Elon Musk: Tech Genius! Green Warrior! Biz King! Good Oligarch?

This was posted in the other Musk thread:

cassiopaea.org

Elon Musk: Tech Genius! Green Warrior! Biz King! Good Oligarch?

https://southfront.org/spacex-embeds-with-us-military-as-pentagon-admits-losing-technological-edge/ I read this article that describes the SpaceX-Pentagon relationship. The author writes that the Pentagon has borrowed a few SpaceX rockets to launch spy satellites. Not only that, but the...
cassiopaea.org cassiopaea.org

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,” Musk said in a statement announcing the purchase. “I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans.
Click to expand...
I actually don't buy this one bit and I'm especially wary of the 'authenticating all humans' part. Truth Social was mentioned at the end of the other thread - Tim Pool says it is dead (shrug) - I think this Musk/twitter business is possibly a response to that and also that a lot of people had moved to things like Telegram, which as far as I know isn't that overtly controlled.

I personally think it might be some kind of trap. Fwiw.

Since we are in an information war, it isn't quite the same as this...


edit added: I'd personally be wary of this change in twitter and consider it as possibly some kind of real deception.

Not that I'm sure that this last quote from the recent C's session directly applies to this, but I'd be awake and aware to any possibilities in relation to any social media...

A: Be aware that you are currently under attack by forces that wish to silence you and end your exertions on behalf of your group in specific and the planet in general. These forces are getting desperate and will attempt to use any inroad possible. Be awake and alert at all times. Any disputes or disagreements can be easily blown out of proportion to your destruction. And then, when the negative energy is withdrawn, the devastation left will be amplified by the knowledge that it was all a deception. [Planchette swirls around and around for about 45 seconds] You have been warned. Do not take this lightly. Communicate and listen. It will take all of you together to navigate these dangers!!! Goodbye.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
As a billionaire tech guru, if he wanted a "free speech platform", the easiest would be to create one. He has the devotion of brainless tech nerds left and right so that wouldn't be a problem to have following. It looks more like a rescue of a sinking ship or a publicity stunt.
 
Another way to look at it is if Musk turns out to be our billionaire-lord-and-savior would him pointing Twitter in the 'correct' direction change anything? Probably not right? That is to say, in the best case scenario, I'm not betting on a hugely positive outcome.

I agree with @mkrnhr this all seems like a publicity stunt. If anything, it feels like the mouse hope experiment. Just before people lose all hope Big-Tech-Data-Business, they give us Musk as it's helping hand savior, only to throw us back into the water once we've recovered our senses.


He then placed them back into the buckets and started the experiments all over again. And he discovered that his hypothesis was right. When the rats were placed back into the water they swam and swam, for much longer than they had the first time they were placed in the buckets. The only thing that had changed was that they had been saved before, so had hope this time.
Click to expand...
 
Expedition26 said:
I’m just excited for Trump to come back with a vengeance. Let the sh*t talking commence!

But seriously, Musk is absolutely part of the deep state. Just another decoy.
Click to expand...
Part as someone who is used... I don't even think he is in the same box as Bill Gates who is also used.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pat
Well, I am not sure if Musk acquiring Twitter will change its policies. I daresay that some of these large conglomerates have kind of a life of their own by now and change of leadership won't mean change of the overall direction and momentum that the platform has. It's like changing foreign policy in the US by elections, it's virtually impossible... but who knows.

I also don't think that Musk would anger the very loud left and make them leave the platform, I also don't think that he can change things all that much as far as how news get reported or what information disappears or is obscured.

With these very large purchases, I tend to be rather skeptic and maybe even a bit pessimistic if not indifferent, and perhaps his goal isn't to change policies drastically for the sake of freedom of speech, maybe he simply wants to install twitter on his Tesla vehicles or something.

And also, just caught Trump saying he won't be back to Twitter, so... no covfefe unfortunately :P
 
Michael B-C said:
Apparently its 'a done deal - apparently.

If so, is this a case of the people's favorite billionaire fighting back and rescuing free speech from the clutches of cancel culture wokedom or is it the first big-league move by a front-man who happens to be a very clever player of people's emotions (mooted by some to be a secret eugenicist with a nefarious long-term plan in mind. I mean look up at the night sky!) One man strikes back or the Empire reveals a hand? Or neither? Or both... or something...

Timing is everything and these are very interesting times for this to happen in. So if its truly done, why now? 'Who' allowed this? What does this say about the hitherto seemingly untouchable tech Goliath's? etc, etc

What do you think?

Click to expand...
How the platform is going to be used in a following short period of time will tell about why now. Will twitter survive as a platform? I’d say yes, but it will look look like an overgrown garden, the best environment where true information will be ableto be communicated but will never be taken seriously or where all information having the same objective value will stir wars of words around artificial constructs. It will be interesting lo listen to the twitter silence, or to the non productive tweets.
How close to the current source of all high level discontent is Elon? 😉
 
Had to check on the share offering again, yup it was 43 'B'illion, wherein a little over a week ago Saudi Prince Al Waleed had complained the offer was low. I guess its a steal for Musk? However dollar figures with B's seem strange, hard to get my head around. Had recalled in the mid eighties there was a very large corporate sale (oil/gas & mining) that was a substantial company with vast holdings that employed many hardworking people supporting communities. People were aghast at the sale price of 30-million; it was just unheard of. This sale (for shares - "$54.20 per share in cash" - that is before it all goes cashless) is one Billion x 43, which is a big stack, and for what exactly...? Yes, Twitter.

By contrast, silly as it is, brought my mom in to pick up her taxes (a senior no less), and she was overjoyed to get back $153.49. The tax accountant filing had cost her $189 and change, including taxes. She came ahead for once ;) But these Billions, they can be hard to understand, tricky, especially when they roll of the press to pay in cash.

In an older session four years ago, Laura had said; not exactly about Twitter however:

(L) Yeah, it's like using a laser to make the cat go this way, and then make the cat go that way... This way, and that way. The whole world is being teased with a laser light.
Click to expand...

which was prefaced by:

Q: (L) It's part of the big freaking farce that they're putting on to keep everyone occupied, distraught, distracted, destabilized, exhausted…
Click to expand...

From covid to Ukraine to Musk's Twitter and everything in-between (including Hollywood's big slap), it kind of feels like that some days, this way and that way.

mkrnhr said:
It looks more like a rescue of a sinking ship or a publicity stunt.
Click to expand...

Yes, see what you mean, and an expensive stunt at that.
 
Well, I'm calling it. Elon Musk is our Lord and Saviour.

I don't mean this in some metaphorical sense. He, literally, is wearing white robes and has a shining halo of light, even the most brilliant white aura of anyone on the planet, or even the Universe. He is the Divine Cosmic Mind incarnate. Or as it shall henceforth be known, simply the Elon.

I no longer need to do anything at all. I'm quitting my job and will wait blissfully at home until the appointed representatives of the new Elonocracy arrive at my house to advise how I will be provided for and what role I will have in the New Elon-based World Order. I'm very much hoping for a ministering role in the clergy of Elonianity. Sorry folks, PaleoChristianity has been real, but I very much prefer the endless idealised adoration of a benevolent daddy figure who will remove every trace of suffering from my life with his advanced technomagic.

And as for those unbelievers that see Elon only as a nefarious Demiurge/Ahriman, I feel sad and sorry for you in that you will never know the beatific tranquility of accepting Elon into your heart and being truly Uplinked Again. Or receiving a free Tesla that will help to cleanse the planet of every trace of polluting carbon.

Well, gotta go, I've got paeans of Twitter threads to write proclaiming the glory of our New Lord.

He Is Risen! E-lallelujah! E-lallelujah!
 
Alejo said:
Well, I am not sure if Musk acquiring Twitter will change its policies. I daresay that some of these large conglomerates have kind of a life of their own by now and change of leadership won't mean change of the overall direction and momentum that the platform has. It's like changing foreign policy in the US by elections, it's virtually impossible... but who knows.

I also don't think that Musk would anger the very loud left and make them leave the platform, I also don't think that he can change things all that much as far as how news get reported or what information disappears or is obscured.

With these very large purchases, I tend to be rather skeptic and maybe even a bit pessimistic if not indifferent, and perhaps his goal isn't to change policies drastically for the sake of freedom of speech, maybe he simply wants to install twitter on his Tesla vehicles or something.

And also, just caught Trump saying he won't be back to Twitter, so... no covfefe unfortunately :P
Click to expand...

Someone said somewhere that the best thing Musk could do would be to destroy the whole thing and send the blue-check echochamber to hell where it belongs. I agree. The whole thing is bad.

The thing is, a "free speech platform" is impossible. There will always be "censorship", it just depends whether it's the right kind (from our current perspective) or not. Would you run an "all-inclusive" platform and not moderate? Would you allow the Gender Queer stuff to dominate the platform just because it's popular among users? Or because it makes money? Or because the algorithm happens to favor it? Would you allow nutjob bubbles to form that may lead to kids "transitioning"? Where would you draw the line? "Free speech absolutism" is an abstract fiction. At the end of the day, it depends on the individuals and how mature they are (or not).

You also can't just shift the problem to "the law", because then you have the same issue: what laws do you want to pass that control algorithms and moderation policies?

And what do you do about the army of bots? Or paid propagandists who post idiotic things and upvote each other? What do you do about human nature!?

Not saying that you couldn't improve Twitter overnight by stopping shadowbanning common sense, by removing the stupid warnings etc. But a tech platform monopoly that wants to be "the public square" is a non-starter in the first place. Instead, like-minded people with a common goal should band together: see how that works on platforms like locals or substack. And even that is probably too much "platform" - why not just go back to having "personal websites"? Those were the days... But then, you have Google as the gatekeeper, and you run into the same problem. Someone has to engineer the algorithm and moderate... Just depends on whether it's the good guys or the bad guys.

All I'm saying is that Musk is not our savior for many reasons, one being that Twitter will never be an impossible "free speech utopia", and always reflect the opinions of those running the show.

Dunno, just some musings. At least, the leftist freak-out about it all is mildly amusing. One German blue-check leader tweeted "Expropriate Elon Musk!!!" :headbash:
 
Maybe his reasons are more trivial than nefarious. Looking at how Tesla's value is inflated, this might be his strategy to diversify without crashing Tesla stock:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1518751932080291840
So far he's really enjoying tech bubbles and using his recognition to pump and dump various markets (playing on SEC's nose). Most probably, there is also Krugger-Dunning involved in his case, and he really thinks that he could improve something that is a failed design, just as Scottie wrote in another thread:
Scottie said:
Elon Musk perfectly illustrates the problem: Build a bunch of electric cars, sell them with gov't help, then when someone points out that giving an electric car to everyone would collapse the power grid, he says, "Oh, yeah. It would collapse. We need better energy sources."

Well, DUH! You mean to tell me that nobody thought about that in the beginning? Of course they didn't! Their thinking is all powered by fairy dust and unicorn tears.
Click to expand...

luc said:
Not saying that you couldn't improve Twitter overnight by stopping shadowbanning common sense, by removing the stupid warnings etc. But a tech platform monopoly that wants to be "the public square" is a non-starter in the first place. Instead, like-minded people with a common goal should band together: see how that works on platforms like locals or substack. And even that is probably too much "platform" - why not just go back to having "personal websites"? Those were the days... But then, you have Google as the gatekeeper, and you run into the same problem. Someone has to engineer the algorithm and moderate... Just depends on whether it's the good guys or the bad guys.
Click to expand...
I fully agree that this is the optimal solution: federation. There is a lot going on in that field in the shadow of big tech giants, more and more projects are starting to be really user-friendly (for example Matrix, Manyverse, or Syncthing), and provide ready-made solutions to create local social networks, and even bridge them globally.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Trending content

Back
Top Bottom