A nonprofit organization that researches links between social media, hate and extremism has been threatened with a lawsuit by X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
A nonprofit organization that researches links between social media, hate and extremism has been threatened with a lawsuit by X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
When he was just running Tesla and SpaceX, and generally keeping his mouth shut he seemed okay. It was around Hyperloop that he started to show his true self.
"By 'free speech,' I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law."
-- Musk Tweeted that after getting criticized for censoring Twitter in Turkey and India. So apparently if North Korea allowed Twitter, he'd happily censor away since that would be the law.
The good ol "Everything I say has super smart and deep meaning that needs to be explained everytime I make seemingly absurd, contradictory and short-sighted comments." What a deep, mysterious and nuanced fellow.
In order to win a libel suit it is my understanding they must prove the claims to be false. So if this goes to court they could end up proving in court that it is a matter of fact provable that Twitter has become more toxic since Musk took over. And then they would win. That would be brilliant.
That would require the researchers to be able to afford a lengthy trial, which I'm guessing they can't. Rich people do this shit to scare people out of going to trial.
Good thing there are plenty of good lawyers that would cream their pants to take up a high profile slam dunk case like this pro bono or on contingency.
Can Twitter afford it? They don't have any accountants anymore and they may be the ones who will go in the shitter against a lengthy trial. Their ad incentive program had like only 5 mil available and Musk became neutered the moment he had to pay 100 million to the disabled guy he was about to fire.
This is clearly a SLAPP lawsuit. Since civil penalties and fines don't matter to Musk it seems the only way to enforce good behavior is with criminal ones.
Elon Musk's slow transformation into Donald Trump is as disturbing as it is fascinating. Not much good at anything, but incredible at self-promotion so people think he is; obsessed with Twitter and conspiracy theories, then becoming a right-wing demagogue; refusing to pay people he owes and suing anyone who looks sideways at him. Few would have predicted this 10 years ago.
Once upon a time he did seem to be okay (as far as billionaires can be).
Musk almost seemed philanthropic with his ventures of bringing forward the future with SpaceX and Tesla. Then almost suddenly he started to be vocal about certain politics and various bad practices came to light in how he behaved or treat his workforce.
In fact, it's only until relatively recently it seems where the ultra wealthy seemed to be quite under the radar. Bezos, for example. Before and during his divorce you never really heard much about him. He seemed pretty likable in many ways. Then suddenly that changed, the media perception shifted and these people started getting lots of publicity and they were clearly unable to curate their image any longer.
In the letter, attorney [for Twitter] Alex Spiro questioned the expertise of the researchers and accused the center of trying to harm X’s reputation. The letter also suggested, without evidence, that the center received funds from some of X’s competitors
The thing that most stands out to me about Musk and his ilk isn't their hate - it's their cowardice.
If they would actually own their hate, I'd have some bare modicum of respect for them. At least then it would be a principled stance. A loathsome one to be sure, but at least principled.
But they're too cowardly and weak-willed for that. They're all telling it like it is and going their own way and fuck your feelings right up until someone calls them out on it, then they instantly turn into weepy schoolgirls moaning about how picked on and persecuted they are.
It's projection.
They shout about 'snowflakes' and 'freedom of speech'. Or screech about 'wokeness' and all the other nonsense.
It's only to deflect from the fact that they're the snowflakes.
Most of them are too stupid to realise that's what they're doing. They're too embarrassed to admit (often to even themselves) that they have no idea what freedom of speech actually is, or indeed any of the things are that they whine incessantly about. Utterly drowning in their cognitive dissonance.
They get whipped up into such a feverous stupour of fear that they can't take a second to stop and actually think about what they're being fed by their media rag of choice.
They might actually realise that their stance doesn't actually make any sense.
From Climate Change to Brexit. From Hunter Biden to Electric Vehicles. From '15minute cities' to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Someone level headed will make a comment or raise an issue of 'hey guys, maybe we should think about doing something about x. If we don't then it's probable that it will lead to something bad'. Something even as simple as offering a policy that will actually improve a great deal of people's quality of life (including their own) with little cost. It's all met with ruddy faced rage and flying spittle.
It feels like the Streisand effect is negatively impacting me/everyone else in this instance
I despise the guy, but I’m tired of hearing about every stupid exploit. He’s so fabulously rich that no negative publicity can really cause reprecussions, I feel like it now just keeps him constantly in the public eye a la Trump circa 2016
This would be a reasonable take if it weren't for the fact that Twitter is, or was effectively the default platform for public discourse for most of the western world. What the Muskrat is doing to it has real, significant, and far-reaching consequences.
A legal system that cannot penalize its abuse by people with money is vulnerable to people like him, and worse yet when whatever penalties that can be applied are not adjusted to the net worth of the person or business it is applied to.
Remember that in the legal process, discovery uncovers all truths and communications. Depositions are the one sand trap for people like Trump and Musk. If you lie under deposition, you get prison time. That’s why they rarely if ever agree to it.
I’ll bet a lot of money no suit is filed. This is all posturing for crazies to assume X sued them and it must not be true. Threatening to sue is the new spin doctoring.