According to The New York Times, former Republican President Donald Trump sought significant funding for his re-election bid by meeting with billionaire Elon Musk in Florida over the weekend.
Trump held talks with Musk, who is among the wealthiest individuals globally, along with various affluent Republican donors on Sunday. The Times reported that he is scheduled to have a one-on-one discussion with Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, as well as the owner and executive chairman of X, formerly known as Twitter.
Requests for comments from Reuters to Musk and the Trump campaign have not been immediately responded to.
In an attempt to enhance his presidential campaign after recent financial setbacks from legal cases, President Trump is looking to secure more major contributors, as per The Times.
Although Musk has not confirmed his financial support for Trump, he previously indicated his disapproval of incumbent Joe Biden and hinted at not wanting him to win a second term in a social media post following the 2020 election defeat.
While Musk has aimed to stay politically neutral, he previously revealed his vote for Biden in 2020 but has since criticized and clashed with the administration.
The White House condemned Musk’s tweets as allegedly showing anti-Semitism last year, and Musk’s mother accused the president of obstructing his plans for global betterment.
In light of his priorities to defeat the president, Musk, with an estimated net worth of $200 billion, holds a significant financial advantage over Trump in the upcoming 2024 general election campaign, as noted by Forbes.
Financial disclosures from the Federal Election Commission revealed a decrease in Trump’s cash reserves while Biden’s campaign reported an increase, giving him a more sizable financial backing.
Elon Musk is currently facing a $128 million lawsuit from four former Twitter executives for allegedly not paying them severance packages after acquiring the social network. The lawsuit, filed in California on Monday, follows a previous legal complaint from rank-and-file employees seeking $500 million in unpaid severance pay.
According to the complaint, “Mr. Musk decided not to provide severance packages to the plaintiffs, so he terminated them without valid cause, invented a false cause, and enlisted employees from various companies to support his decision.”
The four individuals in the lawsuit are former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, former CFO Ned Segal, former general counsel Sean Ejit, and former CLO Vijaya Segal, as well as Mr. Gadde. Following Musk’s acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion in 2022, he conducted a mass layoff, claiming at the time that these executives were terminated for cause and therefore not entitled to severance pay.
The lawsuit states, “The ’cause’ was not ‘a business decision approved by the board of directors that Mr. Musk disagrees with.’ In the termination letter, he accused each plaintiff of ‘gross negligence’ and ‘willful misconduct’ without providing any evidence to support this allegation.” Neither Mr. Musk nor Mr. No has commented publicly on the matter, and Alex Spiro, a lawyer who often represents Mr. Musk, has not responded to requests for comment.
This lawsuit is one of several linked to Musk’s involuntary takeover of Twitter and subsequent operation of the platform, now named X. Furthermore, the National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint earlier this year, alleging that Musk’s SpaceX unlawfully terminated eight employees after they criticized his leadership.
After assuming control of the company, Musk disclosed that he laid off approximately 80% of Twitter’s staff during an interview with the BBC last year. Since Musk’s acquisition, the platform has encountered numerous challenges, including a decrease in advertising revenue and a rise in hate speech as content moderation efforts were scaled back. Although Musk initially attempted to withdraw from the deal, Twitter sued to enforce its completion.
Musk attributed the decline in ad revenue to anti-hate watchdog groups that released a report detailing racist and extremist content on the platform. He is currently engaged in ongoing legal battles against two of these organizations, Media Matters and the Center for Countering Digital Hate. A California judge is expected to make a decision this week on whether to dismiss the lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate.
Elon Musk is suing OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman for prioritizing profit over humanity’s interests, contrary to its core mission.
As the wealthiest individual globally and a founding director of the AI company behind ChatGPT, Musk alleges that Altman violated OpenAI’s founding covenant by striking an investment deal with Microsoft.
The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco, accuses OpenAI of prioritizing profit over human well-being by shifting its focus to developing artificial general intelligence (AGI) for commercial gain rather than humanitarian purposes.
Musk claims that OpenAI has essentially become a subsidiary of Microsoft, the world’s largest tech company, under new leadership, diverting from its original principles outlined in the founding agreement.
The lawsuit raises concerns about AGI posing a significant threat to humanity, particularly if it falls into profit-driven companies’ hands, like Google.
Originally founded to be a nonprofit, open-source organization working for the greater good, OpenAI’s alleged transition to a profit-centric entity under Microsoft’s influence has prompted Musk to take legal action.
The lawsuit contends that the development of OpenAI’s GPT-4 model, shrouded in secrecy, deviates from their initial mission and breaches contractual obligations.
Musk, who played a significant role in establishing OpenAI but exited in 2018, claims that the company’s recent actions concerning AGI technology are in direct conflict with its intended purpose.
The lawsuit aims to compel OpenAI to adhere to its original mission of developing AGI for humanity’s benefit, not for personal gain or for tech giants like Microsoft.
The deal between OpenAI and Microsoft is now facing scrutiny from competition authorities in various regions, including the US, EU, and UK.
Elon Musk is concerned about the pace of AI development
Chesnot/Getty Images
Elon Musk asked the court to resolve the issue of whether GPT-4 is artificial general intelligence (AGI). Lawsuit against OpenAI. The development of his AGI, which can perform a variety of tasks just like humans, is one of the field’s main goals, but experts say it will be up to judges to decide whether it qualifies for GPT-4. The idea is “unrealistic,” he said.
Musk was one of the founders of OpenAI in 2015, but left the company in February 2018 due to controversy over the company’s change from a nonprofit model to a profit-restricted model. Despite this, he continues to support OpenAI financially, with the legal complaint alleging that he donated more than $44 million to OpenAI between 2016 and 2020.
Since OpenAI’s flagship ChatGPT launched in November 2022 and the company partnered with Microsoft, Musk has warned that AI development is moving too fast, but with the latest AI model to power ChatGPT, Musk has warned that AI development is moving too fast. The release of GPT-4 made that view even worse. In July 2023, he founded xAI, a competitor of OpenAI.
In a lawsuit filed in a California court on March 1st, Musk said through his lawyer, “A judicial determination that GPT-4 constitutes artificial general intelligence and is therefore outside the scope of OpenAI’s license to Microsoft.” I asked for This is because OpenAI is committed to only licensing “pre-AGI” technology. Musk has a number of other demands, including financial compensation for his role in helping found OpenAI.
However, it is unlikely that Mr. Musk will prevail. Not only because of the merits of litigation, but also because of the complexity in determining when AGI is achieved. “AGI doesn’t have an accepted definition, it’s kind of a coined term, so I think it’s unrealistic in a general sense,” he says. mike cook At King’s College London.
“Whether OpenAI has achieved AGI is hotly debated among those who base their decisions on scientific facts.” Elke Beuten De Montfort University, Leicester, UK. “It seems unusual to me that a court can establish scientific truth.”
However, such a judgment is not legally impossible. “We’ve seen all sorts of ridiculous definitions come out of US court decisions. How can anyone but the most outlandish of her AGI supporters be persuaded? Not at all.” Staffordshire, England says Katherine Frick of the university.
It’s unclear what Musk hopes to achieve with the lawsuit – new scientist has reached out to both him and OpenAI for comment, but has not yet received a response from either.
“It’s in OpenAI’s interest to constantly hint that their tools are improving and getting closer to this, because it keeps the attention and the headlines flowing,” Cook says. But now they may need to make the opposite argument.
Even if the court were to rely on expert viewpoints, any judge would have a hard time ruling in Musk’s favor at best, or uncovering differing views on the hotly debated topic. will have a hard time. “Most of the scientific community would now say that AGI has not been achieved if the concept was considered sufficiently meaningful or sufficiently accurate,” says Beuten.
A California bakery alleges that Tesla did not pay for a hefty order, amounting to thousands of dollars. The billionaire Elon Musk has reportedly assured to rectify the situation, resulting in the bakery confirming that the outstanding claims have been settled.
The owner of Giving Pies, a black-owned bakery in San Jose, California, revealed that Tesla ignored an order for 4,000 mini pies just five days ago. Voahunzi Lacetarinella made this known on his Instagram account.
Racetarinella, in an email to the Guardian, acknowledged that Tesla has now settled the missing $2,000 payment. This development came after Musk responded to the story on X (formerly Twitter) and assured, “Things will go well with the bakery.”
The bakery received a last-minute order of 2,000 pies from Tesla on Valentine’s Day, which was later doubled to 4,000 pies. However, Tesla canceled the order without making the payment, as reported by KTVU.
Racetarinella shared on Instagram that she turned down other Black History Month catering requests to fulfill the expanded order, but the bakery was left uncompensated for their efforts.
She criticized Tesla’s corporate culture for prioritizing convenience over accountability and disregarding the livelihoods of small business owners like herself. Racetarinella emphasized the challenges faced by small businesses when dealing with large corporations.
Following media coverage of the incident, Giving Pies garnered widespread support, leading to a surge of customers at the store. Racetarinella expressed gratitude for the overwhelming response and reflected on her entrepreneurial journey in a post on Instagram.
Racetarinella concluded on a positive note, underscoring her determination as a Black female entrepreneur to overcome setbacks and continue serving her community with integrity and pride.
The first human patient implanted with Neuralink’s brain chip appears to have made a full recovery and is now able to use his thoughts to control a computer mouse, according to Neuralink founder Elon Musk, who shared the news late Monday.
“Things are going well, the patient appears to have made a full recovery, and there are no adverse effects that we are aware of. The patient can move the mouse on the screen just by thinking,” Musk said on the social media platform during the X Spaces event.
Musk said Neuralink is currently trying to get as many mouse button clicks from patients as possible. Neuralink did not immediately respond to a request for further details.
The company successfully implanted the chip in its first human patient last month after receiving approval to recruit for a clinical trial in September.
The study will use robots to surgically place brain-computer interface implants in areas of the brain that control locomotion intentions, Neuralink said, with the initial goal of helping people use their thoughts to interact with computers. He added that the idea was to be able to control the cursor and keyboard.
Musk has grand ambitions for Neuralink, saying it will facilitate rapid surgical insertion of chip devices to treat conditions such as obesity, autism, depression and schizophrenia.
Neuralink, valued at about $5 billion last year, has faced repeated calls for scrutiny over its safety protocols. The company was fined for violating U.S. Department of Transportation regulations regarding the movement of hazardous materials.
SpaceX, the rocket company, has relocated its corporate headquarters from Delaware to Texas, as announced by CEO Elon Musk.
Musk stated, “SpaceX has moved its state of incorporation from Delaware to Texas. If your company is still incorporated in Delaware, we recommend moving to another state as soon as possible.” This announcement was made on the platform.
This move comes after a Delaware judge ruled in favor of Tesla investors in a lawsuit alleging that Musk’s $56 billion compensation was excessive. Musk, who also serves as Tesla’s CEO, recently announced plans for a shareholder vote to move Tesla’s corporate domicile to Texas as well.
Musk also mentioned, “The people’s vote is unequivocally in favor of Texas! Tesla intends to immediately conduct a shareholder vote to move its incorporated state to Texas.” This statement was made earlier this month after a public opinion poll indicated support for the incorporation change.
In January, a Delaware judge nullified Musk’s compensation package, citing improper actions by the electric car maker’s board of directors.
This decision follows a lawsuit filed five years ago by Tesla shareholder Richard Tornetta, accusing Musk of improperly directing negotiations over his compensation package and the board of directors of lacking independence.
Musk’s compensation deal with Tesla is the largest ever for an executive, contributing significantly to his fortune, which ranks among the largest in the world. Musk testified at his compensation trial in November 2022 that the money would be used to fund interplanetary travel.
Neuralink, Musk’s brain chip implantation company, also moved its location from Delaware to Nevada last week.
Elon Musk has been ordered to testify again as part of a U.S. regulatory investigation into his 2022 acquisition of social media platform Twitter (later renamed X).
A California federal court ruling announced on Saturday ordered Tesla and SpaceX chiefs to issue financial statements regarding the date, time and location of interviews after Musk refused to appear at a previous roundtable meeting in September. It gave the company one week to reach an agreement with the Exchange Commission (SEC).
In order, U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler Although the parties had agreed on an initial date, “the defendant (Musk) ultimately failed to appear in court and was subpoenaed on the basis that the SEC's investigation was baseless and harassing, seeking irrelevant information.” “I am resisting,” he said.
The SEC filed charges against Musk in October to compel him to testify as part of its investigation into the $44 billion acquisition now known as X. The committee is also seeking testimony from Musk about whether he complied with the law in preparing the required documents regarding his Twitter stock. Including the purchase, as well as whether his statements regarding the purchase of the platform were accurate.
According to the order, Musk's lawyers said he would not appear in court because regulators leaked information to the media. Musk's team also claims the investigation is frivolous, and the government's actions have been plagued by requests for documents and repeated requests for testimony in the face of the investigation “arising from an accidental delay in filing administrative filings.” said.
Beeler denied the allegations in pressing for an interview, saying regulators had the power to issue subpoenas for relevant information. If the SEC and Mr. Musk cannot agree on a date and time for the meeting, Mr. Bieler said he will listen to both sides and make a decision.
The move dates back to Musk's infamous 2018 tweet in which he said “funding is secured” as he tried to take Tesla private.
Regulators argued this was a violation of securities laws that prohibit publicly traded companies from announcing plans to buy or sell securities if executives do not intend to complete, do not have the means to complete, or seek to manipulate stock prices. .
In the settlement, Musk agreed to let Tesla's lawyers review his tweets about the electric car maker. But regulators again sued him a year later for allegedly violating the agreement. Musk later petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review the agreement, arguing that it violated his right to free speech.
In 2022, regulators asked Musk for information about a delay in disclosing his Twitter stock, but Musk was delayed by a week. He testified twice that year, according to the SEC. Musk claims that the third interview constitutes “harassment” by the government.
This controversy is not the only conflict between Mr. Musk and the government. In November, he lost a bid to prevent the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from continuing to oversee Company X's handling of personal user data.
ERon Musk suffered one of the largest legal losses in U.S. history this week when Tesla’s CEO was stripped of $56 billion in compensation in a lawsuit brought by an unlikely opponent: a former heavy metal drummer. Covered.
Richard Tornetta sued Musk in 2018, when Tornetta, a Pennsylvania resident, owned just nine Tesla shares. The case ultimately went to trial in late 2022, and on Tuesday, a judge sided with Tornetta, invalidating his massive pay deal as unfair to him and all of his Tesla shareholders.
Mr. Tornetta could not be reached for comment, and his lawyer declined to comment.
Before Mr. Tornetta’s lawsuit, Mr. Musk had won a series of lawsuits accusing him of defamation, breach of duty to shareholders and violations of securities laws.
Judging by his online presence, Mr. Tornetta appears to be more interested in creating audio equipment for car customization enthusiasts than pursuing corporate excesses and fraud.
He posts light-hearted videos about his gadgets and mishaps, such as explaining how he burned his eyebrows.
Tornetta also appears in a video playing drums at the former legendary New York club CBGB with his now-defunct metal band Dawn of Collection, describing the sound as “steel-toed.” “It sounded like a quick kick in the face with a work boot.”
On social media, fans of Tesla and Musk seem to feel the incident is a travesty of justice, speculating about Tornetta’s intentions and political affiliations and wondering how investors with such a minuscule stake could He questioned whether he could wield such power.
Delaware’s corporate case law is replete with cases naming individual investors with small stakes that ultimately shaped American corporate law.
Eric Talley, who teaches corporate law at Columbia Law School, said many law firms representing shareholders have a steady stream of investors who can work with them to litigate cases. They may be pension funds with a wide range of stocks, but they are also often individuals like Tornetta.
Talley said it’s common for plaintiffs to sign the paperwork to file a lawsuit and then walk away. Investors won’t pay law firms to take on cases on a contingency basis, as lawyers did in the Musk case.
Mr. Tornetta, like other Tesla shareholders, stands to benefit from winning the lawsuit, saving the company billions of dollars that subordinate boards paid to Mr. Musk.
Business groups have long criticized lawsuits brought by individuals as a sign of potential abuse. A decade ago, Delaware was beset by lawsuits contesting merger deals and led by private investors who owned a minority stake. Cases were often quickly resolved with nonsensical settlements, which always included payments to the lawyers who brought the cases. Delaware judges and lawmakers eventually curbed the practice.
Experts said people like Tornetta are essential to policing the boardroom. Lawmakers and judges have long wanted big investment firms to take the lead in these corporate cases because of their ability to monitor lawyers’ tactics. But experts said fund managers did not want to jeopardize their relationships on Wall Street.
Therefore, it was up to Tornetta to face Mask.
“His name is now etched in the history of corporate law,” Talley said. “My students will be reading ‘Tornetta vs. the Mask’ for the next 10 years.”
In a court filing on Tuesday, a Delaware judge ruled in favor of investors who contested Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay package from Tesla, stating that it was excessive. The judge concluded that the compensation had been improperly established by Tesla’s board of directors and revoked it. If the decision is upheld in a potential appeal, Tesla’s board would need to create a new compensation plan for Musk.
Elon Musk responded on Twitter/X, saying, “Never incorporate a company in Delaware.”
Five years ago, Tesla shareholder Richard Tornetta filed a lawsuit accusing the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, of improperly directing negotiations on compensation packages and the board of directors lacking independence. The court’s decision directed Tornetta to cooperate with Musk’s legal team regarding the judge’s order, which can be appealed to the Delaware Supreme Court.
Musk’s compensation trial in November 2022 revealed that the money would be used to fund interplanetary travel. He testified, “This is how we’re going to get humans to Mars, so Tesla can help potentially achieve that.”
Tesla’s board argued that the package was necessary to keep Elon Musk committed to the electric car maker. The judge disagreed, noting that the defense failed to prove the need for such an unprecedented compensation plan. She instructed the parties to work on the final order implementing her decision.
The plaintiffs’ legal team also argued that the board had a duty to either reduce Musk’s salary or find another CEO and ensure that he worked full-time at Tesla instead of focusing on other projects.
Amit Batish of executive compensation research firm Equilar estimated in 2022 that Musk’s package was about six times the combined compensation of the 200 highest-paid executives in 2021.
In July, Tesla directors agreed to return $735 million to the company to settle shareholder claims that the company had overpaid in a separate lawsuit.
Elon Musk, who has faced criticism for endorsing anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and allowing anti-Semitic messages on X (formerly Twitter), paid a visit to the Nazi Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp on Monday.
Musk’s visit to this infamous site of Holocaust atrocities preceded his planned attendance at a conference on anti-Semitism organized by the European Jewish Association in the nearby Polish city of Krakow later that day.
Musk was photographed at the Birkenau location alongside Daily Wire podcaster Ben Shapiro, who was also set to participate in the EJA conference. Birkenau, a village near Oświęcim in southern Poland, is enclosed by barbed wire, and contains wooden barracks and the remains of gas chambers as a testament to the Nazi crimes committed there, as well as a monument to the victims. Annual international ceremonies are held at this site.
“Before attending the European Jewish Association conference, Elon Musk visited Auschwitz-Birkenau with EJA President Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Ben Shapiro, Holocaust survivor Gidon Lev John, and others. Mr. Musk laid a wreath at the Wall of Death and participated in a brief memorial and service next to the Birkenau Monument,” the EJA said in an email.
Mr. Musk was slated to engage in a discussion on online anti-Semitism with Mr. Shapiro at a conference in Krakow ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27.
After acquiring the platform formerly known as Twitter in 2022, Musk has been accused of allowing anti-Semitic messages on the platform and has faced criticism from the Anti-Defamation League and others. His actions sparked protests from the White House and elsewhere in November, when he posted “You told the truth” at X to a user who accused Jews of hating white people and professing indifference to anti-Semitism. He later apologized for the comment, calling it the most “stupid” post he had ever made.
Last year, several major brands, including Disney and IBM, took action after liberal advocacy group Media Matters found that their ads were running alongside pro-Nazi content and white supremacist posts on the platform. Advertising on the platform was suspended, and Company X subsequently sued Media Matters, alleging that the Washington-based nonprofit created the report in an effort to “drive advertisers off the platform and destroy Company X.”
During World War II, over 1.1 million people, including Jews, Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, and homosexuals, were murdered at Auschwitz by the Nazis and their collaborators. In total, around 6 million European Jews lost their lives in the Holocaust, with approximately 7,000 survivors found when the Soviets liberated the camp.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that in order to help Tesla become a leader in artificial intelligence and robotics, he would require at least 25% of voting power, which is almost double his current holdings. He mentioned facing resistance in achieving this goal.
On a social media platform, Musk mentioned that it is not impossible to achieve this goal. Tesla aims to have its products manufactured outside of electric car manufacturers.
Musk has been promoting Tesla’s partially automated “fully self-driving” software and prototype humanoid robots. However, the majority of Tesla’s revenue comes from its auto business.
According to Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas, some analysts have highlighted the significance of technology such as Tesla’s Dojo supercomputer, used to train its AI models, in the valuation of the EV maker. He mentioned that “Dojo could add nearly $600 billion to the company’s market value.”
Following Musk’s comments, Tesla shares dipped about 2% in premarket trading on Tuesday.
As the world’s wealthiest individual, Musk currently owns approximately 13% of Tesla shares. He had sold billions of dollars in stock in 2022 to finance his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter.
In another post, Musk mentioned, “A crazy meta multi-class stock structure that gives control to the next 20+ generations of the Zuckerberg family is fine before the IPO, but even a rational dual class is not allowed after the IPO. That’s strange,” referencing Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook’s parent company.
A dual-class structure in a company involves two or more classes of stock with different voting rights, typically giving more voting rights to the founders and early investors than to other shareholders.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Musk is currently facing a lawsuit over his compensation package. In 2018, Tesla shareholder Richard Tornetta sued Musk and the board, alleging that Musk had used his advantage over Tesla’s board to secure excessive compensation without being required to work full-time at the EV maker. They are aiming to demonstrate that he has earned the package.
With regards to Company X, Musk stated that there was no “dispute” with the board over the new compensation package, and mentioned that the pending verdict was affecting discussions.
Is there a bigger hypocrite in the world when it comes to free speech than Elon Musk?
I say this as someone who wishes Elon Musk really cared about free speech. In my opinion, social media companies are censoring their users excessively. Countless restrictive rules often backfire on those who promote them. The suspension process is often opaque and arbitrary. After all, a public forum filled with the frank and free exchange of opposing views, one that clearly favors allowing more fringe speech than prohibited speech, , that's a good thing.
But it was not created by Mr. Musk, a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist.” He has built a system that is the exact opposite of what he stands for, and is more arbitrary and opaque than the old Twitter, which he has relentlessly criticized, or even Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms. is. And he uses his power more than anyone on Donald Trump's side to retaliate against his critics.
The most recent example came earlier this week when a group of left-wing journalists and commentators, including The Intercept's brilliant reporter Ken Klippenstein, mysteriously stopped From Twitter (sorry, I always refuse to call you “X”) without any warning or notice as to why. The only thing all the testimonies had in common was that they criticized Israel's war in Gaza.
After sustained protests, their accounts were eventually restored. Musk claimed, without any evidence, that it was due to a spam filter that captured real accounts. If you want to claim it's a coincidence, it might make sense without thinking about it. But this isn't his worst offense in the past six weeks.
When the liberal advocacy site Media Matters published a report alleging that Musk was allowing ads to run next to hate speech, Musk did not simply denounce hate speech on his platform. Without, sued them.too It's not the first time Musk sued the advocacy group last year. Apparently, it's okay to criticize him. “The whole point of free speech is to allow people who disagree with you to express their opinions.” He said This week – unless you also send criticism to potential ad buyers.
Making matters worse, some Republican states attorney general Perhaps seeking favors to later pad his campaign coffers from the world's richest man, he is trying to capitalize on Musk's enemies this week. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an “investigation” into media matters, and Missouri's attorney general is following suit.
Even if you're not a Media Matters fan, you'll know how incredibly chilling this would be if the shoe was on the other foot. Imagine if George Soros tried to bankrupt every right-wing website that accuses him of being behind various left-wing conspiracies. I visit these sites almost every day.
Examples of Mr. Musk's hypocrisy are so frequent that it's difficult to keep track of them all. Musk was once caught taking advice from a right-wing online friend about which left-wing accounts to access. No next time. Sometimes it looks like he's doing it on purpose throttled link Go to the news site he hates. Former Twitter employers say that early in his tenure as owner, Musk made a 180-degree break from his own supposed principles when faced with pressure from advertisers. go from From a stance of entrusting everything to a stance of lowering everything.
The most egregious episode was the controversy surrounding the account @ElonJet that tracked Musk's private jet. First, Musk insisted he would allow it. And the moment he felt he was in even the slightest danger, he renamed the private jet data, which has been published on every plane for decades, “assassination coordinates.”And he Paused Journalists who tweeted about the account were not given any warnings.
While his content moderation decisions have garnered the most attention, what he's done behind the scenes is arguably even more nefarious. He regularly dismantled Twitter's excellent legal department. stuck It violated users' actual free speech rights in court and sought to protect their anonymity in the event a powerful organization filed a lawsuit to expose them. And after Musk's first six months at the helm, Twitter has challenged numerous legal orders against its users. 100% compliance!
Mr. Musk's huge business interests in China mean he doesn't care about the Chinese people's right to free speech (or lack thereof). He refuses to weigh in on the many controversies of the world's largest dictatorship, which has complete authoritarian control of the Internet. It's very likely that defenders of free expression will wholeheartedly welcome his voice, but then again, he doesn't actually care about free speech, so no one should hold their breath. not here.
Of course, this was all completely predictable.in his own companymusk force on employees sign a restrictive non-discrimination agreement; He tried to destroy the whistleblower. Tesla once reportedly tried to get customers to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in order to have their cars repaired. There is no indication that his professed principles are genuine.
Imagine if Musk's professed love for free speech wasn't entirely false. As the world's richest person, he could have great influence. He could create a strong, transparent appeals process for those suspended for allegedly violating the rules. He could hire a large legal team to protect users' anonymity from litigants while defending censorship orders from all governments around the world. If it means that some right-wing bastards and trolls are returned to service as a byproduct of a principled decision supporting freedom of expression, that might be a good deal.
Instead, Mr. Musk took what could have been a powerful strategy and principle for him, as well as for true defenders of freedom of expression, and turned it into a snake oil salesman's marketing plan. I changed it to
The Disney+ app has been removed from video displays in some Tesla cars, with some drivers complaining they were caught in the middle of a nasty feud between CEO Elon Musk and Disney president Bob Iger. It’s leaking out.
A Tesla owner posted on Musk’s social media platform X a screenshot of the vehicle’s video screen showing the Disney+ app missing.
“So, Disney+ has been removed from my Tesla,” an X user using the account name “The Tesla Hoe” posted over the weekend.
“I think this is retaliation for Disney pulling advertising from Company X (which they have a right to do).”
A Tesla owner lamented the fact that “we have to let young children know what’s next.” [that] You can’t sit in a Tesla and watch Disney+ and deal with their upset emotions.
“Because two grown men can’t have a civil discussion and move on. These happens like a tantrum,” @TheTeslaHoe continued. “And now Tesla owners feel like they’re caught in the crossfire of something that’s not their fault at all.”
Tesla owners reported over the weekend that the Disney+ app was removed from their cars’ theater screens. Tesla Theater/YouTube
Another Tesla fan with the username “Hall Mars Catalog” confirmed that the Model S does not include Disney+.
last week, Tesla-centric news site Electrek Tesla reportedly notified Disney of its decision to remove the Disney+ app from video displays, without providing an explanation as to why.
A subsequent post informed Tesla users that they could still access Disney+ by manually entering the URL into their car’s web browser.
But the Disney+ app, which typically appears alongside major platforms like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and TikTok, is no longer visible on theater home screens.
The Post has reached out to Disney and Tesla for comment.
During an appearance at the business conference DealBook Summit on Nov. 29, Musk told companies that have stopped advertising on X to “take a hard look at themselves.”
A Tesla owner posted a screenshot of a theater screen without the Disney+ app installed. The image above is a stock photo of a Tesla theater screen. Tesla Theater/YouTube
Earlier in the day, Iger told Dealbook that Disney’s decision to stop advertising on He said it had an impact on him.
“He took a very public position and we felt that the association of that position with Elon Musk and X was not necessarily a positive thing for us,” Iger said.
Musk has denied that he is an anti-Semite.
Musk was asked about companies that had stopped advertising on the platform following a Media Matters report that said their ads were running alongside pro-Nazi content.
Last month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk attacked Disney CEO Bob Iger after the Mouse House suspended Musk’s advertising on social media platform X. Getty Images for The New York Times
“If someone’s going to blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself,” Musk said, referring specifically to Iger.
A week after Musk appeared on DealBook, the Mouse House began advertising on rival social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, even though those sites had allowed the targeting of underage users. Mr. Musk publicly called on Disney to fire Mr. Iger after a lawsuit alleges that he had published the following.
“Bob Iger thinks it’s cool to run ads next to child exploitation material. A real stand-up guy,” Musk posted, misspelling the longtime media mogul’s name. did.
< p > Ad sales for Elon Musk’s social media platform X in 2023 are expected to fall to about $2.5 billion. Bloomberg News reported Tuesday. Several companies, including Comcast and Walt Disney, stopped advertising on the platform after Musk last month agreed to a post on X (formerly Twitter) that claimed Jews were inciting hatred against white people. There was a pause. Joe Benarroch, head of business operations at Company X, told Reuters: “This report does not reflect the full scope of our business as sources relied upon by Bloomberg do not provide accurate and comprehensive details. “It gives an incomplete view.” Last month, Musk agreed with a post by X that claimed Jews were inciting hatred against white people. Getty Images for The New York Times < / p >
< p > As a publicly traded company, X’s revenue from advertising services in the last four quarters totaled $4.7 billion for the second half of 2021 and the first half of 2022, according to LSEG data. The company generated more than $600 million in advertising revenue in each of the first three quarters of 2023 and expects similar results this quarter, the report added, citing people familiar with the matter. Since Musk’s acquisition in October 2022, U.S. monthly ad revenue has fallen by at least 55% year over year every month, according to third-party data provided to Reuters in October. The company generated just over $600 million in ad revenue in each of the first three quarters of 2023, according to Bloomberg. zumapress.com < / p >
< p > Advertising sales account for 70% to 75% of X’s total revenue. Management had targeted $3 billion in revenue from advertising and subscription fees in 2023, but the company is far from reaching that number, according to the report. Musk also said in July that Twitter’s cash flow remains negative due to a nearly 50% drop in advertising revenue and high debt. < / p >
Republican critics were furious after the Federal Communications Commission rejected nearly $900 million in subsidies for Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service, calling it a revenge move by the Biden administration. did.
Musk’s SpaceX was appealing a 2022 FCC move that denied the company access to about $886 million in subsidies as part of a government program to boost rural internet service. .
The five-member FCC, led by Democratic-appointed Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, affirmed the decision on Tuesday, finding that Starlink “has failed to demonstrate that it can deliver its promised services.”
republican party FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr objects. In the decision, Musk claimed that “President Biden has given the green light to federal agencies” after the billionaire bought Twitter for $44 billion last year.
In August, the Department of Justice sued SpaceX, accusing it of discriminating against refugees and asylees in its hiring practices. SpaceX fired back, arguing that the federal government’s lawsuit is unconstitutional.
Kerr said the FCC’s denial of the subsidy “certainly falls within the Biden administration’s pattern of regulatory harassment.”
Another Republican, Nathan Symington, agreed with Kerr and argued that his colleagues at the FCC improperly set SpaceX’s 2025 performance standards three years early.
Starlink’s application for nearly $900 million in government grants was denied. AFP (via Getty Images)The recent failure of SpaceX’s Starship rocket has been cited as a potential cause for concern. zumapress.com
“What’s the point in having an agreement to build service by 2025 if the FCC can keep it there until 2022 on a whim?” Symington said.
When the FCC initially denied SpaceX’s grant application, Musk’s company had already won approval to provide satellite-based, high-speed broadband Internet service to about 642,000 rural locations in 35 U.S. states. Was. At the time, Rosenworcel expressed concern that Starlink’s internet was not reaching the “promised speeds.”
The agency this week cited some of its concerns over the recent failure of SpaceX’s Starship, which exploded shortly after liftoff last month.
Elon Musk criticized the FCC for this decision. Reuters
“After a careful legal, technical and policy review, the FCC has determined that this applicant will be eligible for approximately $900 million in Universal Service Funds over approximately 10 years,” Rosenworcel said in a statement. We judged that the burden was not fulfilled.”
Musk personally slammed the FCC’s decision, writing to X that Starlink is “the only company actually solving rural broadband at scale!”
“What actually happened was that the companies that lobbied for this large allocation (not us) thought they were going to win, but instead they lost to Starlink. So now they’re changing the rules so that SpaceX can’t compete,” Musk said.
It makes no sense. Starlink is the only company that is actually solving rural broadband at scale.
They should probably disband the program and return the funds to taxpayers, but not send them to people who aren’t doing their jobs.
Musk has frequently clashed with the Biden administration since President Biden took office in 2020. The billionaire called Biden a “wet-sock puppet” and accused the president of disrespecting Tesla despite the company’s leading role in the development of electric cars. The government will support you.
Meanwhile, Musk’s business faces multiple federal investigations, including an ongoing investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into the company’s Autopilot self-driving assist technology.
Tesla on Wednesday announced a major recall of 2 million vehicles over concerns that the vehicles lacked adequate safety features to “prevent driver misuse.”
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk plans to establish a STEM-focused elementary and secondary school in Texas before establishing a glittering university “dedicated to the highest level of education,” according to tax filings. Musk, who moved to the Lone Star State from California during the pandemic, is funding the school in Austin with a $100 million donation from a billionaire philanthropic organization called The Foundation, according to tax filings first reported by Bloomberg.
The charity’s name seems to be a nod to the science fiction series written by famous author Isaac Asimov that details the collapse of a ruling empire to make way for the birth of an alternative society, but it is also a mask to the current education system. Fitting given his public criticism.
Last year, the head of Tesla and SpaceX revealed to a liberal university that he was estranged from his 19-year-old daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, who recently changed her legal name to avoid association with the world’s richest man. I blamed it.
Musk also said Asimov’s “Foundation” series influenced his decision to start SpaceX 10 years ago with the goal of one day landing on Mars. According to Bloomberg, the foundation’s application to open the school was originally submitted in October 2022 and approved in March, but it’s unclear when the K-12 school will break ground.
A representative for Mr. Musk did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The project begins with K-12 schools with a STEM focus: science, technology, engineering, and math. Once it’s up and running, it “ultimately intends to expand its operations and establish a university dedicated to the highest level of education,” according to its application for tax-exempt status with the IRS. Musk said the university will boast “experienced faculty” and “hands-on learning experiences including simulations, case studies, manufacturing/design projects, and labs” woven into the traditional curriculum. Tesla’s president must first seek accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission, which accredits degree-granting institutions in many Southern states.
This is not Musk’s first foray into the world of school education. In 2014, the father of 10 co-founded an “experimental” private school called Ad Astra inside SpaceX’s California offices for his five sons and select employees. Ad Astra’s curriculum was unusual, abandoning sports, music and foreign languages to focus on artificial intelligence, coding and applied science. When Musk moved to Texas in 2020, the so-called “world’s most exclusive school” followed suit and was renamed Astra Nova School. The school currently has approximately 200 students.
Mr. Musk faces stiff competition in the state capital, where the main campus of the University of Texas is located. According to Bloomberg, UT Austin was also recently established as an “illiberal” alternative to traditional universities in the United States. UT Austin plans to accept its first class of 100 students next fall. Musk plans to expand further into central Texas with the opening of Snailbrook, a town he is building east of Austin to house Tesla and SpaceX employees, as well as staff from his tunnel-building venture, The Boring Company. A floor plan filed in Bastrop County Commissioners Court in January shows a vision for the village of Snailbrook, a reference to the Boring Company mascot. According to the map, Snailbrook will have 110 homes on what would become Boring Boulevard, Waterjet Way, Porpoise Place and Cutterhead Crossing.
Elon Musk criticized a feature in Microsoft Word known as “Inclusivity Checker,” where he claimed he was “reprimanded” for typing the word “insane.”
The billionaire owner of Tesla posted a screenshot of a Microsoft Word document that discussed Tesla’s new Cybertruck and highlighted the new electric vehicle’s “unusual stability.”
The phrase was flagged by Word’s software, which identifies terms and phrases considered politically incorrect and suggests alternative wording.
“Microsoft Word now scolds you for using words that are not ‘inclusive’,” wrote the world’s richest man on his social media platform.
Musk also posted a screenshot showing an attempt to type “11,000 pounds,” though it’s unclear why that term would be considered non-inclusive.
The prompt in Microsoft Word says, “Think about it from a different perspective,” and suggests alternatives such as “11,000 pounds” or “11,000 pounds (about twice the weight of an elephant).”
Elon Musk has mocked Microsoft Word’s “inclusivity checker,” which flags terms and phrases deemed politically incorrect. Reuters
The Post has reached out to Microsoft for comment.
Other social media users posted screenshots of attempts to use the terms flagged by the software’s “inclusivity checker.”
One user wrote in a Word document: “Hello, could you please guard the booth this afternoon?”
The checker, which is only available to customers on the Windows maker’s $7 per month Microsoft 365 subscription plan, flags the phrase “man in the booth” as a “gender-neutral term” and suggests “staff” and “control” as alternatives.
Other terms flagged by the “inclusivity checker” include “postman” (suggested substitute: “postal worker”) and “master” (“expert”).
GitHub, a Microsoft-owned open-source software engineering site, banned the use of the phrases “master” and “slave” in response to the killing of George Floyd in 2020, deeming them racially insensitive.
Microsoft Word’s “inclusiveness checker” flagged the use of the term “insane.”
Beginning in 2020, updated versions of Microsoft Word flag the use of language promoting age bias, gender bias, cultural slurs, sexual orientation bias, and racial bias, with a built-in feature that prompts users to do so.
Users must manually enable this feature by opening a new Word document and clicking the “Editor” button, then selecting “Proofreading” in the settings section.
The Microsoft Word Inclusiveness Checker is only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers.
There is a drag-down menu for “Grammar and Refinement” near the “Writing Style” option. The user must push the “Settings” button, displaying a drag-down menu where the user can click on the box under the “Inclusiveness” category.
When the “inclusivity checker” is activated, the software flags terms that are not included in the “approved” and “allowed” lists of terms.
Microsoft removed terms such as “slave” and “master” from its GitHub site in response to the 2020 killing of George Floyd. AFP (via Getty Images)
When a user types the word “humanity,” the software flags the term and suggests alternatives such as “human race” or “human race.” Users can also simply ignore the prompt and accept the term.
Grimes introduced an exiciting artificial intelligence device known as Grok on Thursday. Grimes stated there was no relation to the fact that Elon Musk’s xAI company released a chatbot called Grok last month..
The origin of Musk’s Grok chatbot name is unknown, but Grimes’ rocket-shaped stuffed animal drew inspiration from her children.
Grimes recently announced Grok with a video on her X account and mentioned that the name shares a resemblance with her former partner’s name. She described the toy as a “benevolent AI for humans.”
Grimes released an AI-powered fuzzy rocket toy called Grok on Thursday. X/Curio Beta
“Believably, by the time we realized that the Grok team was also using this name, it was a bit late to rename both AIs, so we now have two AIs named Grok. Can’t wait for them to become friends.” Grimes shared on Thursday.
Grimes, 35, formerly known as Claire Boucher, shares three children with the 52-year-old billionaire: 3-year-old X Æ A-Xii and 2-year-old Exa Dark Siderel Musk.
Curio informed the Post that “Grok” originated from “Grocket” and was created because the Grimes children were exposed to rockets through Musk’s ownership of SpaceX.
(Absurdly, by the time we realized that the Grok team was also using this name, it was too late to rename both AIs, so now the AI named Grok is There are two of them. I can’t wait for them to become friends. I can’t believe it. Even the AI can’t avoid showing up to school and meeting other kids…
According to the legal encyclopedia NoroTwo companies can trademark the same name if they belong to “different trademark classes” and “the two products are not related to each other and are unlikely to cause confusion.”
Musk’s language model, named Grok, is distinctly different from Grimes’ fuzzy Grok. Grok includes Curio Voice Box, which runs on OpenAI’s large-scale language model featuring Grimes’ voice.
Grimes is also an investor and advisor to Curio, the paper said.
OpenAI’s boss Sam Altman used a new AI tool to mock Musk’s Grok, calling the response “creepy boomer humor.”
Last month, Altman told ChatGPT Builder to “become a chatbot that answers questions in a way that goes from awkward shock to laugh, with some awkward Boomer humor.”
The bot responded with: “Great, we have a chatbot set up. Its name is Grok. What do you think of this name, or would you like something else?”
Musk fired back with a post he said was generated by Grok.
“GPT-4? GPT-It’s like snoring!” the sarcastic bot reportedly said when Musk asked about ChatGPT.
It wasn’t immediately clear why Grimes didn’t choose the AI tool created by Musk, given their on-and-off relationship of five years and their shared children.
Musk, who is the father of a total of 11 children with three different women, has not yet commented on Grimes’ innovative toy.
Musk and Grimes were in an on-again, off-again relationship from 2018 to 2022. Getty Images
engineer Toy brands announced at X Grok was one of three beta characters available for purchase for $99 until December 17th at 12pm PT.
Curio touts its AI-powered “cheerful rocket” to provide “screen-free fun” including “endless conversations” and “educational playtime” for kids ages 3 and up .
“I can’t believe that even AI can’t avoid showing up at school and meeting other kids with the same name lol,” she added.
Musk and Grimes are currently embroiled in a custody battle over their three children. Ai A Sea (pictured) is 3 years old, Exa Dark Siderel Musk is 2 years old, and Techno Mechanicus, known as Tau, is 1 year old. Getty Images of Time
The Post has reached out to Curio and Musk for comment.
Grimes is getting into the toy business with “Glock,” the character she voices for Curio’s new line of screenless AI plush toys.
The toy is not affiliated with Grok, an AI chatbot backed by Grimes’ ex-Elon Musk. Musk described xAI’s Grok as having a “rebellious personality” and a willingness to answer “tough questions that most other AI systems would refuse.” That sounds vulgar if you ask me.
Grok, Gabbo, and Grem, on the other hand, are designed to encourage play. In a conversation with Misha Sallee and his partner Sam Eaton, the Curio founder said: Published on Curio’s blogGrimes said she encourages children’s creativity early on through dynamic conversations rather than a static list of prompts.
“The idea of bringing more imagination or making it easier to access imagination within one’s current existence, rather than just observing it within other beings such as screens, movies, and books. I like it,” she said.
in Curio announcement videoGrimes said she doesn’t want her kids to be “in front of a screen” but is “really busy.”
Image credits: antique
Curio says the toys can have full conversations, allowing children (or adults) to practice their communication skills. Glock is an anthropomorphic rocket ship, voiced by Grimes. There’s Gabo, who looks like a Game Boy stuffed animal with arms and legs. And then there’s Grem, a cyan rabbit with hearts on his cheeks. The beta version of the toy is Pre-order possible Through Sunday, the price is $99 each. Recommended for children from 3 years old to her 7 years old. Grimes and Musk’s oldest child is named XÆA-Xii and she is 3 years old.
The stuffed animals answer questions about how rocket ships are made and play games with the user, encouraging the development of children’s listening and conversation skills. Inside the stuffed animal is a rechargeable, Wi-Fi-connected speaker and microphone, connected to an app that parents can set up and monitor interactions with their children.
“When I think about kids, my goal is to keep as many hearts out of this as possible. Basically, how many iPads can we replace?” Grimes said with Eaton and Sally. He said this in a conversation.
She later added: “I think the more we verbalize things, the more we’re forcing people to use their working memory. You know, there are little things here and there that make our brains just a little bit better. ”
Grimes became involved with Curio after answering a question. post “Children’s teddy bears talk to children and give them peace of mind at night.” About the future of AI-integrated toys.grimes answered “It would be great if it was safe,” she said, and she would be happy if children could have “a culture ship in a teddy bear at heart.”
The line launches about a week after a competitor to Musk’s ChatGPT (named Grok) began rolling out to X Premium Plus subscribers.
“Grimes is the voice of the toy, and this rocket just so happens to be named Grok and was made before the announcement of the Grok AI, so there’s some interesting overlap between him and Grimes,” Sally said. said in a conversation.
Curio has filed a trademark for Grok on September 12 this year. xAI files trademark for Grok on October 23rd. Curio’s Grok stands for Grocket, as the Grimes children spend a lot of time around rockets since their father is the owner of SpaceX. The Washington Post reported.
grimes and musk Currently in custody battle The couple has filed child custody lawsuits in California and Texas over their three children.
(Absurdly, by the time we realized that the Grok team was also using this name, it was too late to rename both AIs, so now the AI named Grok is There are two of them. I can’t wait for them to become friends. I can’t believe it. Even the AI can’t avoid showing up to school and meeting other kids…
in post Regarding the name, Grimes said that by the time Curio realized that xAI’s Grok team was also using that name, “it was too late for either AI to change its name.”
“I currently have two AIs named Grok, and I can’t wait for them to be friends,” she said. “I can’t believe that even an AI can’t avoid showing up at school and meeting other kids with the same name lol.”
Elon Musk has restored the X account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his media site Infowars. Jones and his Infowars X account were “permanently banned” from Twitter by his former management in 2018 for posting abusive content and violating the platform’s rules.
On December 9th, Musk ran a user survey on X asking whether it would be appropriate to bring Alex Jones back to the platform. Nearly 2 million people voted, and about 70% said Jones’ account should be restored. Hours after the poll closed, the company reactivated Jones’ account. Infowars accounts had also been restored at the time of publication.
Would you like Alex Jones to return to this platform?
After posting the poll, Musk agreed with users who argued that a permanent ban on his account would be “against free speech.” “It’s hard to agree with this,” Musk said.
When a user raised concerns about misinformation circulating on the platform as a result of restoring Jones’ account, Musk pointed to a community note that said parts of the program “need to be fixed.” We will respond promptly to AJ’s post.”
I’m sure Community Notes will respond quickly to AJ’s posts that need correction.
Jones is notorious for spreading conspiracies surrounding the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, which killed 28 people. The conspiracy theorist was charged and had to appear in court claiming the shooting was staged.a court in connecticut ordered Jones pays $1.5 billion in damages last year.
Musk’s move comes as X struggles to retain the biggest advertisers on its platform. Prominent companies including Apple, Disney and IBM stopped advertising spending on social networks after Musk called anti-Semitic theories “actual truth.”
He later clarified and apologized for his comments, calling them “stupid.” But Tesla’s CEO wasn’t happy with people opting out of advertising on X. In a conversation with journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin at the DealBook conference, Tesla’s CEO told advertisers to “fuck off already.”
“If someone’s going to blackmail me with an ad, blackmail me with money? Fuck it,” Musk said. “Go. Shit. Yourself. Is it obvious?
He also mentioned Disney’s Bog Iger, who also spoke at the conference. In the same interview, Musk said the advertising boycott was going to “crush the company” and that those who conducted the boycott would be responsible for the company’s eventual demise.
Restoring Jones and Infowars’ accounts could raise further eyebrows and frustrate advertisers and others who monitor hate speech. In response to users, the owner of X acknowledged that while the repair could be financially detrimental to the platform, “principle is more important than money.”
I vehemently disagree with what he said about Sandy Hook, but are we a platform that believes in free speech, or are we not?
That’s what it ends up being. It would be bad for 𝕏 economically if people continued to vote for him, but principles are more important than money.
After Musk took over X, he reinstated a number of controversial figures, including singer Kanye West, former US president Donald Trump, far-right influencer Andrew Tate, and right-wing scholar Jordan Peterson. I’ve let it happen.
Billionaire Elon Musk told advertisers who fled his social media platform Ta.
His profanity-laced remarks began in an interview with the New York Times’ Dealbook Summit, in which he first said he was “sorry” and repentant for a Nov. 15 tweet in agreement with an anti-Semitic post about X. It was done after representing the moment.
On November 15, Musk said that users who mentioned the conspiracy theory “The Great Replacement” were telling the “actual truth,” agreeing with a user who falsely claimed that Jews were inciting hatred against white people. Since then, it has faced intense criticism.
On Wednesday, Musk said he had “handed a loaded gun” to his detractors and said his post was probably the worst in his message history, including many “stupid” messages.
Tesla’s CEO was furious at the idea that he was an anti-Semite, saying advertisers who left X (formerly known as Twitter) should not advertise on X and that they could blackmail him. He said he shouldn’t think about it.
Elon Musk said he had “handed a loaded gun” to his detractors and said his post was probably the worst in his message history, including many “stupid” messages. Getty Images
“Go fuck yourself,” he said.
Asked if that was clear, he added, “Hey, Bob,” apparently referring to Walt Disney CEO Robert Iger, who pulled the X ad. Iger spoke at the beginning of the event.
He said people who don’t like Mr. Musk should consider the products his company makes based on their quality, pointing to electric vehicles powered by Tesla and SpaceX rockets. “I never pander,” he said.
Musk’s comments come as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the rise in anti-Semitism since the start of the Israel-Hamas war has reached a crisis point, threatening the safety of Jews around the world and the future of Israel. The announcement was made on the same day that we warned that “For us Jews, the rise of anti-Semitism is a crisis. It’s a five-alarm fire that must be extinguished,” Schumer said emotionally during a 40-minute Senate speech.
Elon Musk holds up a pendant that says “Bring them home.” Getty Images
The “Great Replacement” theory falsely claims that Jews and the left are attempting to ethnically and culturally replace the white population with non-white immigrants, which will lead to “white genocide.”
Musk’s post drew condemnation from the White House, calling it an “abhorrent promotion of anti-Semitism and racist hatred.”
In response to the post, major U.S. companies including Walt Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal, suspended advertising on X. A report by liberal watchdog group Media Matters prompted the withdrawal of advertisers whose ads were found next to posts supporting Nazism. The platform filed a defamation lawsuit against Media Matters last week.
Tesla’s CEO was furious at the idea that he was an anti-Semite Getty Images for The New York Times
Following the accusations, Musk traveled to Israel on Oct. 7 to tour Hamas attack sites in the country and spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday in a livestreamed conversation called “X.”
Musk said Wednesday that the trip was planned before his message and was “independent” of the issue.
Israel’s Musk opposes anti-Semitism and anything that “promotes hatred and conflict” and said X does not promote hate speech.
Musk enjoys a light moment. Getty Images for The New York Times
“The fact that you came here speaks volumes about your determination to secure a better future,” Netanyahu told Musk during the meeting.
Musk’s wide-ranging interview included discussions ranging from free speech to the environment to the politics of the US president. Musk said he would not vote for President Biden’s re-election, but he did not explicitly say he would vote for his likely opponent, Donald Trump.
A Florida judge has ruled that Tesla and its executives, including CEO Elon Musk, knew that its vehicles were equipped with defective Autopilot systems. It found there was “reasonable evidence” to conclude that the vehicle had been allowed to operate in an area that was “unsafe for the technology”.
Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge Reed Scott handed down the decision last week in a lawsuit filed by the family of a man who died in a crash while his Tesla was on Autopilot, alleging willful misconduct and gross misconduct. This means Tesla can seek punitive damages. procrastination. Reuters first reported the news.
The blow to Tesla comes after the electric car maker won two product liability lawsuits in California earlier this year over the safety of its Autopilot system. Autopilot is Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance system that can perform self-driving tasks such as navigating up and down highway ramps, controlling cruise control, changing lanes, and automatically parking.
The Florida lawsuit stems from a 2019 crash north of Miami. Owner Steven Banner’s Model 3 was crushed under the trailer of an 18-wheeler truck that had rolled onto the road, cutting off the roof of the Tesla and killing Banner. The trial, scheduled for October, was postponed and has not yet been postponed.
If the case goes to trial, it could reveal new information about the reams of data collected by Tesla, typically confidential information.
Judge Scott’s finding that Tesla’s top executives knew of the flaws could mean Musk will have to testify. According to the ruling, the judge found that Tesla’s marketing strategy portrayed the product as a self-driving car and that Musk’s public comments about Autopilot “significantly influenced his beliefs about the product’s capabilities.” said. The judge pointed to a misleading 2016 video that appeared to be directed by Musk that purported to show Teslas being fully self-driving through the Autopilot system.
The billionaire entrepreneur was not required to appear at the deposition after the judge rejected Banners’ argument that Musk had “independent knowledge” of the issues in the case.
The judge compared Banner’s crash to a similar fatal crash involving Joshua Brown in 2016, when Autopilot failed to detect a passing truck and the vehicle crashed into the side of a tractor-trailer at high speed. The judge also based his decision on testimony from autopilot engineer Adam Gustafson and Dr. Mary “Missy” Cummings, director of George Mason University’s Center for Autonomous and Robotics.
Gustafson, who was the investigator in both the Banner and Brown crashes, testified that in both cases Autopilot was unable to detect the semi-tractor and stop the vehicle. Additionally, engineers testified that even though Tesla was aware of the problem, no changes were made to the cross-traffic detection warning system that took cross-traffic into account from the date of Brown’s crash until Banner’s crash.
In the ruling, the judge said that testimony from other Tesla engineers showed that Musk, who was “intimately involved” in Autopilot’s development, was “acutely aware” of the problem but failed to remedy it. He said that a reasonable conclusion had been drawn.
A Tesla spokesperson could not be reached for comment.
The automaker will likely argue, as Tesla has done in the past, that Banner’s accident was the result of human error. A National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the accident found evasion to be at fault. The investigation found that the truck driver failed to yield the right of way and Banner was negligent because he relied too much on Autopilot. However, the NTSB also found that Autopilot did not send any visual or audible warnings to the driver to put his hands back on the steering wheel. bloomberg.
Tesla’s lawyers may rely on precedent set in two previous lawsuits this year that Tesla won.
Tesla secured a victory in April after a California jury found the company not liable for a 2019 crash involving Autopilot. Plaintiff Justin Su sued Tesla in 2020 for fraud, negligence and breach of contract, but was not awarded damages.
A few weeks ago, a jury sided with Tesla over allegations that Autopilot led to the death of Tesla driver Mika Lee in 2019. The two plaintiffs, survivors of the accident, claimed that Tesla knew its products were defective and sought $400 million in damages. Tesla claimed the accident was the result of human error.
The case — No. 50-2019-CA-009962 — is being heard in the Circuit Court of Palm Beach County, Florida.
Elon Musk has encouraged extremists and white supremacists throughout his year-long tenure as owner of Company X (formerly known as Twitter), but this week he continues to push back on the behavior that mainstream users — and advertisers — tolerate. succeeded in pushing the limits of
Musk on Wednesday endorsed a post by user X that accused the Jewish community of spreading “dialectical hatred against white people.” The statement itself was a response to another X post that shared a PSA video from a foundation fighting anti-Semitism, along with criticism of an anonymous user who posted online that “Hitler was right.”
“I believe that Western Jews, a large minority, [they supported] People who flood their countries don’t like themselves very much,” user X replied. “You want the truth told to your face, and there it is.”
Musk replied, “You told the truth.”
A post that went out of its way to praise Mr. Musk also caused the same thing. white supremacist conspiracy theory Endorsed by Tree of Life synagogue shooter Robert Bowers. Minutes before the shooting, Bowers posted on the far-right social media site Gab that HIAS, a Jewish-American nonprofit that helps refugees, “likes to bring in invaders who will kill our people. ” he posted. “I cannot stand by and watch my fellow citizens being slaughtered,” Bowers wrote shortly before 11 people were murdered at a Pittsburgh synagogue.
The X owner and CTO’s comments have drawn increasingly widespread condemnation. On Friday, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said: answered Musk’s recent support for white supremacy in his platform.
Citing the Tree of Life tragedy and the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel, Bates said, “This abhorrent act of fomenting anti-Semitism and racist hatred is the most “I condemn this in the strongest terms. This goes against our core values as Americans.” It is a responsibility to unite people against hate and to speak out against those who attack the dignity of our fellow Americans and undermine the safety of our communities. ”
The fallout from Musk’s endorsement of anti-Semitic and racist conspiracies was further compounded Friday afternoon. Apple announces “temporary suspension” All company ads on X.
The tweet, which Musk called “actual truth,” also resonated with broader opinion. great replacement Conspiracy theory. A theory popularized by white supremacists to instill fear that non-whites will usurp the majority of the white population in countries like the United States.
The owner of X has been involved with anti-Semites before. Musk previously welcomed Kanye West to X after the singer was banned from posting on Instagram after he used anti-Semitic tropes. Less than a day later, West infamously tweeted, “I’m going to die.” [sic] con 3 About the Jews,” he then posted a Star of David fused with a swastika. X suspended West’s account in December, but reinstated it over the summer.
A year ago, Musk reinstated a number of accounts previously suspended for spreading hate, including Andrew Anglin, the notorious neo-Nazi who started the white supremacist website Daily Stormer. After his return, Mr. Anglin delved into Twitter’s new rules in a reply to Mr. Musk. “You got a 12-hour suspension for tweeting a Star of David with a swastika on it…whatever the rules are, people will follow them. We need to know what the rules are. It just is.”
Musk has made a habit of engaging with self-proclaimed white supremacists and other hate activists. In September, Musk liked someone’s tweet. Self-proclaimed “violent anti-Semite” Musk is the one who started the campaign to ban the Anti-Defamation League from X, accusing the Jewish civil rights group ADL of being “the biggest generator of anti-Semitism on this platform.” , threatened to sue the group over lost advertising revenue due to criticism of the rise in hate speech against X under his leadership;
Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskowitz sarcastically said: Explanation Regarding the situation with Threads, a competitor of Meta’s X. “Xitter CEO Linda Yaccarino is making the biggest decision yet as she decides whether to fire her anti-Semitic CTO or risk losing even more advertisers. We are facing challenges,” Moskowitz wrote. “How will she deal with this difficult but morally clear situation?”
An Elon Musk biopic is being produced at New York-based studio A24 and is being directed by “Black Swan” director Darren Aronofsky, according to sources.
A24 has secured the rights to the biopic of the world’s richest man, Walter Isaacson, the people said, adding that the Musk biopic will be produced by Aronofsky’s production company Protozoa Pictures.
“I’m glad Darren is doing it. He’s one of the best players,” Musk said in an X post on Friday.
The studio previously worked with the director on the film The Whale, starring Brendan Fraser, which won Academy Awards for Best Actor, Best Makeup and Best Hairstyling.
A24 received 18 Academy Award nominations for six films this year, ranking second behind entertainment giant Walt Disney.
Isaacson’s book about Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was made into a film of the same name by Universal in 2015, starring Irish actor Michael Fassbender as the late tech tycoon.
A24 has secured the rights to Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk.AP“I’m glad Darren is doing it. He’s one of the best players,” Musk said in an X post on Friday.Reuters
A book about Mr. Musk was released in September by book publishing giant Simon & Schuster, which is owned by private equity firm KKR.
The person told Reuters the deal was highly competitive, with top studios and filmmakers also competing.
Mr. Musk is the head of rocket maker and satellite communications company SpaceX, the head of Tesla, the world’s most valuable carmaker, and the head of tunnel construction company The Boring Company and brain chip company Neuralink.
The person told Reuters the deal was highly competitive, with top studios and filmmakers also competing. Darren Aronofsky, top.Reuters
The billionaire acquired social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) for $44 billion last year after a six-month acquisition spree.
Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion raised questions about his plans for the social media platform. Musk envisioned transforming Twitter into an “everything app” called X, similar to China’s WeChat, offering a variety of services like online discussions, video calls, podcasts, and even banking. While the idea of creating a platform where free speech is valued might seem noble, the execution has been plagued by poor planning and decision-making.
Musk’s tenure as the owner of Twitter has been turbulent, mirroring his own controversial presence on the platform. He made immediate changes, firing executives and laying off thousands of employees. Advertisers became concerned about Musk’s lax stance on content moderation, leading to a decline in revenue and potential bankruptcy. Musk’s attempt to bolster revenue by offering paid perks like verification ticks and edit buttons backfired when several fake accounts gained verification status, causing confusion among users. Reinstating banned accounts and changing the brand name to X further eroded Twitter’s reputation.
Critics argue that Musk’s plans for Twitter lacked focus and clear vision. While he may have grand ideas, the reality is that Twitter’s purpose was muddled and lost in the process. The company’s value plummeted, and its reputation suffered. The future of X remains uncertain, and if the current state of affairs continues, more users may abandon the platform. Musk’s ambitions for an all-encompassing “super app” like WeChat may be too ambitious and detrimental to the core purpose of Twitter.
Despite the challenges and skepticism surrounding Musk’s ownership of Twitter, for many users, X remains a popular social media platform where real-time updates are crucial. Some experts believe that X could potentially rival other platforms like Mastodon and Meta, offering a more streamlined experience. However, it’s uncertain whether Musk can truly accomplish his vision for X, considering the current state of the platform. While Musk may take credit for the “death of Twitter” and the rise of X, it remains to be seen how far the platform can soar before losing its purpose and losing more users.
Elon Musk’s X has started testing potential sign-up fees for new users.
The company formerly known as twitter introduced a fee of $1 (82 pence). new zealand And that Philippinesmost of the main features are behind a paywall.
New accounts that do not pay will not be able to post anything or interact directly with other users.
Instead, you are limited to viewing and listening to content and following other accounts.
X said the move was aimed at “reducing spam, platform manipulation, and bot activity.”
musk We have long complained about the presence of fake accounts on the platform; and tried to use his concerns to get out of the contract to buy it last year..
The trials in New Zealand and the Philippines came after the billionaire businessman discussed plans to introduce “small monthly payments” to all users.
Speaking at an event with the Israeli Prime Minister Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Musk said last month that the fee would help fight “a horde of bots.”
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Mr. Musk starts charging fees for using X
Fees will make X “difficult to operate”
Since Musk took ownership of the company, much of his focus has been on monetizing Company X’s user base, with advertiser spending declining due to concerns over his moderation policies. ing.
X already offers a premium subscription for £9.60 per month. This gives users a verification check, allows them to write longer posts or edit existing ones, and gives their account priority visibility in search results.
Musk acknowledged that the new $1 fee “will not completely stop bots,” but argued that it will “make it 1,000 times harder to manipulate the platform.”
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This means that Company X israel-hamas war To spread.
EU officials warned Musk to take actionsaid it violated the block’s new online content rules.
Misleading content includes video game footage purporting to depict scenes of conflict and reusing unrelated war clips.
Later, X announced changes to the Community Notes feature. This allows volunteer posters to attach fact-checks to their posts, making them more visible if other users find them useful.
However, there are concerns that the tool is being manipulated, and all notes must include a source.
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