Elon Musk and Twitter Reach Deal for Sale (Update: WSJ report details Musk’s relationship with Putin) (1 Viewer)

[SaintForLife]

Elon Musk struck a deal on Monday to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion, in a victory by the world’s richest man to take over the influential social network frequented by world leaders, celebrities and cultural trendsetters.

Twitter agreed to sell itself to Mr. Musk for $54.20 a share, a 38 percent premium over the company’s share price this month before he revealed he was the firm’s single largest shareholder. It would be the largest deal to take a company private — something Mr. Musk has said he will do with Twitter — in at least two decades, according to data compiled by Dealogic.

“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Mr. Musk said in a statement announcing the deal. “Twitter has tremendous potential — I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.”

The deal, which has been unanimously approved by Twitter’s board, is expected to close this year, subject to a vote of Twitter shareholders and certain regulatory approvals.

The blockbuster agreement caps what had seemed an improbable attempt by the famously mercurial Mr. Musk, 50, to buy the social media company — and immediately raises questions about what he will do with the platform and how his actions will affect online speech globally.

Elon Musk and Twitter Reach Deal for Sale

Twitter agreed to be taken over at $54.20 a share, a 38 percent premium over the share price before it was revealed that Mr. Musk had been buying up the company’s stock.

www-nytimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org

If Musk does what he claims he wants to do it will be a big improvement and good for free speech.

 

[MT15]

This is the man Musk smeared as a pedophile with zero proof:

 

[SaulGoodmanEsq]

It's kind of sad this guy has all the money in the world but this is how he spends his free time.

 

[SaulGoodmanEsq]

Good ol' Twitter working as intended I see:

(For those that don't know, Mike Leach is the head football coach at Mississippi State who had some kind of medical emergency last night that has rendered him in apparently critical condition at the hospital. It's somewhat odd that no one close to him or the university is elaborating further so there's rampant speculation on his actual condition.)

 

[zztop]

Musk's Twitter disbands its Trust and Safety advisory group

Elon Musk's Twitter has dissolved its Trust and Safety Council, the advisory group of around 100 independent civil, human rights and other organizations that the company formed in 2016 to address hate speech, child exploitation, suicide, self-harm and other problems on the platform.

apnews.com

 

[SaulGoodmanEsq]

So now I'm seeing yellow check marks on Twitter. I guess this is what blue check marks used to be but he trivialized those to make $8/month from rubes? So... just pick another color? I can't comprehend how this dude is the richest man in the world.

 

[Optimus Prime]

More than 30 million users are expected to leave Twitter over the next two years as concerns mount over technical issues and the proliferation of offensive content after Elon Musk’s $44bn takeover, according to a forecast.

The number of global monthly users is predicted to fall by nearly 4% next year and 5% in 2024 – more than 32 million in total – in the first annual declines forecast by the market research agency Insider Intelligence since it began tracking the social media platform in 2008.

“There won’t be one catastrophic event that ends Twitter,” a principal analyst at Insider Intelligence, Jasmine Enberg, said. “Instead, users will start to leave the platform next year as they grow frustrated with technical issues and the proliferation of hateful or other unsavoury content…….

Twitter ‘to lose 32m users in two years after Elon Musk takeover’

Forecast predicts people will leave platform over technical problems and spread of hate speech

www.theguardian.com

 

[MT15]

What I am seeing most often right now is virulent anti-vaccine content. It’s really horrible. And rather than controlling the bots, RW bots seem to be proliferating. It’s just awful. Lots of threats of violence over vaccines. With Musk amplifying this, I don’t even bother to report. It’s useless.

I reported several violent threats within the last few weeks, I am talking very specific threats directed at real people, by RW accounts, only to be told that they didn’t break Twitter rules.

So, in two cases I sent a DM to an advertiser that appeared near a threat, with a link to the tweet so they can see what they are being associated with. I got a message from Twitter that my account showed “suspicious activity”. Lol. First time I’ve ever seen that. It said my account would be locked but it wasn’t. I think messages are maybe just firing randomly.

Twitter is a mess.

 

[Bigdaddysaints]

physical threats are just free speech. Threats of hurting Musks advertising dollars is "wokeness" and anti-1st admendment..

 

[coldseat]

This is a good article, but I don't agree with their conclusion. While crying outrage or trying to shame doesn't work, neither does trying to make a factual argument or validating their points in any way. The best thing to do is to recognize what it is and either ridicule them or ignore them. That's really the only play to deal with right wing trolls. You can discuss and argue valid points and criticism of anything with people who are wiling to have rational discussions, but trying to engage right wing trolls in any discussion is pointless. And Elon Musk has transformed himself into right wing troll #1.

================
Instead, Masnick suggests, liberals should acknowledge that Twitter has at times erred in exercising overly heavy-handed moderation against such voices. One can do this while disputing Musk’s big argument that this was all a deliberate plot and instead arguing that those were genuine missteps during fast-moving and difficult-to-navigate controversies.

In cases such as Musk’s ugly attack on Fauci, Masnick notes, critics should avoid any hint of suggesting the topic in question should not be discussed at all. Instead, Masnick says, the focus should be on the actual facts of the situation and the potential harm that incendiary and unsupported allegations can inflict, such as inciting violence.
“It’s tough, because you’re walking a fine line,” Masnick told me. “There’s no perfect solution.”

There is probably no good or easy answer here. But one thing is clear: Outrage and shaming aren’t nearly enough.
================

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/12/musk-fauci-right-wing-information-warfare-how-to-respond/

 

[el caliente]

Twitter isn't a legitimate news outlet. It's a pie fight:

It truly is the worst of society fighting for legitimacy.

 

[MT15]

Free speech. Unless Musk doesn’t like it:

 

[Bigdaddysaints]

Free speech. Unless Musk doesn’t like it:

I remember when he offered the guy a ton of money to take it down, and he refused. If anyone really believes Musk is for freedom of speech, i'd like to hear a defense of him about this.

 

[SaulGoodmanEsq]

The irony of the above:

 

[Bigdaddysaints]

I am actually surprised he hadn't come back woth somr stupid "excuse" on why he suspended the account. i am surprised he s able to wait this long..

 

[MT15]

As this guy says:

 

[SaulGoodmanEsq]

Even the infamous DefiantLs calling Elon out. Hilarious to see all the Elon drones bash DefiantLs in the comments, too.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Elon Musk failed to cast a ballot in November’s midterms after pledging he would vote Republican and urging his 120 million-strong army of Twitter followers to do so, according to election records.

Mr Musk, who is registered to vote in Cameron County, Texas, where his SpaceX firm has a launch facility at Boca Chica, has become an enthusiastic Republican booster since his $44bn acquisition of Twitter first began in April……

Elon Musk didn’t vote in the midterms despite telling followers to back Republicans

Election records in Cameron County, Texas, show no record of the Twitter CEO voting in November’s midterms

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Bigdaddysaints]

Even the infamous DefiantLs calling Elon out. Hilarious to see all the Elon drones bash DefiantLs in the comments, too.

for someone who like to talk, Musk sure is quiet on this...