted that he asked Musk personally why Substack was being limited on Twitter and didn’t receive a response. Musk unfollowed Taibbi on Twitter shortly after the journalist made his announcement. Taibbi:
Earlier this afternoon, I learned Substack links were being blocked on Twitter. Since being able to share my articles is a primary reason I use Twitter, I was alarmed and asked what was going on…It turns out Twitter is upset about the new Substack Notes feature, which they see as a hostile rival. When I asked how I was supposed to market my work, I was given the option of posting my articles on Twitter instead of Substack….This abrupt change is a reminder of why writers deserve a model that puts them in charge, that rewards great work with money, and that protects the free press and free speech. Their livelihoods should not be tied to platforms where they don’t own their relationship with their audience, and where the rules can change on a whim.
Chinese military wants 13,000 satellites to rival Starlink
Following the success of Musk’s SpaceX Starlink in the Ukraine War, Chinese military researchers want to deploy a national mega-constellation of almost 13,000 low-orbit satellites to emulate Starlink, while military scientists are pursuing research on how to “suppress” or even damage Starlink satellites in wartime scenarios.
Chinese reaserchers in an opaque state-backed project — referred to in China’s satellite industry as “GW” or “Guowang,” translated as “State Network” — have shared concerns in public research and privately with military officials that the project is lagging too far behind SpaceX’s Starlink and should be fast-tracked after the technology withstood practical tests in Ukraine.
The Starlink constellation has finally shown its military colors in the Russia-Ukraine conflict…The focus now is to accelerate the development of China’s own constellation … and explore defensive measures against Starlink-type foreign satellites
Musk reacts to Cash App founder’s murder
Musk offers his condolences, following the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee, who was found stabbed to death in his San Francisco apartment in the early morning hours of April 4, 2023. Musk also calls for stronger action regarding repeat violent offenders in SF.
Very sorry to hear that. Many people I know have been severely assaulted. Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately. Is the city taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders @BrookeJenkinsSF?
Very sorry to hear that. Many people I know have been severely assaulted.
Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately.
Is the city taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders @BrookeJenkinsSF?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2023
Musk, Wozniak, join thousands calling for AI slowdown
More than 1,000 artificial intelligence experts, researchers and backers, including Musk and Wozniak, sign an open letter calling for an immediate pause on the creation of ‘giant’ AIs for at least six months, so the capabilities and dangers of systems such as GPT-4 can be properly studied and mitigated.
Recent months have seen AI labs locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one – not even their creators – can understand, predict, or reliably control…Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable…
We agree [with Sam Altman that it may be important to get independent review before starting to train future systems and for the most advanced efforts to agree to limit the rate of growth of compute used for creating new models.] That point is now.
If researchers will not voluntarily pause their work on AI models more powerful than GPT-4, the letter’s benchmark for “giant” models, then “governments should step in”, the authors say.
“This does not mean a pause on AI development in general, merely a stepping back from the dangerous race to ever-larger unpredictable black-box models with emergent capabilities