Speculation on why Musk wants twitter…

[ElmerJFudd]

…and why he feels it’s worth what he’s paying.  
 

i don’t know him personally, but from observation I think we can agree he is smart, plays the long game, is not afraid to change his strategy.  He’ll work on something day and night and not sleep until it works.  
 

But why, in this case?  Has he ahead showed his hand?  Is it as simple as he believes there is room for growth?  The platform can be transformed with tech and features that are not yet realized?  Or does he need it to influence opinion to create a favorable environment for his other goals?  Is this how he gets to Mars, perhaps? 

Thoughts? 

[Anderton]

Well, wouldn't you like to own a publicity mouthpiece where you already have millions of followers? I'm sure he's noticed that others have parlayed Twitter into a never-ending publicity machine. Musk wants to be noticed, he wants to be a playa, and Twitter already exists. He can just take it over and stay in the public eye to an even greater degree.

 

As far as free speech is concerned, he'll soon discover that without guardrails, environments become toxic. At that point, it won't be clear whether having those people feeding his ego are worth the effort of cultivating them.

 

Another possibility is that he'll get bored with after a year, sell it, and go on to something else. Running social media is very different from participating in it. Just ask Dave Bryce  

[Doerfler]

Twitter is the most influential social media platform. He wants to be the center of attention.  He can afford it. 

[David Emm]

I retain my doubts about Elon because A) he tried to name his child with a modern hieroglyph and B) you could not give me a Tesla. I have an aversion to a lithium-ion battery that size experiencing strata failure and cooking my butt cheeks like a pair of turkeys. He too often comes across like the drunk Tony Stark of "Iron Man 2." I can easily admire some of his aims, but using a sports car as a test payload also makes him seem, um, questionable. Don't suggest that he could burn his logo into the Moon with a laser or he'll build it. 

 

My view on Twitter: even visiting it is like sticking your straw into a swamp for a slurp. I can't begin to second-guess someone who wants to buy it. Fortunately, I'm busy trying to figure out how to best apply a kazoo patch and a cimbalom in the same virtual room. So far, so weird.

[ajstan]

“I could technically afford it, but what I’m saying is this is not a way to sort of make money,” Mr. Musk said. “It’s just that I think that this is, my strong intuitive sense is that having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important.”

Elon Musk outlines vision for Twitter buy, teases a 'Plan B' - Washington Times

 

 

“Having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important to the future of civilization,” he said Thursday. “I don’t care about the economics at all.”

Elon Musk Makes Offer to Buy Twitter - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

[KuruPrionz]

Apparently, the board at Twitter accepted his $44 billion offer and now it is his. 

 

Nothing has changed for me, I will continue to ignore it for the most part. 

1 hour ago, David Emm said:

My view on Twitter: even visiting it is like sticking your straw into a swamp for a slurp. I can't begin to second-guess someone who wants to buy it. Fortunately, I'm busy trying to figure out how to best apply a kazoo patch and a cimbalom in the same virtual room. So far, so weird.

I own a Sharper Images Saxxy, which is a "digital kazoosythyzer thingie". 

It sounds like crap only worse. There are 3 jam loops on it, they are all annoying.

One time we plugged it into an Ampeg solid state bass head with well over 1,000 watts of power and 2 cabinets with folded 18" horns, 2 -10", 2- 6" and 2 tweeters each. 

Then we set the Saxxy for the tuba sound an octave down and hooted away as low as our human voices were capable of going. You could feel the air moving but it was below my hearing. 

The dog ran out of the room and cowered in the farthest corner of the backyard. Apparently we offended it's delicate sensibilities. 

 

That's what you need, not Twitter. 😇

[David Emm]

Dogs can hear someone spilling soup and cursing in Madrid, so I'd be mindful of exposing them to heavy-duty synth doings. They'll leave revenge poop on your pillows.

 

Despite the occasional outward appearance of plastic garbage, almost all electronic instruments have that one special sound that justifies the rest. Its like the legendary magic fuzz box that flies through guitarists' dreams.

[KuruPrionz]

54 minutes ago, David Emm said:

Dogs can hear someone spilling soup and cursing in Madrid, so I'd be mindful of exposing them to heavy-duty synth doings. They'll leave revenge poop on your pillows.

 

Despite the occasional outward appearance of plastic garbage, almost all electronic instruments have that one special sound that justifies the rest. Its like the legendary magic fuzz box that flies through guitarists' dreams.

It wasn't my dog or my amps, I went home and the dog stayed there. 

Yeah, the Saxxy has some cool sounding ugliness. Beauty alone is nothing, beauty amidst the grotesque bleakness of bad facsimile is stunning. 

I can create the grotesque bleakness if I need it. 

[ElmerJFudd]

1 hour ago, KuruPrionz said:

Apparently, the board at Twitter accepted his $44 billion offer and now it is his. 

 

Nothing has changed for me, I will continue to ignore it for the most part. 

I own a Sharper Images Saxxy, which is a "digital kazoosythyzer thingie". 

It sounds like crap only worse. There are 3 jam loops on it, they are all annoying.

One time we plugged it into an Ampeg solid state bass head with well over 1,000 watts of power and 2 cabinets with folded 18" horns, 2 -10", 2- 6" and 2 tweeters each. 

Then we set the Saxxy for the tuba sound an octave down and hooted away as low as our human voices were capable of going. You could feel the air moving but it was below my hearing. 

The dog ran out of the room and cowered in the farthest corner of the backyard. Apparently we offended it's delicate sensibilities. 

 

That's what you need, not Twitter. 😇

 

[KuruPrionz]

Here is a (thankfully) brief bit of Saxxy. She does use all 3 jam loops. Exactly like the abomination I own. 

 

 

[Anderton]

5 hours ago, David Emm said:

I have an aversion to a lithium-ion battery that size experiencing strata failure and cooking my butt cheeks like a pair of turkeys.

A friend of mine said anyone who buys an internal combustion car is making a mistake, because they'll be obsolete in 5 years. I said anyone who buys an electric car with lithium-ion batteries is making a mistake, because they'll be obsolete in 5 years.

 

Here's hoping my diesel VW holds out until the lithium-sulfur batteries hit the mainstream.

[ElmerJFudd]

“

“With Musk, his posturing of free speech — just leave everything up — that would be bad in and of itself,” said Paul Barrett, the deputy director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at New York University. “If you stop moderating with automated systems and human reviews, a site like Twitter, in the space of a short period of time, you would have a cesspool.” 

Google, Barrett pointed out, quickly learned this lesson the hard way when major companies like Toyota and Anheuser-Busch yanked their ads after they ran ahead of YouTube videos produced by extremists in 2015.”

 

https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-elon-musk-facebook-fc2598d6409997d4d5bccd09592eca98

 

[Doerfler]

this might be true but Twitter no longer needs to be profitable now that it is privately owned

[KuruPrionz]

7 minutes ago, Doerfler said:

this might be true but Twitter no longer needs to be profitable now that it is privately owned

No, it doesn't need to be profitable. 

It is entirely possible that it could evolve into a place that most prefer to ignore due to the "ally ally outs in free-yo" attitude Elon has shown so far. 

A dark, quiet little bit of nothing. At this point it could literally end up being anything. 

 

What will he do if it becomes an Elon Musk bashing site? That could happen too, fun!!!! Freedom has a cost, it's never free. 

[Doerfler]

3 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

 

It is entirely possible that it could evolve into a place that most prefer to ignore due to the "ally ally outs in free-yo" attitude Elon has shown so far. 

 

sure it's possible, wouldn't bet on that however. Twitter is THE most influential social media platform. Ownership change  is not going to affect that

[analogika]

9 hours ago, Anderton said:

A friend of mine said anyone who buys an internal combustion car is making a mistake, because they'll be obsolete in 5 years. I said anyone who buys an electric car with lithium-ion batteries is making a mistake, because they'll be obsolete in 5 years.

 

Here's hoping my diesel VW holds out until the lithium-sulfur batteries hit the mainstream.

A friend just had his car totalled by a tree during a storm and was forced to buy a new family car. 

 

It seems utterly absurd to buy a combustion engine car, new, at this point. But EVs simply aren't at the point yet where they satisfy the needs of most everybody, and it seems that tech iteration is happening just a bit too rapidly yet to hold value. 

[KuruPrionz]

9 minutes ago, Doerfler said:

sure it's possible, wouldn't bet on that however. Twitter is THE most influential social media platform. Ownership change  is not going to affect that

Like MySpace used to be and then Fakebook? 😇

[Anderton]

4 hours ago, analogika said:

It seems utterly absurd to buy a combustion engine car, new, at this point. But EVs simply aren't at the point yet where they satisfy the needs of most everybody, and it seems that tech iteration is happening just a bit too rapidly yet to hold value. 

 

...and this is why used cars were invented  Frankly, my VW is 23 years old. It replaced my 1966 VW. It works. It's happy. It gets great gas mileage. And I should buy a new car because..........?

 

Although I must admit I'm excited that VW has trademarked "eBeetle."

[Anderton]

4 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

Like MySpace used to be and then Fakebook? 😇

 

The interwebz are fickle. I'm thankful that Musicplayer.com is not only here, but growing, and with a roadmap for the future. Amazing.

[ajstan]

4 hours ago, analogika said:

A friend just had his car totalled by a tree during a storm and was forced to buy a new family car. 

 

It seems utterly absurd to buy a combustion engine car, new, at this point. But EVs simply aren't at the point yet where they satisfy the needs of most everybody, and it seems that tech iteration is happening just a bit too rapidly yet to hold value. 

While I think it will be decades until ICE vehicles are obsoleted due to fueling/charging infrastructure, limited battery production (including materials/reclamation/recycling), vehicle manufacturing facilities/processes, and more, EVs are a current, viable alternative for many, although far from viable for most. 

 

Here were the top five best-selling cars in California in 2021:

1. Toyota Camry: 61,599 units
2. Tesla Model Y: 60,394 units
3. Honda Civic: 59,818 units
4. Toyota RAV4: 59,153 units
5. Tesla Model 3: 53,572 units

https://electrek.co/2022/02/09/tesla-dominates-car-sales-california-with-impressive-growth-in-2021-2-top-5-best-selling-cars/

 

Overall, the 10 best-selling battery-electric vehicles in the U.S. in 2021 were:

1. Tesla Model Y — 193,454 (est.) 
2. Tesla Model 3 — 107,932 (est.) 
3. Ford Mustang Mach-E — 27,140 
4. Chevrolet Bolt EV/EUV — 24,828 
5. Volkswagen ID.4 — 16,742 
6. Nissan Leaf — 14,328 
7. Audi e-tron — 10,891 
8. Porsche Taycan — 9,419 
9. Tesla Model S — 8,000 (est.) 
10. Tesla Model X — 7,500 (est.) 

https://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2022/01/ev-sales-jumped-83-in-u-s-in-2021-tesla-still-on-top/

 

Still, plug-in EVs are only around 3% of total new car sales in the US.

 

While I was never that into cars and have stuck to Hondas and Subarus for build quality and longevity (I tend to keep my vehicles for 10 years or more), I got a Model Y a little over two months ago and so far, I would never go back to ICE as long as I had the choice.  I have to admit that the overall Tesla experience seems like it was designed with my preferences in-mind and the inherent drawbacks of EVs aren't that big of a deal to me, so I may be even more enthusiastic about it than most.  If you're considering an EV, feel free to PM me with any questions you may have.

 

Tesla currently has the upper hand with its experience, dedicated factories, and supercharger network, but there are several interesting alternatives emerging to provide competition.  As long as you have a way to charge at-home and have charging stops along your travel route for longer trips, it can be a transformative driving and travel experience. 

 

[Anderton]

I'm interested in an EV because I do a lot of short drives, it's not like I drive cross-country all the time. I'm not sure about charging where I live, nor am I sold on the idea of a long extension cord from my second floor down to the ground.

 

ICEs aren't going away soon, but I love the experience of EVs. The acceleration alone is awesome.

[Doerfler]

Betting against Musk has made fools of many in recent years.

[JohnG11]

Well, shares in Tesla have just plummeted by over 100Bn$, so clearly his investors there don't think much of it.

The EU has reminded him that completely "free speech" has to be moderated to exclude all the "crazies"!

The new laws being passed there will make it mandatory, or up to 6% of global turnover could be forfeit for every breach.

[Anderton]

24 minutes ago, JohnG11 said:

Well, shares in Tesla have just plummeted by over 100Bn$, so clearly his investors there don't think much of it.

 

I think the slide was beginning before the Twitter flap. Tesla is down almost 25% since January, but it had a big runup before the end of the year, so it may just be getting back to "normal." And after the drop you mentioned, it's ticking back up again...so who knows? Overall, Tesla's stock keeps moving up, whether you look at the 50 or 200-day moving average. 

 

I think now might be a good time to buy Apple, though...

[KuruPrionz]

4 hours ago, Doerfler said:

Betting against Musk has made fools of many in recent years.

Many but not all. Fools are abundant, Musk or no and there is nothing to rule out the possibility that Musk is also a fool. He would not be the first successful and intelligent person to have flaws. 

 

Musk is touting a loosening of moderation, "freedom of speech". 

If he truly means that Twitter will be home base for Russian Propaganda, Angry People of All Political Persuasions, Chinese Propaganda, Religious Fanatics, People Who Love To Discuss Every and All Sexual Variations (which is a sexual variation itself) and a bunch of whiny snivelers who have nowhere else to go but Craigslist Rants and Raves and now have an international forum, just for them. 

In other words, as overwhelmed as Twitter was before with attempts at freedom of speech, now it's "Ally Ally Outs in Free-yo."

Not sure about you but I get bored quickly. 

 

And no, for the most part I don't care what people have to say. I used to process and print film for Law Enforcement and Medical, there's nothing you can mention that I haven't seen. 

Our motto was "As Long As I Don't Have To Smell It."

 

MPN is just about the only forum I ever look at and it is the only one where I post. Because it is very well moderated and the overall population is a size that is manageable. This is a place where people interested in all aspects of music can share their knowledge, learn new things, make new friends and grow as musicians and people. I find it a valuable resource. 

The "Human Sewer"? Not so much, none for me thanks. 

 

I suspect that despite Musk's insistence on "freedom of speech" he will have to decide if he wants to keep Twitter alive and adjust accordingly. Maybe he doesn't really care much about billions of dollars and thinks it will be one of the world's greatest practical jokes to show everybody who they truly are. That would be pretty funny, I'll just observe from a distance. 

[KenElevenShadows]

On 4/26/2022 at 7:03 AM, ElmerJFudd said:

“

“With Musk, his posturing of free speech — just leave everything up — that would be bad in and of itself,” said Paul Barrett, the deputy director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at New York University. “If you stop moderating with automated systems and human reviews, a site like Twitter, in the space of a short period of time, you would have a cesspool.” 

Google, Barrett pointed out, quickly learned this lesson the hard way when major companies like Toyota and Anheuser-Busch yanked their ads after they ran ahead of YouTube videos produced by extremists in 2015.”

 

https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-elon-musk-facebook-fc2598d6409997d4d5bccd09592eca98

 

 

I was going to point this out, but you beat me to it. This is the last way you would want something to be "maximally trusted". You would be filled with scams, spam, misinformation, rudeness, and more.

 

Every major social media and forum platform discovered this long ago. But Musk is going to spend $44 billion to find this out for himself.

 

 

[KuruPrionz]

It's not quite a "done deal" yet, there are hoops to jump through. I don't know what will happen, time will tell. 

 

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/musks-twitter-44-b-twitter-bid-still-faces-these-legal-hurdles-144747838.html

[RABid]

In my 60+ years I have never seen censorship at such a high level. From Amazon refusing the purchase of hosting services to groups that the owner does not agree with to Disney going all out on seasonal celebrations and marketing yet not allowing employees to utter the words Merry Christmas. It is really crazy out there right now. Shut them down or shout them down, but don't let them speak. If he is truly going to enforce free speah I will start using Twitter.

[RABid]

When hotels start providing charging stations so you can charge your car overnight I think electric cars will take off.

[Anderton]

2 hours ago, RABid said:

In my 60+ years I have never seen censorship at such a high level.

 

I'm not sure it's about censorship as much as it is about power and influence. To me, the whole Disney-Florida kerfuffle is just a juvenile pissing contest between alleged adults.

 

The bigger problem I see is not a lack of free speech, but the lack of using free speech to foster discussions. It seems to me like free speech has come to mean "I have the right to yell out my position, and anyone who doesn't agree can go to hell." In my ideal world, free speech would mean that people could engage freely in productive discussions designed to solve problems, and that would be furthered by people being able to say their opinions without fear of immediately being shut down.

 

Then again, I've always been in favor of free speech, because it allows the idiots to identify themselves to the public at large. As soon as you suppress Stoopid Talk, people can't help but wonder if maybe they're saying something intelligent. Let them speak, so you can find out just how stupid they are.