Twitter board agrees to $44 billion sale to billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk

[Solauren]

Musk is either trying to tank the company, or is stuck in the mindset of 'private company', versus the mindset he should be in; 'public company'.

In a private company, the owners pretty much say whatever the fuck they want. Yes, there might be a few people in the company they are guarded around, but for the most part, the owners of a private company can and will say whatever is on their mind, and do whatever the hell they want so long as it turns a profit.

That's usually how they built the company in the first place.

However, in a public company (which includes any social media style company, Public relationship company, etc, etc), due to accountability, public relations, etc, you can't do that. You have to keep your opinions to yourself, or at least run them through some sort of filter system first.

Assuming he's not trying to tank the company, Musk doesn't seem to realize this, or just doesn't care.

Oh well, my Dad once said twitter is full of twits, and this is just proving it

[LadyTevar]

It's long been thought he's trying to tank it. This is just more fuel to that theory.

Still... seriously... how many more advertisers will suddenly find better platforms now?

[bilateralrope]

Musk is either trying to tank the company, or is stuck in the mindset of 'private company', versus the mindset he should be in; 'public company'.

When you say public and private company, what exactly are you talking about here ?

Because when I think of those terms, I think of if the shares are publicly traded. Which has nothing to do with the problems here. Which is incompetent management insulting customers. A bad thing for everyone except some monopolies.

It's long been thought he's trying to tank it. This is just more fuel to that theory.

Still... seriously... how many more advertisers will suddenly find better platforms now?

If he wanted to kill Twitter, there are quicker ways to do it. Ways that wouldn't have given Twitter alternatives time to emerge. But he didn't do them and now the alternatives are just waiting for Twitter to die to see which of them survives the surge of new users.

Right now it looks more like he's stuck in his own echo chamber, with nobody to tell him how stupid and unpopular his ideas really are.

[bilateralrope]

Oh and you might want to watch the video of that interview. Note how Musk moves his head after saying "go fuck yourself", like he was not expecting the audience to respond with silence.

[Ralin]

Right now it looks more like he's stuck in his own echo chamber, with nobody to tell him how stupid and unpopular his ideas really are.

Yeah he's just dumb and arrogant and extremely divorced coupled with vast wealth and insulation from consequences. Anything else is overthinking it.

[LadyTevar]

Oh and you might want to watch the video of that interview. Note how Musk moves his head after saying "go fuck yourself", like he was not expecting the audience to respond with silence.

Did he expect massive applause?

[Ralin]

Did he expect massive applause?

Yes that is the most likely implication.

[LaCroix]

It kinda worked, tho. It seems that a lot of his fanbase have cancelled their Disney+ subscription after that interview.

Cancel disney/Cancel Hulu was trending already because of their price hikes, but after the interview, ther is something like a 500% increase in those hashtags, and reportedly a big wave of actual cancellations.

At the same time, there are words uttered by Disney that indicate that Disney is going to change course and stop making every movie a propaganda piece of some kind. or even go back to make actually entertaining movies.

[bilateralrope]

X advertisers stay away as CEO defends Musk’s “go f*** yourself” interview

"Elon's interview was candid and profound," Yaccarino writes in memo to staff.
JON BRODKIN - 12/2/2023, 5:33 AM

X CEO Linda Yaccarino called owner Elon Musk "candid and profound" in a memo to staff addressing the public interview in which Musk told advertisers to "go fuck yourself."

"Elon's interview was candid and profound," Yaccarino wrote in a memo to employees of X (formerly Twitter) yesterday. "He shared an unmatched and completely unvarnished perspective and vision for the future. If you haven't watched it, please take the time to absorb the magnitude and importance of what we're all a part of."

Yaccarino was referring to Musk's on-stage interview at The New York Times' DealBook Summit on Wednesday. Musk spoke about two weeks after he posted a favorable response to an antisemitic tweet, causing an advertiser backlash that added to X's already significant financial struggles.

When asked about trying to win back advertisers, Musk said, "I hope they stop. Don't advertise." He accused advertisers of trying to "blackmail me with money," and said, "Go fuck yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is."

Yaccarino: “Our principles do not have a price tag”

Yaccarino's full memo to staff addressing Musk's interview was published by CNBC. "Our mission at X is bold: to be an open platform without censorship of thought—one that provides people information and the freedom to make up their own minds," she wrote. "Our principles do not have a price tag, nor will they be compromised—ever. And no matter how hard they try, we will not be distracted by sideline critics who don't understand our mission."

Yaccarino said she is "immensely proud to lead this company," and told employees they should feel the same. "You're at X because you have the courage and conviction to build and operationalize the most consequential platform that exists. That's quite an enviable position to be in," Yaccarino wrote.

Yaccarino told staff that X is part of a "one-of-a-kind constellation of companies" led by Musk. "We're at one of the most maverick companies in the world and we get to do things that have never been done before," she wrote. "X sits in a one-of-a-kind constellation of companies that are changing the world—from helping to conserve the planet through Tesla's electric vehicles, to exploring new planets with SpaceX, to the seamless global connectivity of Starlink, to the potential of transforming lives with Neuralink, to responsibly reimagining the benefits of AGI through xAI."

Yaccarino also defended Musk publicly in a post on twitter.com, writing that the X owner "offered an apology, an explanation and an explicit point of view about our position. X is enabling an information independence that's uncomfortable for some people. We're a platform that allows people to make their own decisions."

On November 15, Musk replied, "You have said the actual truth" to an X post that said Jewish communities are "pushing hatred against whites." At the DealBook interview, he called the post "foolish" and said, "I should in retrospect not have replied to that one person and should have written in greater length what I meant."

A "one-of-a-kind constellation of companies". Companies including the car company that includes a grabbing stick with new vehicles. A rocket company that managed to screw up their launch pad. A drilling company that only managed to drill 2.4 miles in 7 years.

That is the echo chamber Musk has built for himself. The one that lets him pretend that he's some sort of genius.

I wonder how much Yaccarino is getting paid to tie herself to him.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Let's not forget the launch of the ugliest car since the Fiat Multipla, the Cybertruck

Tesla has released its latest vehicle, the futuristic Cybertruck, which is being hailed as the car "making sci-fi a reality".

The vehicle costs around £48,000, which is more than 50% more than its projected price and the first deliveries came around two years later than expected.

“It’s the most unique thing on the road,” he said. “Finally the future will look like the future,” Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk told audiences at a customer delivery event on Thursday.

The vehicle, which Mr Musk said was inspired by the car-submarine in 1977 James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me, has a stainless steel exoskeleton which Tesla said should reduce dents and long-term corrosion. The window glass can reportedly resist the impact of a baseball at 70 mph.

The vehicle can go from zero to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds in "beast mode" and Mr Musk showed videos of the truck beating a Porsche 911 in a race while the Cybertruck towed another Porsche on a trailer at Thursday's event in Austin, Texas.

The car is also designed as a haul truck, with a towing capacity of 4,990kg and a 2,500kg payload.

The Cybertruck is claimed to be "built for any planet" and has 35-inch all-terrain tyres and 17 inches of ground clearance to enable it to tackle bigger obstacles.

It follows in the Tesla trend of electric vehicles, and can travel up to 340 miles on a single charge.

But it hasn't been easy bringing the Cybertruck to market, Mr Musk said in an earnings call in October.

“We dug our own grave with Cybertruck,” Mr Musk said, who added that he didn’t think the company would reach its production target of 250,000 per year until 2025.

“We have over 1 million people who have reserved the car, so it’s not a demand issue,” he said. “But we have to make it and we need to make it at a price people can afford. Insanely difficult things.”

In 2019 Tesla said the base version of the truck would start around £31,500, with a tri-motor, long-range model costing £48,000. The base model is now around £48,000, while the more advanced version comes in at around £79,000.

The vehicle was first revealed four years ago but the initial deliveries were fulfilled on Thursday, which is two years later than originally forecast, as the company tries to work out how large-scale production will work.

[Lost Soal]

It follows in the Tesla trend of electric vehicles, and can travel up to 340 miles on a single charge

That would be the Tesla's which were all lying about their range.

The vehicle was first revealed four years ago but the initial deliveries were fulfilled on Thursday, which is two years later than originally forecast,

Made to staff and investors and total 10. What an amazing achievement.

[bilateralrope]

It kinda worked, tho. It seems that a lot of his fanbase have cancelled their Disney+ subscription after that interview.

Cancel disney/Cancel Hulu was trending already because of their price hikes, but after the interview, ther is something like a 500% increase in those hashtags, and reportedly a big wave of actual cancellations.

At the same time, there are words uttered by Disney that indicate that Disney is going to change course and stop making every movie a propaganda piece of some kind. or even go back to make actually entertaining movies.

Kinda worked ?

Lets see your evidence for that.

Hashtags trending doesn't mean much. Subscription cancelations might. If you can seperate those that were caused by the price rise from those caused by Musk's comments.

I'll need more details on those "words uttered by Disney". For example, what those words actually were and who said them.

[Ralin]

I'll need more details on those "words uttered by Disney". For example, what those words actually were and who said them.

I'd like to know what propaganda pieces he means.

[Crazedwraith]

It was their CEO Bob Iger.

link

[bilateralrope]

It was their CEO Bob Iger.

link

Thanks. I can see the significant difference between what LaCroix claimed and what Iger actually said.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

They actually just got it on carwow.

[Solauren]

Musk is either trying to tank the company, or is stuck in the mindset of 'private company', versus the mindset he should be in; 'public company'.

When you say public and private company, what exactly are you talking about here ?

Because when I think of those terms, I think of if the shares are publicly traded. Which has nothing to do with the problems here. Which is incompetent management insulting customers. A bad thing for everyone except some monopolies.

Ones really out in the open in terms of management and the like, or have a lot of interaction with the general public.

i.e a Weapons manufacturer generally doesn't interact with the general public, and it's ownership keeps their mouths shut. The goings on in the company would be 'private'. If the owners say something bone-headed, few people are going to notice or care.

Musk runs his mouth about everything, so it's all 'public'.

Maybe 'Famous' vs 'Non-Famous' would have been a better choice of words.

[bilateralrope]

Ones really out in the open in terms of management and the like, or have a lot of interaction with the general public.

How many companies have their management that open ?

I thought public communications are normally controlled by the PR department. A department that doesn't exist in any Musk company.

[Elfdart]

Let's not forget the launch of the ugliest car since the Fiat Multipla, the Cybertruck

It looks like the land cruiser from the Logan's Run TV show back in the 70s.

[Solauren]

Ones really out in the open in terms of management and the like, or have a lot of interaction with the general public.

How many companies have their management that open ?

I thought public communications are normally controlled by the PR department. A department that doesn't exist in any Musk company.

They usually are. That's the problem here.
For 'X', he really needs to have let his PR department handle things, and kept his mouth shut.

He didn't.

Too bad.

Hopefully, he'll go so bankrupt, his family cuts him off and he has to get a driving an Uber.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Ones really out in the open in terms of management and the like, or have a lot of interaction with the general public.

How many companies have their management that open ?

I thought public communications are normally controlled by the PR department. A department that doesn't exist in any Musk company.

They usually are. That's the problem here.
For 'X', he really needs to have let his PR department handle things, and kept his mouth shut.

He didn't.

Too bad.

Hopefully, he'll go so bankrupt, his family cuts him off and he has to get a driving an Uber.

Well he laid off the engineers, he probably did the same with Twitter's PR staff.

[bilateralrope]

Elon Musk demands Bob Iger ‘be fired’ after Disney pulled ads from X

By Oliver Darcy, CNN
3 minute read
Published 11:56 AM EST, Thu December 7, 2023

CNN
—
Elon Musk wants Bob Iger fired.

The X owner and erratic billionaire conspiracy theorist went on a rampage Thursday against the Disney chief executive, assailing Iger for the Magic Kingdom’s decision to pull advertisements from his imperiled social media platform, and declaring that Iger should be forcibly removed from his job.

“He should be fired immediately,” Musk, who often uses his influential perch to bully critics and others, wrote about Iger on the platform formerly known as Twitter. “Walt Disney is turning in his grave over what Bob has done to his company.”

Representatives for Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Iger is widely credited for boosting Disney into an entertainment juggernaut through a series of well-executed acquisitions — Star Wars, Marvel Studios, and Pixar — during his first stint as chief executive.

Disney, like a slew of other major companies, stopped advertising on X last month, after Musk endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory popular among White supremacists. Musk tacitly apologized for the post last week after the flurry of companies ceased their relationships with X, but simultaneously delivered a profanity-laced message to companies who decline to purchase ads from his social media platform.

“Go f**k yourself,” Musk repeatedly said on stage to the fleeing brands at The New York Times DealBook Summit.

At the summit, Musk singled out Iger, ranting against the Disney boss after he had explained earlier in the day that the entertainment giant had made the decision to stop advertising on X because of Musk.

“We just felt that the association with… Elon Musk and X was not necessarily a positive one for us,” Iger said.

The decision to pull advertisements also came amid a broader trend on the social media website. Since Musk took over in late 2022, he has made a number of decisions that have contributed to a surge in hate speech, misinformation, and conspiracy theories on the platform.

Musk has himself repeatedly contributed to the toxicity of X. Most recently, he boosted the false – and dangerous — Pizzagate conspiracy theory. Since he acquired the company, he has also smeared the press, launched ugly attacks on the Anti-Defamation League, and elevated extremists on the platform.

The lack of major advertising partners has taken an enormous financial toll on X, which generates the vast majority of its revenue from advertising. Musk himself acknowledged at the DealBook Summit that the current dearth of major advertisers will likely lead to the death of his company.

“What this advertising boycott is going to do, it’s going to kill the company,” Musk candidly said.

Musk, however, has taken no real personal responsibility for the dire state of affairs at X. Instead, he has sought to portray the advertisers at fault, suggesting that they will be responsible for X’s demise, should it happen.

It seems that he finally understands that X/Twitter is doomed. Maybe he even understands that it's all his fault.

He can't handle the truth.

[Broomstick]

He also doesn't seem to understand that the rest of the planet are not his servants or, outside of his companies, in any way subject to his whims and will.

[bilateralrope]

He's also having a fight with the unions in Scandinavian countries.

Reality is seeping in through the cracks in Musk's echo chamber.

[Prannon]

He also doesn't seem to understand that the rest of the planet are not his servants or, outside of his companies, in any way subject to his whims and will.

It always blows my mind how much people - like Elon Musk and Donald Trump and similar - seem to feel that the world _owes_ them success.