Elon Musk, What's up with that dude?

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
The Ukrainian government basically told Elon Musk to F off when he posted his opinion to making peace with Russia...I guess he's taken their suggestion...

...

Next day he said he would continue to fund it, but it was certainly an excellent reminder of who the gift horse is
 

nivek

As Above So Below
This Atlantic writer is a loon...


Writer wants Elon Musk's company seized by US government if he pulls the plug on free internet for Ukraine

The Atlantic’s David Frum faced backlash on Twitter after he suggested the United States government should nationalize Elon Musk’s Starlink company to provide free internet to Ukraine during their war with Russia.

Frum argued on Monday that it is becoming too "unwise" to suspect that Musk will continue to provide Starlink satellite equipment to help Ukrainian citizens access the internet during Russia’s invasion of the country. To remedy this, he suggested the U.S. government should seize and nationalize the company if Musk ever plans to pull his satellites.

"It was always unreasonable, and is becoming unwise, to expect @elonmusk to provide Internet to Ukraine for free forever. Western allies should pay. And US should have a plan ready to nationalize Starlink fast if Musk cuts off Ukraine's connection to advance his political agenda," Frum tweeted.

He added, "There's abundant precedent for US government seizure of critical infrastructure during wars or national emergencies. Of course, reasonable compensation must be paid, per the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution."

Many social media users pushed back against Frum's proposal, calling it a "fascist" response.

"Nationalize a private industry for military purposes? Sounds a lot like fascism," journalist Ian Miles Cheong tweeted.

"The US should nationalize The Atlantic because David Frum and that publication are a threat to national security. If I’m ever elected, this will happen on Day 1," conservative radio host Jesse Kelly wrote.

Republican commentator Matt Whitlock explained, "This would be a great way to ensure private companies never go out of their way to lend a hand again - if their charity isn't extended indefinitely, the government can just take it over!"

Townhall.com columnist Derek Hunter tweeted, "Just below the surface, David is worse than you ever thought he was."

After the backlash, Frum responded by suggesting that critics of his tweets were "Elon-heads" who didn’t understand constitutional procedures.

"This 2-part thread ignited the Elon-heads, who think it's 'communist' for the federal government to follow procedures laid down by the Fifth Amendment," Frum wrote.


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AD1184

Celestial
This Atlantic writer is a loon...


Writer wants Elon Musk's company seized by US government if he pulls the plug on free internet for Ukraine

The Atlantic’s David Frum faced backlash on Twitter after he suggested the United States government should nationalize Elon Musk’s Starlink company to provide free internet to Ukraine during their war with Russia.

Frum argued on Monday that it is becoming too "unwise" to suspect that Musk will continue to provide Starlink satellite equipment to help Ukrainian citizens access the internet during Russia’s invasion of the country. To remedy this, he suggested the U.S. government should seize and nationalize the company if Musk ever plans to pull his satellites.

"It was always unreasonable, and is becoming unwise, to expect @elonmusk to provide Internet to Ukraine for free forever. Western allies should pay. And US should have a plan ready to nationalize Starlink fast if Musk cuts off Ukraine's connection to advance his political agenda," Frum tweeted.

He added, "There's abundant precedent for US government seizure of critical infrastructure during wars or national emergencies. Of course, reasonable compensation must be paid, per the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution."

Many social media users pushed back against Frum's proposal, calling it a "fascist" response.

"Nationalize a private industry for military purposes? Sounds a lot like fascism," journalist Ian Miles Cheong tweeted.

"The US should nationalize The Atlantic because David Frum and that publication are a threat to national security. If I’m ever elected, this will happen on Day 1," conservative radio host Jesse Kelly wrote.

Republican commentator Matt Whitlock explained, "This would be a great way to ensure private companies never go out of their way to lend a hand again - if their charity isn't extended indefinitely, the government can just take it over!"

Townhall.com columnist Derek Hunter tweeted, "Just below the surface, David is worse than you ever thought he was."

After the backlash, Frum responded by suggesting that critics of his tweets were "Elon-heads" who didn’t understand constitutional procedures.

"This 2-part thread ignited the Elon-heads, who think it's 'communist' for the federal government to follow procedures laid down by the Fifth Amendment," Frum wrote.


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David Frum is an inveterate neoconservative warmonger and former speech writer for George W. Bush, although he has now switched allegiances to the Democratic party.
 

AD1184

Celestial
I enjoyed this reasonable video analysis of Musk's peace proposal here:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz5dcKIUjp4


I don't agree with everything, but it at least critically evaluates Musk's Tweet without getting hysterical, unlike the liberal media and political establishments in their responses to it.

It makes the following points:

1) There are settlements available that leave both sides better off than if fighting continues until one side's military goals are fulfilled. Experts agree that a negotiated settlement is the likeliest outcome of the conflict. (The proposal for a negotiated settlement to be sought in preference to further conflict, then, is not ridiculous at all.)

2) Ukraine and Russia's calculations of the cost of war are currently in disagreement as to the fate of Crimea, thus until that disagreement is resolved through further conflict, Ukraine conceding Crimea to Russia as part of a peace settlement is a non-starter. (Although Zelensky's public remarks early in the war suggested that its ultimate fate was at that point open to negotiation.)

3) Any settlement that leaves Crimea in Russian hands must include a guarantee of water rights, so Musk was correct on that point.

4) Musk's stipulation about Ukrainian neutrality is complicated by the fact that Russia has incentivized Ukraine to break a commitment to neutrality and seek a military alliance with the west at the earliest opportunity. This issue is kicked down the road, however, by the fact that Russia's invasion has compromised Ukraine's borders, making it an unsuitable candidate for NATO membership in the near term due to the organization's membership criteria.

5) Musk's proposal for UN-monitored referenda to decide the fate of contested territories in the south and east is unworkable, and unjust due to demographic changes wrought by the conflict.

I agree strongly with points one, that beneficial settlement possibilities exist and that a settlement is the likeliest outcome, and five, that Musk's referendum proposal is silly (however, the idea of Ukraine ceding territory to Russia is not).

There are some lessons there about the suitability of an internet 'micro-blogging' service (i.e. Twitter) for trying to communicate serious policy proposals to the public and world leaders. Also, how your opponents will seize upon the worst aspect of a proposal (the referenda), so it is best to avoid going into extraneous detail to make a general point (that mediation is preferable to open conflict), especially if the detail has not been thought through too carefully. The overlying wisdom of urging a peaceful resolution to the conflict is still sound.

I think that the video creator overlooks a crucial aspect regarding points two and four: the role of outside influence. Yes, Ukraine is currently acting with confidence that it will be able to re-take Crimea from Russia. However, the Ukrainians' calculation hinges on a continued high level of western military support. Currently that support is given with very few strings attached, affording Ukraine the luxury of testing whether it is able to re-take Crimea. If the conditions attached to that support, or the amount of aid, were changed, then Ukraine's calculations about the achievability of their military aims would have to change also.

Similarly with point four. He says that Ukraine's membership of NATO is a national self-determination question. Not so. Membership of NATO is both invitation-only, and is also contingent on unanimous decision of existing members, in accordance with the clauses of its founding agreement. To frame the issue of Ukrainian membership of NATO as a national decision for Ukraine (as, sadly, too many commentators do), is a misrepresentation.

The long and short of it is that the war in Ukraine goes on, and Ukraine postpones making peace with Russia, because the United States government wills it to be so. Yes, Britain and the European countries are sending aid to Ukraine, but it is a relatively paltry amount. The other countries are giving military aid to Ukraine because they look to America for direction, and follow. If America were not sending so much aid to Ukraine, then the pressure would be off the European countries to follow suit. If the US ever sought to impose conditions on the help Ukraine was given such that it would have to consider negotiation, then the war would end shortly. Similarly, if the US did not want Ukraine in NATO, then the matter of Ukraine being in NATO would no longer be a live issue. The policy of NATO expansion, and NATO's 'open door' to new members, are the result of a decision taken essentially unilaterally by the Clinton White House in the 1990s. The other countries assent out of obeisance to the US. At the moment, US foreign policy has one aim in the current conflict: bleed Russia dry. Hence, fighting goes on, along with the global economic chaos, and the looming threat of escalation, that come with it.
 
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nivek

As Above So Below

'The Great Purge has begun': Twitter users report losing THOUSANDS of followers as Elon Musk formally takes over the platform - and sets to work on 'bot cleaning'

Twitter users are reporting a drop in followers hours after Musk completed the deal and reportedly fired top execs at Twitter's San Francisco HQ. It's possible people are losing Twitter followers because other users are deactivating their accounts in protest at Musk's purchase, described as 'The Great Purge' by one user (right). Other users speculated that Musk has already got to work at reducing the number of bots on the platform (left).

Twitter users report losing followers after Elon Musk takeover

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wwkirk

Divine
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has fired several top Twitter executives after officially taking control of the company Thursday evening.

A source with knowledge of the matter told FOX Business that Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, and Vijaya Gadde, head of legal policy, trust, and safety were fired. Musk had accused the three of misleading him and investors over the number of fake accounts on the platform.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dffGK2jju1c
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Was Robby the Robot in Lost in Space?


Robby the Robot appeared in two Lost in Space episodes, in “War of the Robots,” where Will finds and repairs him, and in “Condemned of Space” as a guard equipped with a freezing gun aboard the prison ship. Robby the Robot was created by Robert Kinoshita at the MGM Prop Department in 1955 for the movie Forbidden Planet.
 

nivek

As Above So Below

No-nonsense Twitter boss Elon Musk locks ALL offices as 7,500 staff prepare for 9am email that will decide their fate: Furious workers reveal they've been logged out of work laptops and removed from Slack - as 50% of workforce gets the shove

Elon Musk's mass layoffs at Twitter have begun, with the company warning staff to brace for firing notices by email as it temporarily seals all its offices. The company said in a memo on Thursday night that all employees will receive an email alert at 9am Pacific time Friday letting them know whether they still have a job at the company. Twitter said its offices will be temporarily closed and all staff badge access will be suspended in order 'to help ensure the safety of each employee as well as Twitter systems and customer data.' Staff reported access to their email and other communication software - such as Slack - had been cut, with little or no warning. They also reported being remotely logged out of laptops, which were wiped of data. Employees in London reported losing access overnight, finding they were unable to log in on Friday morning. One Twitter employee told Britain's BBC: '[My] MacBook remotely logged out, slack access gone, email gone.' 'If you are in an office or on your way to an office, please return home,' the staff memo said. 'In an effort to place Twitter on a healthy path, we will go through the difficult process of reducing our global workforce on Friday. 'We recognize that this will impact a number of individuals who have made valuable contributions to Twitter, but this action is unfortunately necessary to ensure the company's success moving forward.' As the layoffs began, sacked Twitter employees posted on the platform under the '#OneTeam' hashtag about their final hours at the company, expressing a mixture of sadness and gratitude for their time working there.

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AD1184

Celestial
What is Musk up to? His plan to charge for a blue tick is going to raise less than $40 million per year, at the most, or under a thousandth of what he spent on buying the company. He can expect to save perhaps another $350m per year by firing half the staff, but that is not really enough to claw back his $44bn investment.
 

nivek

As Above So Below

'There is no choice when the company is losing over $4M/day': Elon Musk defends firing 3,700 people in Twitter bloodbath - but points out he has offered employees three months severance, which 'is 50% more than legally required'

Elon Musk on Friday defended his move to fire 3,700 Twitter employees - insisting that he needed to half the workforce because the company was losing $4 million a day. He insisted terms were fair. Musk, the world's richest man, on Friday appeared at the Baron Investment Conference at the Metropolitan Opera House in Manhattan in high spirits and laughed about the number of enemies he had in front of New York's wealthiest investors. He was discussing his vision for Twitter and other companies when fellow billionaire Ron Baron joked how he would live forever, with Musk quipping: 'If I keep increasing that enemies list it might not be much longer.' Musk went on to say it would be 'deeply ironic if it was someone angry on Twitter that takes me out', before saying he could now remove them from the site. Just over an hour later almost half of the workforce at the social media giant received a blunt email telling them they were fired - will remaining on the payroll until at least January as he skirts California's workers' laws. Earlier Musk posted a furious message to woke users who caused a 'massive drop in revenue'. He said it was 'extremely messed up' and accused them of 'trying to destroy free speech in America' despite what he said were his best efforts to 'appease' the campaigners.

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nivek

As Above So Below

Biden takes on Elon Musk and Twitter's new content moderation: 'Spews lies all across the world'

President Biden mentioned Elon Musk and Twitter during a fundraiser Friday night, suggesting his acquisition of the platform could allow its users to spew "lies all across the world."

"Elon Musk goes out and buys an outlet that sends — that spews lies all across the world," Biden remarked. "There are no editors anymore in America. There are no editors."

The president seemed to suggest there was no longer any moderation on Twitter, a claim echoed by several others on the platform who are also critical of Musk.


(More on the link)

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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable

Biden takes on Elon Musk and Twitter's new content moderation: 'Spews lies all across the world'

President Biden mentioned Elon Musk and Twitter during a fundraiser Friday night, suggesting his acquisition of the platform could allow its users to spew "lies all across the world."

"Elon Musk goes out and buys an outlet that sends — that spews lies all across the world," Biden remarked. "There are no editors anymore in America. There are no editors."

The president seemed to suggest there was no longer any moderation on Twitter, a claim echoed by several others on the platform who are also critical of Musk.


(More on the link)

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ain't that the pot calling the kettle black
 

nivek

As Above So Below
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