Showing posts with label Elon Musk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elon Musk. Show all posts

Friday, December 16, 2022

Twitter Locks Out Top Journalists Covering Elon Musk - BBC News

Dec 16, 2022 | Twitter accounts belonging to several prominent journalists covering the company's owner, Elon Musk, have been abruptly suspended. Reporters for the New York Times, CNN and the Washington Post are among those who found themselves locked out of their accounts on Thursday evening. A Twitter spokeswoman told tech website The Verge that the ban was related to the live sharing of location data. It comes after Mr Musk vowed to sue the owner of a profile that tracks his jet. A spokesman for the New York Times called the suspensions "questionable and unfortunate" and CNN added it was “concerning but not surprising".

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Twitter feuert alle Mitarbeiter der Pressestelle in Deutschland

KURZNACHRICHTENDIENST

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Seit Elon Musk Twitter übernommen hat, baut das Unternehmen Personal ab. Auch das Team in der deutschen Pressestelle wurde aufgelöst, wie durch einen Arbeitsprozess jetzt bekannt wird.

Die Kommunikationsabteilung von Twitter in Deutschland existiert nicht mehr, seit Elon Musk den Social-Media-Konzern übernommen hat. Das erklärte der ehemalige Leiter der Abteilung, der gegen seine Entlassung vor dem Hamburger Arbeitsgericht klagt.

Der einstige Chef der Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit sagte bei einem Gütetermin vor dem Gericht, die Auflösung des Teams – die an die der Niederlassung in Brüssel erinnert – beeinträchtige den Betrieb von Twitter in Deutschland. Es sei „sehr schwierig“, die externe Kommunikation auf Deutsch über die EMEA-Zentrale in Dublin abzuwickeln.

Der Anwalt von Twitter erwiderte, die Entlassung sei eine Folge von mehreren Umstrukturierungen des Unternehmens unter der neuen Führung. » | Quelle: Bloomberg/dpa | Dienstag, 13. Dezember 2022

Friday, December 09, 2022

Elon Musk Could Lose World’s Richest Person Title as Tesla Value almost Halves

THE GUARDIAN: Founder’s net worth down about $70bn after fall in electric car maker’s share price since he bid for Twitter

Tesla has lost nearly half its market value since its founder, Elon Musk, bid for Twitter in April, reducing his net worth by about $70bn and putting his title as world’s richest person at risk.

Shares in the electric car company traded at $340.79 on 13 April, the day before Twitter revealed in a securities filing that the billionaire had made a hostile bid to buy the social media company for $43.4bn. Since then the Tesla share price has plunged by 49% to $173.44 (£141.29), also due to concerns around disruptions at one of its factories in Shanghai. » | Julia Kollewe | Friday, December 9, 2022

Sunday, December 04, 2022

Zelensky Derides Musk’s Peace Proposal for Ukraine and Russia

During an interview at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine rebuked Elon Musk’s peace proposal that included ceding territory to Russia.

Friday, December 02, 2022

Hate Speech’s Rise on Twitter Is Unprecedented, Researchers Find

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Problematic content and formerly barred accounts have increased sharply in the short time since Elon Musk took over, researchers said.

Before Elon Musk bought Twitter, slurs against Black Americans showed up on the social media service an average of 1,282 times a day. After the billionaire became Twitter’s owner, they jumped to 3,876 times a day.

Slurs against gay men appeared on Twitter 2,506 times a day on average before Mr. Musk took over. Afterward, their use rose to 3,964 times a day.

And antisemitic posts referring to Jews or Judaism soared more than 61 percent in the two weeks after Mr. Musk acquired the site.

These findings — from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, the Anti-Defamation League and other groups that study online platforms — provide the most comprehensive picture to date of how conversations on Twitter have changed since Mr. Musk completed his $44 billion deal for the company in late October. While the numbers are relatively small, researchers said the increases were atypically high. » | Sheera Frenkel * and Kate Conger ** | Friday, December 2, 2022

* Sheera Frenkel writes about misinformation and social media platforms. ** Kate Conger reports on Twitter and Elon Musk.

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

"My Greatest Disappointment" Kara Swisher on Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover | DW News

Nov 29, 2022 | Kara Swisher is one of the most influential people in the US tech industry. In a conversation with DW’S bureau Chief Ines Pohl about Elon Musk's recent Twitter takeover Swisher said that the Tesla CEO is trying to ruin the social networking site's valuation so he can buy it up for cheap “and then own the whole company from the banks that lent him $13 Billion.” Swisher also said that employees left at Twitter after a recent slew of layoffs feel like hostages:

Many of those who stayed are “on visas or they don't have a choice...”. If Musk continues to create an "unsteady platform" through his leadership “Apple and Google can throw him off the app store", Swisher said, which would limit user access to Twitter.

Her biggest advice is to not take Elon Musk seriously: ”He's trying to call attention to the platform. He's essentially committing a traffic accident every day in order to get people interested in him.”


Sunday, November 20, 2022

Elon Musk Reinstates Trump’s Twitter Account

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Mr. Musk, who had asked Twitter users about whether to bring back the former president to the service, said, “The people have spoken.”

Former President Donald J. Trump at an event at Mar-a-Lago on Friday. His account returned to Twitter on Saturday. | Rebecca Blackwell/Associated Press

Elon Musk said on Twitter on Saturday that he would reinstate former President Donald J. Trump to the platform as part of a shake-up of the social media service, with Mr. Trump’s account quickly showing up again on the site.

Mr. Musk, who bought Twitter for $44 billion last month, had asked users on the platform starting late Friday afternoon about whether to allow Mr. Trump back onto the service. Twitter had barred Mr. Trump after the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol, saying his posts had run the risk of inciting violence.

More than 15 million votes were logged in answer to Mr. Musk’s question about whether to reinstate Mr. Trump, according to the results that Mr. Musk included in his tweet, with nearly 52 percent in favor of the former president returning to Twitter. Mr. Trump’s Twitter account went live shortly after, though the former president’s last tweet was from Jan. 8, 2021.

“The people have spoken,” Mr. Musk said on Twitter. “Trump will be reinstated.” He added the Latin phrase “Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” which roughly means that the voice of the people is the voice of God. » | Ryan Mac and Kellen Browning | Saturday, November 19, 2022

Saturday, November 19, 2022

Elon Musk’s Twitter Teeters on the Edge After Another 1,200 Leave

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Mr. Musk sent emails on Friday asking to learn about Twitter’s underlying technology as key infrastructure teams have been decimated.

Elon Musk sent a flurry of emails to Twitter employees on Friday morning with a plea.

“Anyone who actually writes software, please report to the 10th floor at 2 p.m. today,” he wrote in a two-paragraph message, which was viewed by The New York Times. “Thanks, Elon.”

About 30 minutes later, Mr. Musk sent another email saying he wanted to learn about Twitter’s “tech stack,” a term used to describe a company’s software and related systems. Then in another email, he asked some people to fly to Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco to meet in person.

Twitter is teetering on the edge as Mr. Musk remakes the company after buying it for $44 billion last month. The billionaire has pushed relentlessly to put his imprint on the social media service, slashing 50 percent of its work force, firing dissenters, pursuing new subscription products and delivering a harsh message that the company needs to shape up or it will face bankruptcy.

Now the question is whether Mr. Musk, 51, has gone too far. On Thursday, hundreds of Twitter employees resigned after Mr. Musk gave them a deadline to decide whether to leave or stay. So many workers chose to depart that Twitter users began questioning whether the site would survive, tweeting farewell messages to the service and turning hashtags like #TwitterMigration and #TwitterTakeover into trending topics. » | Ryan Mac, Mike Isaac and Kellen Browning | Friday, November 18, 2022

‘Economic Picture Ahead Is Dire,’ Elon Musk Tells Twitter Employees: In his first communications with Twitter’s staff, the company’s new owner painted a bleak picture as more executives resigned. »

Friday, November 18, 2022

Twitter ‘Closes Offices’ after Elon Musk’s Loyalty Oath Sparks Wave of Resignations

THE GUARDIAN: The tech company is struggling to retain workers after Musk demanded employees sign a pledge to work ‘long hours at high intensity’

The crisis at Twitter reached new heights on Friday as hundreds of employees were reported to have rejected Elon Musk’s ultimatum to keep working for the business, threatening its ability to keep operating.

As the company temporarily closed its offices to staff, Twitter users began saying their goodbyes and linking to accounts on other platforms.

#RIPTwitter, #TwitterDown, Mastodon and Myspace were all trending on the platform after the deadline passed on Musk’s ultimatum for the remaining workforce to sign up for “long hours at high intensity”, or leave. It has been estimated that hundreds of the remaining staff opted to go. » | Josh Taylor and agencies | Friday, November 18, 2022

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Elon Musk Gives Twitter Staff Deadline to Commit to Being ‘Hardcore’

THE GUARDIAN: Remaining staff given until Thursday to confirm they will work ‘long hours at high intensity’ as part of ‘the new Twitter’

Musk laid off 50% of Twitter’s 7,500-strong workforce within days of taking over the company.Photograph: Reuters

Elon Musk has given Twitter’s remaining staff a Thursday deadline to commit to working “long hours at high intensity” and being “extremely hardcore” or else leave with three months’ severance pay.

In an email to the social media platform’s employees, seen by the Guardian, its new owner said building the next iteration of Twitter would require exceptional performance.

“Going forward, to build a breakthrough Twitter 2.0 and succeed in an increasingly competitive world, we will need to be extremely hardcore. This will mean working long hours at high intensity. Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade,” Musk wrote.

The message asked staff to click on a link if they want to be “part of the new Twitter” by 5pm New York time (10pm GMT) on Thursday.

Anyone who has not affirmed their commitment by that deadline, Musk said, would receive three months of severance pay. » | Dan Milmo, Global technology editor | Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Friday, November 11, 2022

How Elon Musk Got Rich: The $230 Billion Myth | The Class Room ft. Second Thought

Jul 19, 2022 | Elon Musk spent decades building something big: himself. Musk managed to sell the world on a persona: the visionary genius billionaire working his hardest to save the the world. And it’s worked: the myth of Elon Musk has made him a lot of money. But what did it cost to get him there? And what does it mean that the richest man in the world build that wealth purely on an image of himself? We took a deep look into Musk’s entire career: court documents, SEC filings, and interviews to break down the story Elon tells about himself and how he leveraged it to accumulate wealth and power.

Exodus Continues at Twitter as Elon Musk Hints at Possible Bankruptcy

THE GUARDIAN: Departures of top figures handling safety, security, privacy and compliance come amid warnings from Federal Trade Commission

Elon Musk’s ownership of Twitter continues to shake up the social media platform. Illustration: Dado Ruvić/Reuters

As Elon Musk’s ownership of Twitter entered its third week, and following mass layoffs, the billionaire laid bare a delicate financial future for the social media platform, amid an exodus of top privacy and security executives.

Yoel Roth, the head of safety and integrity who had been deputized to publicly address concerns advertisers and users had about the platform, is reportedly the latest to leave the company.

The departures began on the same day Elon Musk addressed employees for the first time, saying that “bankruptcy isn’t out of the question”, according to multiple reports. » | Johana Bhuiyan | Friday, November 11, 2022

Saturday, November 05, 2022

Elon Musk Defends Twitter Layoffs - BBC News

Nov 5, 2022 | Elon Musk said he had ‘no choice’ but to slash staff numbers at Twitter, because the company is losing more than $4m (£3.5m) a day.

Half of the social media site’s staff are being let go, a week after the Tesla boss bought the company. An internal email sent on Friday said the mass job cuts were "unfortunately necessary to ensure the company's success moving forward".

Mr Musk has been looking for ways to cut costs and make more money on the platform, such as proposing verified users pay $8 (£7) per month to keep their blue tick.


Friday, November 04, 2022

Twitter Employees Sue over Elon Musk's Planned Mass Layoffs | DW News

Nov 4, 2022 | Twitter employees are suing the company in a class action lawsuit over mass layoffs expected to be carried out on Friday. The company, recently acquired by the world's richest man Elon Musk, told employees they would be notified about terminations via email. Twitter offices are closed for the day and badge access removed. While there has been no official announcement specifying the number of layoffs, US media reports say half of Twitter's 7,500 workforce could be let go.


Twitter sued by former staff as Elon Musk begins mass sackings: Ex-employees say they were not given enough notice under US federal law over job losses »

Monday, October 31, 2022

Elon Musk’s Paul Pelosi Tweet Proves He Has No Business Running Twitter

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: If Musk’s tweet doesn’t raise bright red warning signs all over the world about his judgment and character, I don’t know what will

‘Musk just demonstrated his willingness – no, eagerness – for Twitter to become a free-for-all hellscape.’ Photograph: Frederic J Brown/AFP/Getty Images

Just three days after Elon Musk bought Twitter, he posted a tweet promoting the baseless allegation that Paul Pelosi, the husband of the speaker of the House, who was assaulted on Friday at the couple’s home, had been drunk and in a fight with a male prostitute.

The police found Paul Pelosi, 82, attacked with a hammer inside his home by a man, David DePape, who had entered through the back door, seeking the speaker.

Musk’s tweet, later deleted, came in response to a tweet posted on Saturday by Hillary Clinton, attacking Republicans for spreading “hate and deranged conspiracy theories” that she said had emboldened the man who attacked Nancy Pelosi’s husband. » | Robert Reich | Monday, October 31, 2022

Elon Musk Spreads False Homophobic Conspiracy Theory About Paul Pelosi: While the Speaker of the House's husband was recovering from a violent attack, the richest man in the world was spreading false anti-LGBTQ+ conspiracy theories about him. »

Saturday, October 29, 2022

Twitter : Elon Musk n’est pas la solution

LE MONDE – ÉDITORIAL : Le rachat d’un réseau social par un milliardaire directement impliqué dans l’action politique est une première. Le risque de conflit d’intérêts est majeur.

Qu’allait-il faire dans cette galère ? Lorsque, cet hiver, Elon Musk s’est mis en tête de racheter le réseau social Twitter, ce fut l’étonnement général. Pourquoi l’homme le plus riche du monde dépenserait-il 44 milliards de dollars (44,1 milliards d’euros) pour prendre le contrôle d’un forum où il s’exprimait en toute liberté avec plus de 100 millions d’abonnés ? Pour défendre la liberté d’expression, répond ce libertarien, qui assure vouloir créer l’agora numérique du XXIe siècle, un forum de discussion libre et apaisé. Elon Musk a raison dans son constat, les réseaux sociaux se sont de plus en plus polarisés, envahis par les extrémistes, porteurs de haines, de manipulations et de brouhaha. Mais Elon Musk est-il la solution ? » | Éditorial « du Monde » | samedi 29 octobre 2022

Read in English.

Friday, October 28, 2022

Elon Musk Completes $44bn Twitter Takeover – BBC News


Related articles.

Elon Musk Completes Twitter Takeover and ‘Fires Top Executives’

THE GUARDIAN: The $44bn deal will give world’s richest man control of social media platform with more than 230m users

Elon Musk was previously determined to walk away from Twitter deal before surprise U-turn.Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Elon Musk has completed his $44bn takeover of Twitter, taking control of the company and reportedly firing several top executives, including the chief executive, Parag Agrawal.

The world’s richest man tweeted “the bird is freed”, in a reference to Twitter’s corporate logo, just hours before a court-ordered deadline to buy the business expired.

Shortly after taking the helm of Twitter, Musk reportedly ousted several senior figures, including Agrawal; Ned Segal, the chief financial officer; and Vijaya Gadde, the head of legal policy, trust and safety.

Agrawal and Segal were in Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters when the deal closed and were escorted out, Reuters reported. » | Kari Paul in San Francisco and Dan Milmo Global technology editor | Friday, October 28, 2022

How Twitter Will Change as a Private Company: The social media company went public in 2013. But Elon Musk is taking it private as part of his acquisition of the firm. Here’s what that means. »

Elon Musk Takes Twitter, and Tech Deals, to Another Level: Silicon Valley moguls used to buy yachts and islands. Now they are rich enough, and perhaps arrogant enough, to acquire companies they fancy. »

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Elon Musk Reverses decision to Stop Funding Satellite Services in Ukraine

After exclusive CNN reporting that SpaceX will no longer fund critical satellite services in Ukraine, Elon Musk says his company will "just keep funding Ukraine govt for free."#CNN #news

De l’Ukraine à Taïwan, l’agaçant généralissime Elon Musk

LE MONDE : Le milliardaire américain multiplie les initiatives géopolitiques et influe sur le conflit ukrainien avec son réseau d’Internet satellitaire Starlink. Au grand dam du président Zelensky.

Elon Musk, au Met Gala, à New York, le 2 mai 2022. DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS / AFP

Il propose un plan de paix pour l’Ukraine ; il suggère de créer une « zone administrative spéciale » pour régler le sort de Taïwan ; il veut rétablir Internet pour les Iraniennes en révolte contre les mollahs. Cet homme aux allures de « général en chef » n’est pas le président des Etats-Unis. Il s’agit d’Elon Musk, fondateur de SpaceX et patron de Tesla. A 51 ans, l’homme le plus riche du monde (200 milliards de dollars de fortune) tient forum sur Twitter (qu’il se propose toujours de racheter) et multiplie les initiatives géopolitiques qui font grand bruit, suscitant l’ire du président ukrainien, Volodymyr Zelensky, et les applaudissements de l’ambassadeur de Chine à Washington. » | Par Arnaud Leparmentier (New York, correspondant) | samedi 15 octobre 2022

Article réservé aux abonnés