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Unprecedented: The Challenges Linda Jaccarino Faced with Elon Musk’s X

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In May 2023, when NBC’s advertising executive Linda Yaccarino took the reins at what was then known as Twitter, she faced a daunting challenge: rebuilding advertiser relationships following a tumultuous year under Elon Musk’s ownership. Yet, just weeks into her CEO tenure, Musk’s Anti-Semitism Tweet prompted major brands like Disney, Paramount, NBCUniversal, Comcast, Lionsgate, and Warner Bros to pause advertising on the platform. Musk later expressed regret over the tweet during a meeting, labeling it as his worst post ever, but the damage was done, particularly with advertisers, including Disney’s CEO Bob Iger, who stated emphatically, “Fuck yourself.” Yaccarino was in attendance.

“I don’t want to promote them,” he said. “If anyone is trying to blackmail me with ads or money, fuck yourself. Go, fuck. yourself,” he added. “Is that clear? Hey Bob, if you’re in the audience, that’s how I feel.”

Yaccarino had to navigate Musk’s unpredictability, ongoing content moderation challenges, hate speech incidents, strained advertiser relationships, and significant backlash related to Donald Trump’s administration involvement. In some instances, her response was to remain quiet, while in others, she opted to protect the company. Experts suggest it became apparent that Yaccarino was merely a titular CEO.


“The reality is that Elon Musk is at the helm of X,” stated Mike Proulx, Research Director at Forrester. “From the outset, it was evident that she was set up for limited success as the company’s CEO. Her background and actual authority positioned her more as the chief advertising officer than the CEO.”

Even her de facto role as the chief advertising director was hindered by Musk’s incessant posting, impulsive decisions, and his fixation on what he deemed “woke” ideologies, posing a significant challenge for Yaccarino.

“The surprising aspect of Linda Yaccarino’s resignation is that it didn’t come sooner,” Proulx remarked.

Just this week, Grok, an AI chatbot integrated with X, shared multiple anti-Semitic comments glorifying Hitler after the introduction of new guidelines for the chatbot. According to regulations issued by Xai, Grok was instructed to make politically incorrect claims as long as they were “well-proven.” Xai removed these guidelines from the code shortly thereafter.

Yaccarino’s tenure at the helm of X has been marred by the fallout from anti-Semitism scandals involving Musk’s tweets and Grok, compounded by several accusations of anti-Semitism against her boss during her brief tenure. In 2023, the non-profit watchdog Center for Countering Digital Hate released a report detailing the increase of anti-Semitic and other hate speech. The company’s response was to sue the organization, a case that was ultimately dismissed. Similarly, the issue of American nonprofit media highlighted the rise of pro-Nazi tweets, along with branded advertisements, in a report preceding the exit of major advertisers from the platform.

Noteworthy was Musk’s alleged Nazi salute at Trump’s inauguration rally in early 2025. Musk dismissed this claim, joking about it on X with Nazi-themed puns. Musk’s humor further damaged the platform’s reputation, contributing to a noticeable rightward shift that prompted many users to migrate to alternative platforms like Bluesky and Reddit communities, where X’s links started being banned.

The promise of X’s activation

Upon joining X, Yaccarino aimed to forge partnerships with celebrities to revitalize the social network’s brand and mend the damage inflicted by Musk’s controversial acquisition. Musk had long envisioned creating X as an “everything app” blending payments, AI, messaging, live streaming, and other features while also assigning Yaccarino the task of enhancing public posts for the network.

Yaccarino sought media personalities for platform features, leading a delegation of executives, including Musk, to engage with industry leaders at the Cannes Lions Festival in 2023.

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One of Yaccarino’s initiatives aimed at creating a platform she envisioned as a “global town square,” as she reached out to former CNN host Don Lemon and welcomed former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to contribute content. The inaugural interview on Lemon’s platform was with Musk, designed to showcase X’s shift to attract prominent creators. However, the plan faltered when the conversation shifted to contentious topics, leading to Musk informing Lemon’s agent that his contract had been terminated. Future collaborations with high-profile creators were never realized.

Over the next two years, instead of becoming the mainstream streaming powerhouse or “all apps” destination that Yaccarino had promoted, X devolved into a platform primarily for Musk to amplify his grievances, collaborate with Trump, and promote his ventures. Far-right influencer Porn Spam Bot meme accounts proliferated, leaving numerous media outlets marginalized or entirely excluded from the platform. Misinformation and extremism surged, occasionally originating from Musk himself.

The day before Yaccarino resigned, X became embroiled in a scandal encapsulating much of the platform’s evolution. Musk announced plans to revamp Xai’s chatbot, Grok. On Tuesday, users observed that the chatbot began replying to inquiries with overtly anti-Semitic comments glorifying Nazi ideology. An outpouring of users began sharing screenshots of Grok endorsing rape fantasies while referring to themselves as “Mechahitler,” prompting the company to delete the offensive posts.

Incidents like Grok’s venture into Nazism contributed to Yaccarino’s struggles to revitalize X. While she successfully attracted some major companies to resume advertising last year, the platform’s advertising revenue never approached pre-Musk levels, as suggested by research from eMarketer. Furthermore, it was reported that the platform had threatened large companies like Verizon with legal action if they did not purchase ads. This claim was categorically denied by Jaccarino in a Wall Street Journal report.

After two years of damage control over numerous issues with Musk and the platform, Musk issued a brief statement acknowledging her resignation.

“Thank you for your contribution,” Musk commented on Yaccarino’s resignation announcement. Moments later, he began responding to posts about SpaceX, AI, and his chatbot’s anti-Semitic incidents.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Eerie Roman Skeleton Offers First Clue That Gladiators Faced Lions—and Were Defeated

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Archaeologists have unveiled the first tangible evidence that Roman gladiators confronted lions, following the identification of bite marks on skeletons unearthed in York, England, attributed to a large feline.

The remains discovered on Driffield Terrace, one of the best-preserved gladiator burial sites in Rome, date back around 1,800 years and belong to a man who likely faced a gruesome death at the jaws of a lion.

A recent analysis of the skeleton, excavated over two decades ago, indicates that he probably succumbed to a lion’s attack. The research team compared three-dimensional scans of bite marks on the warrior’s hip bones with lion bite samples from a zoo, confirming a match.

The puncture on the gladiator’s bones provides the first direct evidence of Roman battles involving lions. -Thompson et al

“This is a very exciting discovery,” said Marine Horst, a lecturer in osteophytes at York University and managing director of York Bone Artisans.

“We can now start to paint a clearer picture of what these gladiators experienced in life. We also observe that in urban arenas like York, the existence of big cats and possibly other exotic animals posed a threat they had to defend against.”

The skeletons belonged to men aged between 26 and 35, buried alongside two others and covered with horse bones, indicating a burial practice.

In life, he likely faced malnutrition as a child and exhibited signs of spinal injury, inflammation, and physical stress.

Unhealed lion bites are believed to be the cause of death, after which he seems to have been beheaded—a practice noted in Roman burials, although its significance remains unclear.

Driffield Terrace has long drawn interest, with excavations that began in 2004 revealing over 80 young, robust male skeletons.

While depictions of gladiators battling lions are common, concrete evidence of such encounters is rare. – Councillor of the British Museum

Dental enamel analysis confirmed that these individuals originated from the Roman Empire, and many experienced atypical funerals.

The latest findings bolster the theory that these men were gladiators, referred to as Bestiarius: a class of fighters who faced wild animals often stemming from enslaved backgrounds.

“For years, our comprehension of Roman gladiator combat and animal spectacles relied heavily on historical texts and artistic illustrations,” remarked Professor Tim Thompson from Maynooth University, Ireland.

“This discovery offers the first direct physical evidence proving such events took place during that era, reshaping our understanding of the entertainment culture in the region during Roman times.”

Though no amphitheater has yet been found in York, historical documentation suggests the city hosted arena events from the fourth century onward.

During this period, York served as a pivotal center of the empire, home to prominent Roman generals, including Constantine the Great, who was declared emperor in 306 AD.

David Jennings, CEO of York Archaeology commented on the gladiators: “You may never know that this man fought in an arena for the entertainment of others, but it’s noteworthy that the first osteological evidence of this type of gladiator combat has emerged far from the Colosseum in Rome.”

The study documenting these findings is published in the journal PLOS 1.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Radiation Risks Faced by Ancient Humans 41,000 Years Ago

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Magnetic field turbulence may have allowed aurora to occur more widely 41,000 years ago

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About 41,000 years ago, Earth’s magnetic fields became weaker to only a few modern levels, with a significant increase in radiation impacting the planet’s surface. Some researchers suggest that while the Lasshamps event may have driven Neanderthals to extinction, as is known, modern humans may have protected themselves using tailored clothing and ochre sunscreen.

Earth’s magnetic field spreads out into space and acts as a protective shield against harmful radiation. Magnetic poles usually line up at the North and Antarctic, but sometimes wander due to changes in the planet’s liquid outer core.

“This system variation can lead to variations in the strength and direction of the Earth’s magnetic field, such as those observed during the Laschamps event,” he says. Agnit Mukhopadhyay At the University of Michigan.

By studying magnetic features preserved in volcanic rocks and sediments, Mukopadiyai and his colleagues created a detailed 3D reconstruction of the Earth’s magnetic field during the Raschamp event.

They found evidence that the magnetic pole shifted towards the equator, making the field strength weaker to 10% of today’s levels.

Auroras made by charged particles are usually only visible near the poles, but this will change during the Laschamp event. “The aurora can be seen in a much larger area, perhaps even near the equator,” says Mukopadhyai.

The weakened magnetic field could have allowed more sun and cosmic radiation to reach the Earth’s surface, changing the climate of the region. “These environmental changes may have encouraged adaptive behavior in human populations, including increased use of protective clothing for UV shields and ochre,” says Mukhopadhyay.

Researchers argue that the production of tailored clothing and the use of reddish mineral ochre as sunscreen may have been given Homo sapiens Benefits for Neanderthals who are thought to have become extinct during this period.

“There is definitely a rough overlap in terms of timing between the ancient modern invasion of Europe and the events of Las Shampus,” he says. Amy Mosig Way At the Australian Museum in Sydney. “But it is probably stretch to say that modern humans are better sunscreen in the form of tailored clothing than Neanderthals, and that’s probably what it is to say that this contributed to the ability to travel even further than the Neanderthals and subsequent Eurasian rule.”

Veronica Wowl Yale University says there is evidence of ancients who used ochre at this time. For example, the Ethiopian PORC-EPIC site records ochre use 45,000 years ago, which she says was enhanced 40,000 years ago. They may have used it for other reasons such as creating sunscreen and artwork and adhesives.

Ladis Laf Neyman JCMM in the Czech Republic says it is not known whether modern humans have used ochre as sunscreen. “If that were the case, it could have protected them more, but it didn’t necessarily save them,” he says. “Europeans were really piling up against them at the time.”

He points out that the Raschamp event coincided with a very cold period known as Heinrich Event 4 and a massive volcanic eruption in Italy called the Campania Ignimbrite Explosion.

“The big advantage Homo sapiens What they had as a species compared to Neanderthals was that they had a large population of other people living in Africa and elsewhere. Homo sapiens After these events, we may move to Europe,” says Neyman.

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  • Ancient humans/
  • Earth Science

Source: www.newscientist.com

Car manufacturers faced with costly decisions due to Trump’s tariffs

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President Trump’s new 25% tariffs on imported cars and parts have prompted automakers to consider various responses that come with financial implications, ultimately leading to higher car prices as analysts suggest.

Manufacturers may opt to shift production from countries like Mexico to the US, increase production of existing models made in the US, or cease sales of less profitable imported models. Regardless of the decision, consumers should expect to pay more for both new and used cars, with estimates indicating potential price hikes ranging from $3,000 to over $10,000 depending on the model.

In addition, potential additional tariffs announced by Trump could further impact car prices if implemented, especially in the midst of escalating trade conflicts.

The long-term effects of Trump’s tariffs on the automotive industry are expected to be disruptive and costly for American consumers, as noted by Michael Cusumano, a professor at MIT Sloan Management School.

Trump’s tariff threats, stated as permanent, have rattled automotive executives who hoped for negotiation leverage, leading to challenges in reshaping manufacturing and supply chains to comply with the imposed tariffs.

While Trump envisions tariffs as a strategy to revive American automobile manufacturing, the process of relocating production to the US involves substantial costs and complexities for automakers, potentially impacting prices for consumers.

The uncertainty surrounding tariffs has raised concerns among automakers about making long-term investment decisions, as the potential for policy changes under a new administration looms and could reverse current tariff implications.

While tariffs may incentivize choosing US-based production sites, consumer costs may rise as automakers prioritize compliance over manufacturing efficiency.

Major investment decisions impacted by tariffs could have substantial financial repercussions for companies, with potential risks if tariffs are subject to policy changes in the future.

Automakers may be cautious in passing on tariff costs entirely to consumers, as excessive price hikes could lead to reduced sales and revenue, potentially contributing to economic downturns.

In response to tariffs, some automakers have already raised prices, highlighting potential price increases for various car models as a result of imposed tariffs.

As the industry grapples with tariff impacts, automakers may explore strategies such as suspending sales of less profitable models and focusing on domestically produced vehicles to navigate the evolving landscape of trade policies.

Despite efforts to minimize tariff effects, most automakers rely on foreign-made parts, causing tariffs to impact overall vehicle costs and potentially leading to price adjustments across different car models.

As automakers navigate the challenges posed by tariffs, market dynamics and consumer responses could shape future decisions regarding production and pricing strategies in response to evolving trade policies.

Source: www.nytimes.com