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Elon Musk and the Twitter acquisition saga

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Chittagong

Gold Member
I don't get the Coca-Cola/cocaine comment. Usually he has something deeper going on but it just seems like a bad joke. Is there some meaning I don't see? Yes I know cocaine used to be in coke.

It really is a dad joke at best, no deeper meaning than to troll
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
This pretty much represents me as well.
I think it represents a good chunk of Obama voters including myself.
That's because as you get older (Musk included), you realize you've earned what you've earned, accumulated a stash of cash, a career, job, family etc.... And the last thing you want are people with their empty hands mooching off you, when they could had used their brain and do it themselves.

That's why old people typically skew right, while young broke people skew left.
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Shady! If they didn’t already know this before!

Shadiness happens all the time in big business.

When it comes to retailers finally paying their supplier invoices, when there's a mistake 99% of the time it's in the retailers favour by underpaying it. Or overstating the calculation on a deal. Then the supplier (us) has to notice the mistake and fight for the money back.

Whomever is in control of paying the bill always has the advantage of first move, and hope nobody notices. And when someone does, they just say "Sorry about that, must had been a system glitch".
 

Hardensoul

Member
The Verge, Elon burned them this week now they are faux offended. Everything Twitter did before this week was no problem until it got brought by Elon. Salt and cope.
This is from the Twitter financial reports. Here’s another article then!

 

FunkMiller

Gold Member
This is from the Twitter financial reports. Here’s another article then!


It should probably be noted that if there's a time a company's financial and operating reports are given the most scrutiny and daylight, it's during a takeover bid. This may well have been a subsidiary reason for Elon to buy Twitter.
 

Hardensoul

Member
It should probably be noted that if there's a time a company's financial and operating reports are given the most scrutiny and daylight, it's during a takeover bid. This may well have been a subsidiary reason for Elon to buy Twitter.
It seems to be that Elon overpaid, since Twitter had a bad financial report.
 

BigBooper

Member
It seems to be that Elon overpaid, since Twitter had a bad financial report.
I wonder if their financial details are bad enough that he'd back out now. That'd be something wonderful, if truth social is a good service, and Twitter had to take a major hit due to their screwups.
 

Hardensoul

Member
I wonder if their financial details are bad enough that he'd back out now. That'd be something wonderful, if truth social is a good service, and Twitter had to take a major hit due to their screwups.
I hope he doesn’t back out! Because things needed to change there.

Politically I hope he gets Twitter more balance than they are now!

Plus the meltdowns are still entertaining!
 

cormack12

Gold Member
Leftist media digs for dirt.
And the more relevant part, which means 'who cares'

Despite the adjustment, Twitter ended the quarter with a presumably now accurate 229 million mDAUs, up 15.9% from the same time last year, and topping analyst estimates of 226.9 million.
 

BadBurger

Is 'That Pure Potato'


^ That whole thread is funny; so many of Musk's comments and tweets reveal that he really doesn't follow current events nor possesses a memory longer than a week. He says money isn't a motivator for the acquisition, yet days later:


I wish this circus would come to an end already. Either close the deal or retract the offer so this ordeal can move onto any significant next events (changes at Twitter, the inevitable announcement of its replacement others will make, etc). The story feels even more over-discussed yet just as ultimately pointless as the Will Smith / Chris Rock story ever was.
 
This is from the Twitter financial reports. Here’s another article then!


1WGpI8P.png


The article made it seem as if there were major discrepancies, but those differences are minuscule in the greater scheme of things.
Instead of 216, they now have 214 mio. users... so what?

What I do notice though is that twitter has way too much societal influences compared to its small user numbers.
 
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cormack12

Gold Member
Genuinely feel the most positive change to twitter is to restrict 'verified users' to only allow tweets from subject areas they are verified in. I don't subscribe to angular developers to hear them giving base level rants on politics. Or video game artists about lgbt rights. Do that on your personal account, but then they wouldn't be able to misuse their actual following.

Twitter needs to professionalise itself a bit I think. 'Verified users' have a disproportionate influence on the conversation even if it's not their area of expertise.

Imagine a room of scientists having a nuanced discussion and then some game streamer jumps in the room with a PR system ranting about shite over everyone else.

'Verified' is being misconstrued as 'voice of authority' on all things.

I don't think Elon is bothered about stopping any conversations, I think he is saying if there is a disproportionate level of argument at an individual level then you need balanced volume. And obviously that's both end of the spectrum.
 

Whitecrow

Banned
1WGpI8P.png


The article made it seem as if there were major discrepancies, but those differences are minuscule in the greater scheme of things.
Instead of 216, they now have 214 mio. users... so what?

What I do notices though is that twitter has way too much societal influences compared to its small user numbers.
Theres a difference between money not being the main reason to buy, and let it sink in loses. Why the hell would he not make a plan for earning money? Intentions and earnings can coexist.

But for me its very clear why he bought it. Twitter was a dumpsterfire of a place where only the stupid far left had real free speech, and even the ability to get people fired from their jobs thanks to cancel culture.

And he bought it so the more conservative can have 'free' speech (which is different from being assholes), and the far left can get upset too instead of having a red carpet to walk on.

He can earn wgatever he earns if he can get that.
 
apparently there's a provision in their deal that he can't disparage twitter while trying to buy it, which he's already doing as well

"The tweets brought attention to a provision in Musk’s agreement with Twitter that he must not disparage the social media platform while discussing the deal. It is unclear whether they could trigger the provision, or if doing so would lead to any penalties"

source
I think "it's unclear" in an article pertaining to a publicly available legal document sounds very suspicious, and seems like poor journalism for something that should have an answer. The penalty for doing so, along with legal precedent for what qualifies as disparagement should be very clear. It is a legal contract, and it's not in the interest of either party for it to be vague or up to interpretation.

I typed that up and then thought I should just look into the matter myself. Turns out, I was close. The contract actually is somewhat vague due to how quickly it was written, so they would likely have to go by the legal dictionary definition of disparagement. By that standard, the statement made would have to be a false statement and cause harm to the company.

The video below is timestamped to an example of a disparagement accusation in another case, along with an explanation:

 
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Boss Mog

Member
That's because as you get older (Musk included), you realize you've earned what you've earned, accumulated a stash of cash, a career, job, family etc.... And the last thing you want are people with their empty hands mooching off you, when they could had used their brain and do it themselves.

That's why old people typically skew right, while young broke people skew left.
Honestly I think that's kind of a naïve take. Sure it may be true for some hardcore conservatives to say stuff like "I don't want universal healthcare because I never get sick so why should I pay for other people", but I think most people who've traditionally leaned left haven't changed their core beliefs and that's precisely why they find themselves right of center today. The left has decided to go full on 1984, even now going as far as creating an actual Ministry of Truth headed by a woman who claimed the Hunter laptop was disinformation. That's what pushed me to the right, not because I don't want to pay for social safety nets, which I believe are very important and beneficial when put in place in the right way. I believe that racial segregation in a society is disgusting and should never happen; people should never be split into groups and pitted against eachother; it's a tactic used by both communists and fascists. I also believe in the rule of law and that violent offenders should be punished accordingly so that's another reason that pushed me away from the left since they now support defunding police and letting criminals go after the catch them. And they do these things with big tech and the media all pushing their propaganda and censoring any opposing views so the general public remains ignorant and docile. I think that's why Elon buying twitter and opening it up is so important and its what the left fears because they will lose the almost absolute power they currently enjoy.
 
Theres a difference between money not being the main reason to buy, and let it sink in loses. Why the hell would he not make a plan for earning money? Intentions and earnings can coexist.

But for me its very clear why he bought it. Twitter was a dumpsterfire of a place where only the stupid far left had real free speech, and even the ability to get people fired from their jobs thanks to cancel culture.

And he bought it so the more conservative can have 'free' speech (which is different from being assholes), and the far left can get upset too instead of having a red carpet to walk on.

He can earn wgatever he earns if he can get that.
I think you quoted the wrong guy ;)
 

Mithos

Member
The left has decided to go full on 1984, even now going as far as creating an actual Ministry of Truth headed by a woman who claimed the Hunter laptop was disinformation.
Are they calling the people that work for this "Ministry of Truth"... "Nightwatch" by any chance?

I know its Ministry of Peace and Nightwatch but the similarities are there
 
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TTOOLL

Member
Genuinely feel the most positive change to twitter is to restrict 'verified users' to only allow tweets from subject areas they are verified in. I don't subscribe to angular developers to hear them giving base level rants on politics. Or video game artists about lgbt rights. Do that on your personal account, but then they wouldn't be able to misuse their actual following.

Twitter needs to professionalise itself a bit I think. 'Verified users' have a disproportionate influence on the conversation even if it's not their area of expertise.

Imagine a room of scientists having a nuanced discussion and then some game streamer jumps in the room with a PR system ranting about shite over everyone else.

'Verified' is being misconstrued as 'voice of authority' on all things.

I don't think Elon is bothered about stopping any conversations, I think he is saying if there is a disproportionate level of argument at an individual level then you need balanced volume. And obviously that's both end of the spectrum.

You forgot to add /sarcasm?
 

NickFire

Member
There has been a staggering amount of politicians literally raising concerns over the prospect of free speech on the internet. How many fingers, toes and eyes did they cross when they took their oaths?

No matter how his investment shakes out, Elon has proven how far certain people have drifted away from their oaths.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
There has been a staggering amount of politicians literally raising concerns over the prospect of free speech on the internet. How many fingers, toes and eyes did they cross when they took their oaths?

No matter how his investment shakes out, Elon has proven how far certain people have drifted away from their oaths.
And shows the proxy, innit.
 

CosmicComet

Member
That's because as you get older (Musk included), you realize you've earned what you've earned, accumulated a stash of cash, a career, job, family etc.... And the last thing you want are people with their empty hands mooching off you, when they could had used their brain and do it themselves.

That's why old people typically skew right, while young broke people skew left.
That's not it at all for me.

My core beliefs have not changed one bit since 2008 when I was a hopeful undergrad lad that voted for Obama.

I dont care who adults choose to marry. While I'm no particular fan of abortion I'd rather women have the choice available to them as opposed to it being banned. I know a lot friends who are undocumented and they are good, hardworking people and I would never want them to be uprooted and deported (though I do believe border patrol needs to be enforced more than it is now). And most importantly, I'm big on protecting our wildlife and nature. I do think we need real, sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels and/or at least some kind of large scale invention that can counteract our carbon emissions. (On the latter point the Right doesn't seem to have anyone that takes a friendly approach to the climate change topic.)

But God fucking damn I can't stand wokeness. I can't stand its lack of common sense on biological differences between men and women. I can't stand the hypocritical nature it espouses about fascism while totally being fascist itself. The erosion of democracy it causes while claiming to protect it. And most of all I can't stand how it has destroyed western entertainment over the past maybe 7-10 years.

I havent voted in anything since 2008 but for those reasons I don't see myself ever voting Democrat again. I wish Libertarians had a real chance but they tend to be goofy and unprofessional.

Elon's meme was totally on the money. For me personally, and others. Supposedly a lot of Trump voters were formerly Obama voters as blasphemous as that sounds.
 
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Kev Kev

Member
That's not it at all for me.

My core beliefs have not changed one bit since 2008 when I was a hopeful undergrad lad that voted for Obama.

I dont care who adults choose to marry. While I'm no particular fan of abortion I'd rather women have the choice available to them as opposed to it being banned. I know a lot friends who are undocumented and they are good, hardworking people and I would never want them to be uprooted and deported (though I do believe border patrol needs to be enforced more than it is now). And most importantly, I'm big on protecting our wildlife and nature. I do think we need real, sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels and/or at least some kind of large scale invention that can counteract our carbon emissions. (On the latter point the Right doesn't seem to have anyone that takes a friendly approach to the climate change topic.)

But God fucking damn I can't stand wokeness. I can't stand its lack of common sense on biological differences between men and women. I can't stand the hypocritical nature it espouses about fascism while totally being fascist itself. The erosion of democracy it causes while claiming to protect it. And most of all I can't stand how it has destroyed western entertainment over the past maybe 7-10 years.

I havent voted in anything since 2008 but for those reasons I don't see myself ever voting Democrat again. I wish Libertarians had a real chance but they tend to be goofy and unprofessional.

Elon's meme was totally on the money. For me personally, and others. Supposedly a lot of Trump voters were formerly Obama voters as blasphemous as that sounds.
well said. couldnt agree more, its like you took the words right out of my head. and i think a lot of us feel the same way you do. hell, im still as poor as i was back in '08, so financial situations or the accumlation of stuff doesnt apply to me at all, and i still feel like that picture couldnt be more accurate.
 

Wvrs

Member
The left got coopted by capitalism and is so far off the path. Racial inequality, gender inequality and all other social inequalities (all real issues but ...) have become the focus when really they are symptoms of the true malaise, class divide.

People on the "left" really be thinking now that some rich people are on their side because they pay lip service to social issues. And the majority are champagne socialists.

The real leftists of the early 20th century are turning in their graves ...
 

Mistake

Member


^ That whole thread is funny; so many of Musk's comments and tweets reveal that he really doesn't follow current events nor possesses a memory longer than a week. He says money isn't a motivator for the acquisition, yet days later:


I wish this circus would come to an end already. Either close the deal or retract the offer so this ordeal can move onto any significant next events (changes at Twitter, the inevitable announcement of its replacement others will make, etc). The story feels even more over-discussed yet just as ultimately pointless as the Will Smith / Chris Rock story ever was.

He could make it so the company breaks even, and the verge would still report it like he’s trying to make money. There is nothing wrong with him firing useless people if he wants to run things efficiently.
 

RAÏSanÏa

Member
That's not it at all for me.

My core beliefs have not changed one bit since 2008 when I was a hopeful undergrad lad that voted for Obama.

I dont care who adults choose to marry. While I'm no particular fan of abortion I'd rather women have the choice available to them as opposed to it being banned. I know a lot friends who are undocumented and they are good, hardworking people and I would never want them to be uprooted and deported (though I do believe border patrol needs to be enforced more than it is now). And most importantly, I'm big on protecting our wildlife and nature. I do think we need real, sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels and/or at least some kind of large scale invention that can counteract our carbon emissions. (On the latter point the Right doesn't seem to have anyone that takes a friendly approach to the climate change topic.)

But God fucking damn I can't stand wokeness. I can't stand its lack of common sense on biological differences between men and women. I can't stand the hypocritical nature it espouses about fascism while totally being fascist itself. The erosion of democracy it causes while claiming to protect it. And most of all I can't stand how it has destroyed western entertainment over the past maybe 7-10 years.

Elon's meme was totally on the money.
For me, it's the opposite of Elon's meme.

I consider myself a right leaning moderate with many of the same values you mentioned, but because those are essential to me putting up with wokeness is part of it for the time being in my country.

For what it is here, wokeness, in even the most diminutive or outlandish sense, is not an everyday occurrence or problem for most people.

I can't stand the hypocritical nature it espouses about fascism while totally being fascist itself. The erosion of democracy it causes while claiming to protect it. And most of all I can't stand how it has destroyed western entertainment over the past maybe 7-10 years.
yelling old man GIF by South Park
 

///PATRIOT

Banned
He could make it so the company breaks even, and the verge would still report it like he’s trying to make money. There is nothing wrong with him firing useless people if he wants to run things efficiently.
I'd like to ask that fucking idiot, where does the new Biden's ministry of truth, children surgery transition and the gender lunacy fit in his graphs.
 
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haxan7

Volunteered as Tribute
Lots of examples on Twitter of accounts gaining hundreds of thousands of followers back yesterday. Good to see
 

haxan7

Volunteered as Tribute
They reactivated the bot algorithm after turning it off when locking down the code?
dunno maybe, I'm just seeing/hearing lots of examples of people regaining loads of followers, many in the hundreds of thousands. They did something.
 
They reactivated the bot algorithm after turning it off when locking down the code?
I can't imagine it's because of that many people coming to / back to the platform, especially when it comes to some people losing a lot of followers. I would think it's likely they've been limiting or "hiding" subscriber counts for years, to present a different picture of public support for various people and their beliefs. Now before the sale is finalized, the least noticeable change they can make is a slow adjustment.

I don't like to assume unethical behavior of people, but I just can't see any other reason why anyone should be LOSING followers right now, at least not in these numbers. Twitter is not a zero sum game. If anyone has a different theory, I'd be interested to hear it.
 

cormack12

Gold Member
I wonder if it was something to do with the mDAU, maybe they deduplicated followers with two accounts. Seems to only be a few thousand which also seems a number that would correlate to that.
 

Boss Mog

Member
dunno maybe, I'm just seeing/hearing lots of examples of people regaining loads of followers, many in the hundreds of thousands. They did something.
What's interesting is which people are gaining and which people are losing, it's very telling. I just think they're trying to destroy the evidence before Elon moves in.
 

BigBooper

Member
dunno maybe, I'm just seeing/hearing lots of examples of people regaining loads of followers, many in the hundreds of thousands. They did something.
I don't know if there's any evidence leaked, but I saw a plausible suggestion that Twitter was disabling and removing evidence of their political manipulation. Now, I don't know if they could do that this fast, but it seems like the majority of the company is "woke" or beat into submission, so with a lot of people working on it maybe they could.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
I don't know if there's any evidence leaked, but I saw a plausible suggestion that Twitter was disabling and removing evidence of their political manipulation. Now, I don't know if they could do that this fast, but it seems like the majority of the company is "woke" or beat into submission, so with a lot of people working on it maybe they could.
Something weird happened fast. Because it seemed in 24 or 48 hours of Musk's announcement of a buyout things shifted at light speed.

You never know. Maybe it was strictly users unfollowing. When social media whiners say their account lost 5000 people out of maybe 500,000 followers, that's nothing.

I checked Katy Perry's Twitter and she has 108 million followers. So if 200k losers unfollowed her and that was strictly due to users hating and quitting Twitter due to Musk, she lost less than 0.2% of her followers (actually 0.185%). Mark Hamill says he lost 8,000. He has 5 million followers. That's 0.16% of his users..... 1/600.

I can see that. There's a lot of angry weird people on social media. And that 200,000 doesn't even include any possible bot adjustments. Maybe only 100,000 users quit and the other 100,000 were bot (or Twitter employee) adjustment.
 
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