Twitter and the Chief Twit

[Casss]

Now it looks like The Boring Company will be taking it on.

They will slowly stop mentioning the boring company IMO. It's not doing anything revolutionary, nor is it even keeping pace with pre-existing tunnelling efforts that have far more fruitful track records.

I honestly believe it was A] a marketing-play-come-hobby project to build some 'expo sites' to help sell the idea of a future with Tesla at the centre and B] a tax or cost efficient way for them to have these sites built compared to hiring an actual tunnelling / public infrastructure company (from whom they probably poached some talent anyway)

They will use the hyper loop expo sites to market the robo-taxi / minibus thing and they will create a cool backdrop for the buses of the future.

 

[UkNorthampton]

They will slowly stop mentioning the boring company IMO. It's not doing anything revolutionary, nor is it even keeping pace with pre-existing tunnelling efforts that have far more fruitful track records.

I honestly believe it was A] a marketing-play-come-hobby project to build some 'expo sites' to help sell the idea of a future with Tesla at the centre and B] a tax or cost efficient way for them to have these sites built compared to hiring an actual tunnelling / public infrastructure company (from whom they probably poached some talent anyway)

They will use the hyper loop expo sites to market the robo-taxi / minibus thing and they will create a cool backdrop for the buses of the future.

In my opinion, anyone who thinks Elon does anything purely for publicity or similar just doesn't understand him. He has a laugh, but he's most focused on recruiting talent and solving important problems no-one else will. Like everything else it will be iterative, learning at speed, making mistakes, first principles (what does physics allow). He's serious about Boring Company and Hyperloop.

Early stages - but a number of projects are well known.

They're recruiting:- Careers — The Boring Company - locations include:- Bastrop, Austin (both Texas) and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Recruiters job description is interesting - The Boring Company - Technical Recruiter

Spoiler: Spoiler-Images

I also like the labourer's job description - The Boring Company - Tunnel Laborer

List of vacancy job titles/locations -

I think Texas and Florida will see a number of projects. Perhaps eventually nearby ones get linked up.

 

[GRiLLA]

It is one of the age old strategy in business - buy something if you think there is a risk of your competitors buying it. Twitter is a powerful medium for buyers like Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai and Tim Cook. There was a rumour that Mark was in the race with Tim Cook to buy Twitter. If Mark or Tim had bought Twitter that would have changed the landscape for Elon - no space in the social networking site, or where Joe public interact and its non-effect on Tesla. Youtubers and other celebs who promote Tesla are on Twitter. Imagine them moving to Zuckerbergs or Cook’s camp?

I don’t think he is going to change anything but will allow Twitter to go for its natural death or sell it like Paypal in few years time. But sort of changed the future for Facebook and Apple. Is it worth wasting 40 billion? The Godfather has valuable life lessons and all the answers - ‘This is business. Not personal’. We will know in few years time.

A reasonable theory, but he's not got anything in many other areas of communication and it's not harming existing businesses. I would argue that YouTube is far more important to the marketing of Tesla and SpaceX than Twitter. It doesn't just promote Waymo.

I agree that this narrative he is putting about around 'freedom of speech' does sound very considered. It could be that he simply hasn't though it all through as that is a bit of a theme, or is there a reason he's wolf whistling to US Republicans? Elon for President in 2028 after Trumps second term?

 

[Tony Hoyle]

Much as I like Elon, I think he'd be terrible as a president..

 

[Zilla91]

You can’t be US President if you weren’t born there

 

[KennethS]

You can’t be US President if you weren’t born there

Somewhat more nuanced than that. A person must be a "natural born Citizen", a requirement of Article II Section 1 of the US Constitution. Whilst I am pretty certain Elon does not meet the requirement, a person can be a natural born US citizen without having been born in the United States.

 

[Roy B]

I'm nervous about his talk of "free speech absolutism", but his latest pinned tweet does seem to make clear that he accepts that different countries can validly take different approaches to defining the limits of free speech. I would probably be inclined to accept the argument that the rules as to what can and can't be said online should preferably be made by democratically elected governments rather than decided unilaterally by unaccountable corporations. The devil is in the detail, of course, and I'm not sure he's thought through how this can work on a platform with global reach.

As for his other plans: if he can pull off his plans to eliminate the bot armies that will be a big step in cleaning up the platform. And his ideas around identity verification also sound broadly positive to me, although I'm sure they will be divisive.

All in all I think it's really too early to tell whether he will make Twitter better or worse, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, for now.

 

[Darmie]

cover for spreading disinformation

I see your point and the lack of information that sometimes gets stifled. Something about a laptop before an election, but well known about after words.

This is why we need rigorous checks and balances imposed by elected, representative governments and bodies.

Here in the United States, we don't trust our government to have too much power.

Remember,

 

[Darmie]

Much as I like Elon, I think he'd be terrible as a president..

I so agree. His talent would be waisted.

 

[spdpsba]

Elon for President in 2028 after Trumps second term?

As others rightly pointed out he is not a natural born US citizen nor is born to US citizens outside US. So he can’t be US president. But the most important point is he is too much of a visionary, US at this point will do well with people like Reagan or Bill Clinton than Elon.

 

[Jason71]

I see your point and the lack of information that sometimes gets stifled. Something about a laptop before an election, but well known about after words.

Here in the United States, we don't trust our government to have too much power.

View attachment 798152

Remember,
View attachment 798153

Here in the UK, literally no one cares

 

[Adopado]

Not so sure after reading so many mass shootings in America.

You don’t even need mass shootings. I read this week that the most common cause of death for children and young people aged 1 to 19 in the USA … is by gun shot. That includes suicides by gunshot.

 

[KennethS]

You don’t even need mass shootings. I read this week that the most common cause of death for children and young people aged 1 to 19 in the USA … is by gun shot. That includes suicides by gunshot.

I think it's motor vehicle accidents actually.

 

[WannabeOwner]

I think it's motor vehicle accidents actually

Gun deaths were the leading killer of US children in 2020

Guns have overtaken car crashes as the leading cause of death among young Americans.

www.bbc.co.uk

"Guns overtook car crashes to become the leading cause of death for US children and teenagers in 2020, new research shows."

 

[Adopado]

I think it's motor vehicle accidents actually.

Not according to the BBC article ...

 

[KennethS]

Not according to the BBC article ...

Yes, I see that now (thanks also to @WannabeOwner for posting the link). The data I had looked at was only through 2019. It is tragic. It was not my intention to portray it otherwise.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

The deals off it seems. Probably good news

 

[ACarneiro]

It may or may not be off, you mean

 

[Bikeman]

 

[Zilla91]

I see the Russian and Chinese stooge that owns Twitter is now using his new and expensive toy to tell people how to vote

Edit: looking forward to the usual suspects trying to spin this