Elon Musty changing Twitter branding and logo to "X"

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

Elon has announced that users will no longer have the ability to block other users. They will still be able to restrict dms.

https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/elon-musk-x-twitter-block-feature-delete-1235699759/

I have mixed feelings about this. A lot of people block anyone who disagrees with them, creating their own hive minded safe space which is extremely unhealthy. But at the same time, some people have stalkers, crazy exes etc.

I love allowing stalking and harassment online

[DaleCooper]

Elon has announced that users will no longer have the ability to block other users. They will still be able to restrict dms.

https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/elon-musk-x-twitter-block-feature-delete-1235699759/

I have mixed feelings about this. A lot of people block anyone who disagrees with them, creating their own hive minded safe space which is extremely unhealthy. But at the same time, some people have stalkers, crazy exes etc.

Yeah, that's a good point but the bigger reason everyone wants a block feature is because a lot of people don't want to see retarded sh-t on social media. People are forgetting that even on Twitter, most users are not going to the website to save the world or have a robust exchange of political ideas, or whatever delusional BS the politicos think happens on that site. Blocking allows users to ignore obnoxious posters that they don't like. It's an essential feature for a company like Twitter. 

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

I still don't understand how a competent Twitter killer app hasn't been developed yet (Threads just isn't it...at least not yet).

Or is TwiX just too entrenched into society?

Because, to a large extent (but not totally), the actual app and functionality don't matter. It's nearly all network effect. Even if you can get a huge segment of Xitter users to move to NewApp (<cough> Threads<cough>) the connections between them, the awareness and interplay of both quiet users and active content generators aren't there. You have to grow them, which is difficult and slow.

Its why Musk's best efforts to kill Twitter haven't succeeded, yet. But once the network reaches a tipping point, it will collapse. The old "slowly, then all at once" thing.  Unless regulators, financial debt, or technical debt take it down first, of course.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

I'm starting to wonder if he's intentionally making Twitter even worse than it was before in order to build up his own new social media platform.

I have begun to wonder if some of the things he's done (not X, he just has always wanted that on something apparently) are to deliberately decrease throughput and therefore expenses.  With his constant takes about twitter as a money loser,  advertisers not resigning, and backend contract supposedly going haywire,  it makes twisted sense to no longer maintain your economy of scale.  Cut users, and functions for users, so you can cut daily expenses,  so you can make profits from what remains.

That's a death spiral.  The value is in the users, their eyeballs, and the interrelated network effect. If Twitter loses 50% of its users, it loses far more than 50% of its revenue. (So far, it's lost less than 10% of its users and seen its revenue halved.) Despite the talk, the Blue Check and other such direct payment schemes are a drop in the bucket of Twitter's cash flow. And Twitter has $1.5 billion in annual debt load thanks to somebody named Elon Musk. Without that, it might be able to trim costs and stabilize. But with debt servicing eating around half the (still declining) gross income, Twitter is a walking dead corporation. The only question is how long it will take to rot and fall apart.

My prediction is that Musk is just trying to hold out until he gets slapped by the law:US regulators whose consent decrees he's flagrantly violating, EU regulators whose laws he's breaking, former employees whose contractual obligations he's ignoring, creditors he's stiffing*. Once the hammer drops, he can engage in one of the right's other favorite pastimes: blame throwing.

Musk after X collapses: "I was this close to turning it all around and making it a paradise when all these pesky 'rule of law' people came around and wrecked it by finally making me face some consequences for my actions! How unfair is that?"

Well, looks like I was close (and may still end up being right), but I definitely was not expecting,
"And I would have gotten away withmade a profit on it too, if it weren't for that meddling Anti-Defamation League!"


(Screencap instead of ex-twitter link, because 1) I avoid Twitter, and 2) his PR flaks have reportedly deleted it.)

The lack of self-awareness and abuser "look what you made me do!" energy are off the charts with this one, right along side the "I have a right to make a profit by platforming Nazis!" screaming. What a disgusting and deplorable waste.

[DrScholl]

There was a ton of antisemitism trending on Twitter (that's what I'm still calling it) a couple of days ago, including an entire rewriting of history on Leo Frank. After Musk posted this insanity it is my belief that he pushed that's hateful hashtag on the trending list. He's playing a dangerous game and it can get people hurt.

[Hindsight was 2020]

There was a ton of antisemitism trending on Twitter (that's what I'm still calling it) a couple of days ago, including an entire rewriting of history on Leo Frank. After Musk posted this insanity it is my belief that he pushed that's hateful hashtag on the trending list. He's playing a dangerous game and it can get people hurt.

He’s already literally gotten people killed with his other ventures so why not here too? It’s on brand for him

[quesaisje]

Ads are now no longer distinguishable from content for many Twitter users:

Multiple users on X have recently reported advertisements showing up on their feed without any disclosure or labeling. The paid ads being served to users appear as organic posts (aka tweets) and show up like non-paid content, right in a user's feed.

[...]

“The lack of labeling misleads consumers and flies in the face of FTC’s guidelines on deceptively formatted ads," said Sarah Kay Wiley, director of policy and partnerships at Check My Ads, in a statement to Mashable. "As advertisers grapple with just how brand unsafe Twitter has become, this is yet another potentially huge liability for every brand that advertises on Twitter."

[quesaisje]

Also, not sure whether this was discussed here:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/09/01/elon-musk-reveals-twitter-takeover-hatred-woke-mind-virus/

Mr Musk had initially rushed to embrace the news when Jenna, formally known as Xavier, transitioned at age 16.

But when she later cut him out of her life entirely, he knew he had a fight on his hands, a battle which would eventually culminate in the world’s richest man buying Twitter for $44 billion.

[...]

“She went beyond socialism to being a full communist and thinking that anyone rich is evil,” Mr Musk said.

In an interview with Walter Isaacson for his upcoming biography, Elon Musk, the Space X billionaire, said he saw the same mentality had enveloped Twitter.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Also, not sure whether this was discussed here:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/09/01/elon-musk-reveals-twitter-takeover-hatred-woke-mind-virus/

Mr Musk had initially rushed to embrace the news when Jenna, formally known as Xavier, transitioned at age 16.

But when she later cut him out of her life entirely, he knew he had a fight on his hands, a battle which would eventually culminate in the world’s richest man buying Twitter for $44 billion.

[...]

“She went beyond socialism to being a full communist and thinking that anyone rich is evil,” Mr Musk said.

In an interview with Walter Isaacson for his upcoming biography, Elon Musk, the Space X billionaire, said he saw the same mentality had enveloped Twitter.

World's richest man has fight with daughter over whether or not rich people are evil. Decides to prove her wrong by buying public square and turning in to a platform for Nazis.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Also, not sure whether this was discussed here:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/09/01/elon-musk-reveals-twitter-takeover-hatred-woke-mind-virus/

Mr Musk had initially rushed to embrace the news when Jenna, formally known as Xavier, transitioned at age 16.

But when she later cut him out of her life entirely, he knew he had a fight on his hands, a battle which would eventually culminate in the world’s richest man buying Twitter for $44 billion.

[...]

“She went beyond socialism to being a full communist and thinking that anyone rich is evil,” Mr Musk said.

In an interview with Walter Isaacson for his upcoming biography, Elon Musk, the Space X billionaire, said he saw the same mentality had enveloped Twitter.

She picked a name that didn't have X in it, so he decided to rename Twitter to X.

[Alben Barkley]

There was a ton of antisemitism trending on Twitter (that's what I'm still calling it) a couple of days ago, including an entire rewriting of history on Leo Frank. After Musk posted this insanity it is my belief that he pushed that's hateful hashtag on the trending list. He's playing a dangerous game and it can get people hurt.

He’s already literally gotten people killed with his other ventures so why not here too? It’s on brand for him

His most outrageous crime by far is disabling Starlink in Ukraine, preventing what could have been a decisive attack on the Russian navy. At this point this narcissistic lunatic is every bit as much of a threat to the world as fellow narcissistic lunatic Donald Trump. Starlink should be nationalized.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Also, not sure whether this was discussed here:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/09/01/elon-musk-reveals-twitter-takeover-hatred-woke-mind-virus/

Mr Musk had initially rushed to embrace the news when Jenna, formally known as Xavier, transitioned at age 16.

But when she later cut him out of her life entirely, he knew he had a fight on his hands, a battle which would eventually culminate in the world’s richest man buying Twitter for $44 billion.

[...]

“She went beyond socialism to being a full communist and thinking that anyone rich is evil,” Mr Musk said.

In an interview with Walter Isaacson for his upcoming biography, Elon Musk, the Space X billionaire, said he saw the same mentality had enveloped Twitter.

World's richest man has fight with daughter over whether or not rich people are evil. Decides to prove her wrong by buying public square and turning in to a platform for Nazis.

I mean, the real reason he bought it was pretty clearly that he's an idiot who destroyed his reputation while simultaneously blowing tons of money on something he wildly overpaid for despite not having a clue how it worked or what made it valuable just because got carried away trolling and somehow forgot that legally binding agreements can, in fact, be enforced.  

Claiming it was because of some argument with a "woke" family member is just spin to hide the actual reason.  I'm not sure why anyone would take Musk at his word about anything.

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

Also, not sure whether this was discussed here:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/09/01/elon-musk-reveals-twitter-takeover-hatred-woke-mind-virus/

Mr Musk had initially rushed to embrace the news when Jenna, formally known as Xavier, transitioned at age 16.

But when she later cut him out of her life entirely, he knew he had a fight on his hands, a battle which would eventually culminate in the world’s richest man buying Twitter for $44 billion.

[...]

“She went beyond socialism to being a full communist and thinking that anyone rich is evil,” Mr Musk said.

In an interview with Walter Isaacson for his upcoming biography, Elon Musk, the Space X billionaire, said he saw the same mentality had enveloped Twitter.

World's richest man has fight with daughter over whether or not rich people are evil. Decides to prove her wrong by buying public square and turning in to a platform for Nazis.

I mean, the real reason he bought it was pretty clearly that he's an idiot who destroyed his reputation while simultaneously blowing tons of money on something he wildly overpaid for despite not having a clue how it worked or what made it valuable just because got carried away trolling and somehow forgot that legally binding agreements can, in fact, be enforced.  

Claiming it was because of some argument with a "woke" family member is just spin to hide the actual reason.  I'm not sure why anyone would take Musk at his word about anything.

I believed the offer for Twitter was to do with his family before he said anything about it. He lost his long-term girlfriend and his daughter and started emanating massive divorced dad energy, so people on Twitter laughed at him (because people on Twitter laugh at everything). He's never reacted well to public mockery.

Of course, Musk has always had a huge ego, but he became much more openly reactionary after this, thanks to his mid-life crisis. My bet is that a bunch of the hangers-on around him told him that the Left/woke mind virus was why his family fell apart, which is much easier explanation to accept than the probable causes (career and lifestyle), and that he needed to get back at them by doing various things other VCs wanted to do without burning their own money, such as buying Twitter.

"Buy my product and vote for X political party," must have its equivalent for the gullible among the super-rich.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Also, not sure whether this was discussed here:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/09/01/elon-musk-reveals-twitter-takeover-hatred-woke-mind-virus/

Mr Musk had initially rushed to embrace the news when Jenna, formally known as Xavier, transitioned at age 16.

But when she later cut him out of her life entirely, he knew he had a fight on his hands, a battle which would eventually culminate in the world’s richest man buying Twitter for $44 billion.

[...]

“She went beyond socialism to being a full communist and thinking that anyone rich is evil,” Mr Musk said.

In an interview with Walter Isaacson for his upcoming biography, Elon Musk, the Space X billionaire, said he saw the same mentality had enveloped Twitter.

World's richest man has fight with daughter over whether or not rich people are evil. Decides to prove her wrong by buying public square and turning in to a platform for Nazis.

I mean, the real reason he bought it was pretty clearly that he's an idiot who destroyed his reputation while simultaneously blowing tons of money on something he wildly overpaid for despite not having a clue how it worked or what made it valuable just because got carried away trolling and somehow forgot that legally binding agreements can, in fact, be enforced.  

Claiming it was because of some argument with a "woke" family member is just spin to hide the actual reason.  I'm not sure why anyone would take Musk at his word about anything.

I believed the offer for Twitter was to do with his family before he said anything about it. He lost his long-term girlfriend and his daughter and started emanating massive divorced dad energy, so people on Twitter laughed at him (because people on Twitter laugh at everything). He's never reacted well to public mockery.

Of course, Musk has always had a huge ego, but he became much more openly reactionary after this, thanks to his mid-life crisis. My bet is that a bunch of the hangers-on around him told him that the Left/woke mind virus was why his family fell apart, which is much easier explanation to accept than the probable causes (career and lifestyle), and that he needed to get back at them by doing various things other VCs wanted to do without burning their own money, such as buying Twitter.

"Buy my product and vote for X political party," must have its equivalent for the gullible among the super-rich.

I think even that explanation is giving him too much credit.  The real reason was just so monumentally and indefensibly stupid that even something as dumb as the explanation he's offering now is face-saving (or rather, less humiliating albeit still moronic) by comparison.

[quesaisje]

X appears to be censoring posts that link to the NYT:

Since late July, engagement on X posts linking to the New York Times has dropped dramatically. The drop in shares and other engagement on tweets with Times links is abrupt, and is not reflected in links to similar news organizations including CNN, the Washington Post, and the BBC, according to NewsWhip’s data on 300,000 influential users of X.

The drop in engagement in Times posts seems isolated to X: NewsWhip data showed that engagement with Times links shared on Facebook remained consistent relative to other outlets.

This stands in contrast to a substantial increase in traffic for organizations like Russia Today that has been ongoing since X removed "state-sponsored media" badges this past spring.

[quesaisje]

A few updates on this malignancy:

Elon Musk tells Netanyahu that he may start charging everyone to use X

Twitter is Still Throttling Competitors’ Links—Check for Yourself

Twitter Is Now Worth Just 33% of Elon Musk’s Purchase Price, Fidelity Says

Elon Musk's X Corp. has reportedly agreed to settlement talks on arbitration claims from about 2,000 employees laid off after Musk purchased Twitter in October 2022.

The Indian government has accused X Corp (formerly known as Twitter) of being a "habitual non-complaint platform" in a recent court filing.

Elon Musk may have violated a 2022 Federal Trade Commission order on privacy and security practices at Twitter, now known as X, the Department of Justice said in a new court filing on behalf of the FTC.

New research by CCDH shows that X (formerly Twitter) continues to host nearly 86% of a set of 300 hateful posts after a week since we reported them.

[DaleCooper]

Anyone who still uses Twitter or posts links to it on Atlas is a bad person.

[emailking]

Oh I posts links to X now so I guess I'm safe.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Elon Musk accuses George Soros of wanting ‘destruction of western civilization’ a day before meeting Netanyahu over antisemitism on X

“I encourage you and urge you to find the balance. It’s a tough one,” Netanyahu said.

Musk said that with 100 million to 200 million posts on X in a day, “some of those are gonna be bad.” He then reiterated the platform’s policy to not promote or amplify hate speech. Under Musk, the former Twitter changed its rules so that objectionable posts are not usually removed, but instead their visibility is limited so people have to seek it out if they want to see it. Musk calls this “freedom of speech, not freedom of reach.”

Musk is facing accusations of tolerating antisemitic messages on his social media platform. The Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish civil-rights organization, has accused Musk of allowing antisemitism and hate speech to spread on X. Its director, Jonathan Greenblatt, said Musk had “amplified” the messages of neo-Nazis and white supremacists who want to ban the league by engaging with them recently on X.

I'd suggest someone ask Musk if he's been reading the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, but I'm pretty sure that he'd answer how he figured out the whole "international Jewish conspiracy" all on his own, because, like Wile E. Coyote, he's a genius.

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

Ah he’s dropped the pretense and dog whistles and going full nazi

[quesaisje]

X Corp CEO Linda "Heckin" Yaccarino has declared that "evolution to the everything app" will corral all of the world's peoples into a Musk-controlled "global town square" with an LSD-inspired video.

[heatcharger]

X Corp CEO Linda "Heckin" Yaccarino has declared that "evolution to the everything app" will corral all of the world's peoples into a Musk-controlled "global town square" with an LSD-inspired video.

“LSD-inspired video” when you’ve definitely tripped before

X is definitely the global town square. Even a hater like you just linked to an X post to share a piece of news about the company.

[Agonized-Statism]

Elon Musk tells Netanyahu that he may start charging everyone to use X

Link is broken, here's a fresh one: Elon Musk May Actually Kill Twitter For Real This Time

This would actually be the end IMO.

[quesaisje]

“LSD-inspired video” when you’ve definitely tripped before

X is definitely the global town square. Even a hater like you just linked to an X post to share a piece of news about the company.

 

You've got me there. X is definitely the leading destination for their own corporate marketing materials. They must be weeping for lack of further worlds to conquer.

[heatcharger]

“LSD-inspired video” when you’ve definitely tripped before

X is definitely the global town square. Even a hater like you just linked to an X post to share a piece of news about the company.

 

You've got me there. X is definitely the leading destination for their own corporate marketing materials. They must be weeping for lack of further worlds to conquer.

Since you’re into corporate marketing, Mark Zuckerberg has a platform for you:

https://twitter.com/venturetwins/status/1704357650501427222?s=46&t=J_equ31A3...

X works because people want it. 6 pages of wishcasting about Elon’s downfall and yet all the world’s news is on X.