Is this it for 'X' (the app formerly known as Twitter)?

nysister

Well-Known Member

Elon Musk apologizes after mocking laid-off Twitter employee​


BARBARA ORTUTAY
Tue, March 7, 2023 at 5:53 PM EST


SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — If you're not told you are fired, are you really fired? At Twitter, probably. And then, sometimes, you get your job back — if you want it. Haraldur Thorleifsson, who until recently was employed at Twitter, logged in to his computer last Sunday to do some work — only to find himself locked out, along with 200 others.

He might have figured, as others before him have in the chaotic months of layoffs and firings since Elon Musk took over the company, that he was out of a job. Instead, after nine days of no answer from Twitter as to whether or not he was still employed, Thorleifsson decided to tweet at Musk to see if he could catch the billionaire's attention and get an answer to his Schrödinger’s job situation.

“Maybe if enough people retweet you’ll answer me here?” he wrote on Monday.

Eventually, he got his answer after a surreal Twitter exchange with Musk, who proceeded to quiz him about his work, question his disability and need for accommodations (Thorleifsson, who goes by “Halli,” has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair) and tweet that Thorleifsson has a “prominent, active Twitter account and is wealthy" and the “reason he confronted me in public was to get a big payout.” While the exchange was going on, Thorleifsson said he received an email that he was no longer employed.

Late Tuesday afternoon, however, Musk had a change of heart.

“I would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation. It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful,” he tweeted. “He is considering remaining at Twitter.”

Thorleifsson did not immediately respond to a message for comment following Musk's tweet. In an earlier email, he called the experience “surreal.”

“You had every right to lay me off. But it would have been nice to let me know!” he tweeted to Musk.

Thorleifsson, who lives in Iceland, has about 151,000 Twitter followers (Musk has over 130 million). He joined Twitter in 2021, when the company, under the prior management, acquired his startup Ueno.

He was lauded in Icelandic media for choosing to receive the purchase price in wages rather than a lump sum payout. That's because this way, he would pay higher taxes to Iceland in support of its social services and safety net.

Thorleifsson's next move: “I’m opening a restaurant in downtown Reykjavik very soon,” he tweeted. “It’s named after my mom.”

Twitter did not immediately respond to a message for comment.

Link: https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/musk-taunts-wheelchair-bound-twitter-225342629.html
He's mad I tell you, MAD.

He could have just let people assume that, but there he goes confirming it, day after day.

Note to self: If I become very rich and well known. Keep my mouth shut on all platforms.
 

PatDM'T

Well-Known Member
Is this a rumor? I’ve never heard this before.
If I recall, his family is from South Africa. imho, he's probably very Boer White (but he's never identified as such).
I watch you tube sometimes and a black group had a list of the world's richest black billionaires and he was on the list and they referred to him as black.
I wonder whether
it all stems from
semantics where some
folks insist that
Charlize Theron is
African American
which to normal ppl
means "black" but
to semantic idiots
she is that cuz
she was born
in Africa and is
now American. :rolleyes:

Nothing about Elon
is worthy of
called being black.
I even take
offense with those
who would play
semantics and call
him African American. :stop:

An article about
the fam
gives
an all-clear image.
 

charmingt

Well-Known Member
I wonder whether
it all stems from
semantics where some
folks insist that
Charlize Theron is
African American
which to normal ppl
means "black" but
to semantic idiots
she is that cuz
she was born
in Africa and is
now American. :rolleyes:

Nothing about Elon
is worthy of
called being black.
I even take
offense with those
who would play
semantics and call
him African American. :stop:

An article about
the fam
gives
an all-clear image.


They're all sneaky-looking.
 

nysister

Well-Known Member
I wonder whether
it all stems from
semantics where some
folks insist that
Charlize Theron is
African American
which to normal ppl
means "black" but
to semantic idiots
she is that cuz
she was born
in Africa and is
now American. :rolleyes:

Nothing about Elon
is worthy of
called being black.
I even take
offense with those
who would play
semantics and call
him African American. :stop:

An article about
the fam
gives
an all-clear image.
Exactly. He's as White as they get. Ugh, we don't want that fool.
 

awhyley

Well-Known Member

Gary Lineker challenges Elon Musk over death threat received by his son after BBC row​

Lineker has started posting on the social media platform again following his reinstatement to host of Match of the Day

ByWill Bolton14 March 2023 • 11:24am

Gary Lineker has challenged Twitter and Elon Musk over a death threat sent to his son, George, in the wake of his impartiality row with the BBC.
The presenter, who was reinstated as host of Match Of The Day on Monday, re-shared the private message sent from a user, which described his son as a "mug" and said he needed to be "burned at the stake".

Lineker was mostly absent from Twitter during the row but now, following the u-turn from the BBC, he has begun posting on the social media platform once again.

Lineker wrote: "Is this acceptable @Twitter @elonmusk? And I don't mean the grammar."
Musk has not yet responded to the Tweet.

Lineker, 62, had been suspended by the BBC for his tweets comparing rhetoric around the Government’s illegal immigration policy to 1930’s Nazi Germany. George spoke out in support of his father amid the controversy and said he shouldn't apologise for “being a good person” and he was “proud of the old man”.

Describing the abuse he had received during the row, George said: “Social media’s mad isn’t it. Over the last few days, on Insta - never had so many nice messages. On Twitter - never had so much abuse.

“It’s not even anything to do with me.”

Tim Davie, director general at the BBC, said the row had been caused by "grey areas" in the corporation's social media guidance adding that an independent review into the guidelines would now take place.
Speaking on Monday, he said: "What we've agreed - and I've spent time talking to Gary, we've had lots of discussions - is between now and when the review reports, Gary will abide by the editorial guidelines. And that’s where we are."

Speaking in November last year after Musk’s takeover of the site, Lineker said he would continue to use the platform.
He said: “Obviously there are things going on but I’ve not really noticed it’s had an effect on my Twitter at the moment. We’ll have to wait and see what it is and where it’s going.

“He (Mr Musk) seems to be throwing ideas out every five minutes and we’re all waiting to see what it will be like and what’s going to happen. It’s interesting times.

“I’m not going to stand here and say I’m going to come off Twitter because I’m not."

“It’s a big platform and I try to use it for what I think are important issues as well as having a bit of fun and promoting things in my job and talking about football.”

Link: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/20...allenges-elon-musk-death-threat-received-son/
 

awhyley

Well-Known Member
You have any right to complain, but personally, if you say that you're not leaving the platform, is this criticism really going anywhere?
 

awhyley

Well-Known Member
More ire for Musk.

Texans sound off against Elon Musk's 'horrifying' plans for dumping The Boring Company wastewater into Colorado River​

Grace Kay
Thu, March 23, 2023 at 11:00 AM EDT

  • The Boring Company is facing criticism from Texans over its plans to dump treated wastewater.
  • The company applied for a permit to dump 142,500 gallons per day last year.
  • One resident said about 400 people showed up at the public meeting on The Boring Company's plans.
Elon Musk's tunnel-building venture, The Boring Company, is facing blowback from Texans who are speaking out against its plans to dump treated wastewater into the local water supply.

The Boring Company applied for a state permit last year under an affiliate name, Gapped Bass LLC, to dispose of about 142,500 gallons of treated wastewater per day from its facility in Bastrop, Texas into the Colorado River. Earlier that year, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said it had opened investigations into The Boring Company after receiving three complaints regarding the Bastrop site's handling of wastewater and concrete production.

On Tuesday night, several local Bastrop residents gathered at a meeting with TCEQ and The Boring Company to give public comment on the company's wastewater disposal permit after local citizen Chap Ambrose launched a campaign to "Keep Bastrop Boring."

Ambrose told Insider ahead of the public meeting that while he's always considered himself a fan of Musk, he feels The Boring Company is breaking the law.

"I'm very invested here, my family lives here, and I have environmental concerns on what I see," Ambrose said.

He said in a post on Twitter that about 400 people showed up to attend the public meeting on Tuesday night. An estimated half of the people that came out to the meeting were turned away at the door due to capacity constraints, he said.

"The thought of this happening is horrifying," Erin, who runs an organic farm near the Boring Company facility, told Fox News. "This stuff — and we don't even know what it is — going into the river that we depend on for food production."

Ambrose told the publication he has concerns about Musk's propensity to "value speed over everything."

"I don't know if ya'll heard it as clearly as I did, but the reason they want to discharge treated wastewater into the river, is because they can't wait 24 months for that pipe to be run and the permanent infrastructure setup," Ambrose said during his public comment, according to a video from the event that was viewed by Insider.

Bastrop Mayor Connie Schroder said she would prefer The Boring Company waited to treat its wastewater at the city's plant, which is currently under construction, local news reported. Bastrop broke ground on its $32.6 million wastewater treatment plant in 2021, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

"This is just a short-term solution, and ultimately we hope to not even utilize the full capacity of what's being authorized," a Gapped Bass representative, Rajit Patel, said at the hearing, according to Fox News.

Patel explained the company's water treatment process for the wastewater before it would enter the water supply and said the company plans to eventually use the city's treatment plant, The Wall Street Journal reported.

He noted the wastewater will come from The Boring Company facilities, as well as SpaceX, per the Journal, though SpaceX is not listed on the permit application. Neither Musk or the company's president, Steve Davis, attended the meeting.

TCEQ is expected to decide in the coming months whether it will approve the permit, the Journal said.

A spokesperson for The Boring Company did not respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Musk's space venture has faced similar blowback from residents in Boca Chica, Texas where local citizens sued SpaceX in 2021 over claims its rocket tests have caused public beaches to be continually closed.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/texans-sound-off-against-elon-150001827.html
 

awhyley

Well-Known Member

Twitter is officially ending its old verification process on April 1.​

- To get a blue check mark, you'll have to pay.​

BY CAITLIN O'KANE
MARCH 24, 2023 / 11:37 AM / CBS NEWS

Twitter will phase out its old verification program starting in April, the company announced Thursday. Followers used to get Twitter's signature blue check mark if they met certain criteria. Now, they will have to pay at least $8 a month to keep that verified status.

Twitter users used to have to request verification. Their accounts had to be "authentic, notable, and active," and they had to meet the criteria of being a government figure or entity, entertainer, athlete, company, activist, content creator, news organization or journalist.

Spam or parody accounts would not be approved, nor would Twitter users who violated Twitter's policies that ban hateful comments, harassment or harmful activity. Verification could be taken away if policies were violated or if a person changed their handle, was not active or if their account was misleading.

Now, however, those rules are being thrown out the window. Twitter said starting April 1, it would "begin winding down our legacy verification program," and only accounts that actively subscribe to Twitter Blue — its new verification program — will keep their blue checks. People who received a blue check mark under the old program will lose it unless they subscribe.

Accounts must be complete, meaning they have a display name and profile photo, and they must have active use in the past 30 days to subscribe.

Accounts must be older than 90 days, have made no recent changes to the profile, and cannot be deceptive. The account must not show any signs of engaging in manipulation and span.

When Elon Musk took over the company and announced plans for a blue check mark subscription, many critics raised questions about impersonators and parody accounts paying for a blue check mark, which can deceive other users into thinking they are real people — not fake accounts pretending to be real people.

To try and prevent that, accounts that alter their profiles will temporarily lose their check mark until the Twitter Blue team can review their subscription and deem them verified again.

Accounts that don't follow Twitter policies are also at risk of losing the check mark under the subscription program.

More here >>> Link: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/twitte...on-ending-new-subscription-april-1-elon-musk/
 

charmingt

Well-Known Member
Public
23 hours ago
Technology - Social Media

Just got an Email from Tribel saying Elon Musk attempted to buy Tribel and they said “HELL NO” thank you Tribel for not selling! I am not about to pay for my verification It’s free for a reason​

 

Peppermynt

Defying Gravity
I read NPR is now refusing to use Twitter due to how Twitter is labeling them. Elroy needs to just stop already.

NPR said it will suspend its activity on Twitter in reaction to the social media platform’s decision to label it ‘government-funded media’​


NPR said it will suspend its activity on Twitter in reaction to the social media platform’s decision to label it ‘government-funded media’​


By Paul Farhi
April 12, 2023 at 11:36 a.m. EDT


NPR said it will stop tweeting after Twitter labeled its accounts as government-funded media, becoming the most prominent news organization to quit the social media platform since Elon Musk purchased it last year.

Twitter and Musk tagged NPR’s main account as “state-affiliated media” this month, before softening the language to “government-funded” last weekend. NPR, which receives some taxpayer funds but is independently controlled, lambasted those disclaimers in a statement Wednesday.

“We are not putting our journalism on platforms that have demonstrated an interest in undermining our credibility and the public’s understanding of our editorial independence,” it said. “We are turning away from Twitter but not from our audiences and communities.”

The organization plans to no longer tweet from its flagship @NPR account, which has 8.8 million followers, or from related institutional accounts, such as @NPRMusic, which has nearly 745,000 followers.

NPR effectively stopped tweeting news updates last week, after the “state-affiliated” label was added to its account. Its apparent final tweets — all posted Wednesday morning — directed readers to its newsletters and accounts on other social media platforms such as Facebook and TikTok.
 

brg240

Well-Known Member
I used
I read NPR is now refusing to use Twitter due to how Twitter is labeling them. Elroy needs to just stop already.

NPR said it will suspend its activity on Twitter in reaction to the social media platform’s decision to label it ‘government-funded media’​


PBS and CBC have suspended their accounts too. :/

It's just going to be a ton of questionable people twitter.

Such a shame b/c I love twitter and it's such a great way to aggregate info from news orgs/independent reporters/politicians/activists
Also, I follow artists from different places around the world and I'd had never been introduced if it weren't for twitter. :( I don't look forward to having to figure out how to use a Korean website to request a commission.

Anyway, I hope this puts to bed the thought that Elon is a genius.
 

charmingt

Well-Known Member
Thread
Logo

https://spoutible.com/DanWentzel

Microsoft drops Twitter from its advertising plaform.
https://mashable.com/artic...
IMG

Microsoft drops Twitter from its advertising platform | Mashable​

Twitter is being removed from Microsoft's advertising platform just days before the social media service begins charging for its new high-priced API access plans.
 

awhyley

Well-Known Member
So now Musk is so desperate, he's comping Twitter Blue to celebs.

Yahoo Sports

LeBron James keeps Twitter check mark after Elon Musk comps his Twitter Blue​

Jack Baer
·Staff writer
Thu, April 20, 2023 at 6:02 PM EDT
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-sparks-backlash-major-anti-051436568.html#

April 20 is a meaningful day for many, but this year, it also marked Twitter's great purge of blue checks for legacy verified accounts.

That included many athletes, such as Patrick Mahomes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tiger Woods, but not LeBron James, who still had a blue check next to his @KingJames account as of Thursday afternoon.

James keeping his verified badge surprised many, as the Los Angeles Lakers star very publicly announced on the same platform that he would never pay to keep the check. (Twitter Blue costs $8.)

You can still see the check on his account in this tweet:

Many Twitter users immediately jumped to the conclusion that James was simply lying, which has become a meme in the past, and actually ponied up for Twitter Blue with his tail between his legs.

The plot thickened, however, when bestselling author Stephen King tweeted he still had his check and appeared to be subscribed to Twitter Blue, despite never having done so himself. Rapper Ice-T, who similarly pledged to not pay for his check mark, also still had the symbol on his account.

119
Jack Baer
Jack Baer

·Staff writer
Thu, April 20, 2023 at 6:02 PM EDT


April 20 is a meaningful day for many, but this year, it also marked Twitter's great purge of blue checks for legacy verified accounts.
That included many athletes, such as Patrick Mahomes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tiger Woods, but not LeBron James, who still had a blue check next to his @KingJames account as of Thursday afternoon.
James keeping his verified badge surprised many, as the Los Angeles Lakers star very publicly announced on the same platform that he would never pay to keep the check. (Twitter Blue costs $8.)
You can still see the check on his account in this tweet:

Many Twitter users immediately jumped to the conclusion that James was simply lying, which has become a meme in the past, and actually ponied up for Twitter Blue with his tail between his legs.
The plot thickened, however, when bestselling author Stephen King tweeted he still had his check and appeared to be subscribed to Twitter Blue, despite never having done so himself. Rapper Ice-T, who similarly pledged to not pay for his check mark, also still had the symbol on his account.

When reached by The Verge, James' media adviser, Adam Mendelsohn, confirmed James had not paid for Twitter Blue, even though clicking on his check gave the message "This account is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number."
An explanation arrived a couple of hours later, when Twitter owner Elon Musk confirmed he was personally covering the Twitter Blue upgrade for a few accounts, after The Verge reported a Twitter employee had emailed James to “extend a complimentary subscription to Twitter Blue for your account, @kingjames, on behalf of Elon Musk.”

Musk and Twitter deciding it was in their best interest to keep certain accounts verified always seemed like the most likely explanation, as it aligns with their goal in the first place.

Twitter wants its blue checks to remain the tenuous status symbol they were under previous leadership, just one that people pay for. But if people who already have status begin to reject the label as a sign of fealty to an internet-addicted billionaire, well, then the check becomes a symbol of another kind of status. Musk shouldn't want that, even if it means admitting to himself that many of his most famous users aren't interested in what he's selling.

Several other famous athletes still have their check marks as of Thursday, most notably Tom Brady, Mike Trout and Novak Djokovic, but it's not confirmed whether Musk covered those accounts or the athletes' social teams just paid for the check.

Anyway, James has much more significant things to worry about right now. And also Dillon Brooks.

Link: https://www.yahoo.com/sports/lebron...ak-promise-to-never-pay-for-it-220207843.html
 

awhyley

Well-Known Member
Chile, Tucker Carlson + Twitter = Recipe for (even more) disaster???

Tucker Carlson announces plans to relaunch his show on Twitter​

By Oliver Darcy, CNN
Updated 8:20 AM EDT, Wed May 10, 2023

New YorkCNN —
Right-wing extremist Tucker Carlson announced Tuesday that he will relaunch his program on Twitter, which he praised as the only remaining large free-speech platform in the world after Fox News fired him late last month. Carlson made the announcement in a video posted to the social media website, which Elon Musk acquired last year. Musk said Twitter did not sign an agreement with Carlson for his new show.
Twitter has devolved in recent months into a chaotic platform where the traditional press has come under assault from the billionaire.

“Speech is the fundamental pre-requisite for democracy. That’s why it was enshrined in the first of our Constitutional amendments,” Carlson said. “Amazingly, as of tonight, there are not that many platforms left that allow free speech. The last big one remaining … is Twitter, where we are now.” Carlson demonized the news media in his announcement video, accusing journalists of often excluding facts that detract from their narratives. He did not mention Musk has censored speech on Twitter, including banning several prominent reporters from the website just last year. Although Carlson did not directly address his abrupt firing from Fox News in the video, he strongly alluded to it.

“The best you can hope for in the news business at this point is the freedom to tell the fullest truth that you can. But there are always limits,” Carlson said. “And you know that if you bump up against those limits often enough, you will be fired for it. That’s not a guess, that’s guaranteed.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/08/media/fox-baier-reputation-reliable-sources/index.html
The Wall Street Journal, which is controlled by Fox Corporation Chairman Rupert Murdoch, reported last month that Carlson’s contract with Fox News was worth about $20 million a year. The newspaper reported that Carlson was expected to be paid out in full.
His move to launch a show on Twitter could jeopardize whether he ultimately receives that money. A spokesperson for Fox Corporation could not be immediately reached for comment on the matter.

Musk said Twitter did not agree to a financial arrangement with Carlson. “We have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever,” Musk tweeted Tuesday night. “Tucker is subject to the same rules & rewards of all content creators.” Carlson’s decision to relaunch his show on Twitter signals his strong desire to remain present in both the media and politics, where he played an outsized role while occupying the 8 p.m. ET slot on Fox News. Aside from former President Donald Trump, Carlson was arguably the most powerful voice inside the Republican Party, with lawmakers fearing his wrath and appearing on his program in a symbolic bow to his feet.

Carlson was able to achieve that influence by posting high ratings. But his monster viewership numbers were earned through the trafficking of anti-immigrant rhetoric, false conspiracy theories, and the promotion of white nationalist talking points. Fox News has struggled, however, to fill the gap Carlson left. The network’s ratings have not only fallen significantly in the all-important 8 p.m. time slot in wake of his departure, but they have weakened throughout prime time. The right-wing channel in recent weeks has posted some of its lowest ratings since the era before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

For Twitter, the addition of Carlson’s show is unsurprising. Musk has helped to elevate the visibility of far-right figures on the platform both by engaging with their tweets from his personal account and by allowing them to pay for Twitter Blue accounts, which provides them “verified” blue checks and comes with greater prominence in search. Musk has urged his millions of followers to vote Republican and also appeared on Carlson’s show on Fox shortly before he was let go. Musk has restored the accounts of many users who had previously been banned for violating the platform’s rules, including right-wing figures like Trump and a number of white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

Link: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/09/media/tucker-carlson-twitter/index.html
 
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