Elon Musk, My Latest Hero ...

[Eupher]

It's a deal. $44 billion @ $54.20 per share.

This still isn't enough for me to become a Twitterite. Just too damned big. Besides, it will reek of lefties for years to come.

And yep - Lefty heads be a-splodin'. 

Twitter’s Board of Directors has approved Elon Musk’s offer to purchase the social media firm and take it private in a transaction valued at about $44 billion, the company announced Monday.

The company accepted the billionaire’s proposal of $54.20 per share.

“Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world. Deeply proud of our teams and inspired by the work that has never been more important,” said CEO Parag Agrawal in the corporate announcement.

“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” said Musk in a statement. “I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential—I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.”

It has been a roller coaster ride in this saga since Musk first acquired a 9.2 percent stake in the tech company earlier this month. From rejecting a seat on the Board of Directors to multiple Twitter polls sponsored by the billionaire CEO, there have been many twists and turns in recent weeks.

Twitter shares have rallied more than 5 percent on the news, topping $51 a share. Shares are up nearly 30 percent since April 4 when Twitter confirmed that Musk had acquired a significant stake in the company.

Many executives and board members initially resisted Musk’s offer by adopting a “poison pill” defense to prevent a hostile takeover.

The agreement came after Musk confirmed last week that he had secured $46.5 billion in funding commitments to finance the takeover. This included $25.5 billion in debt financing through Morgan Stanley and other financial firms.

Musk plans to take the company private when the transaction is completed. The deal is expected to finalize this year.

The Elon Musk List of Changes
The primary objective behind Musk’s takeover crusade has been to advance the cause of free speech on the social media outlet. Musk has described himself as a “free speech absolutist” and referred to the website as “a de facto public town square.”

“I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means,” Musk wrote on Twitter just before the announcement of the deal.

“I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy,” he stated according to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing.

“However, since making my investment I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form. Twitter needs to be transformed as a private company.”

Musk revealed his reluctance about permanent bans, preferring to install “time-outs.” Or, if a controversial tweet is posted, Musk wants to “let the tweet exist.”

In March, he purported that Twitter’s algorithm should be open-source, with code posted on Github to spot mistakes or recommend adjustments.

Musk later suggested that users should have the tools to learn if their posts are promoted or demoted without any kind of behind-the-scenes manipulation.

“Having a black-box algorithm promote some things and not other things, I think this can be quite dangerous,” Musk said during an interview at a TED Conference in Vancouver last week.

For years, Twitter users have been clamoring for an edit button on the digital platform.

Musk spotlighted the concept again in an Apr. 4 Twitter poll, asking his users, “Do you want an edit button?” More than four million people voted, with a majority endorsing the concept.

Another proposal is an overhaul of Twitter Blue, the company’s first subscription service with access to exclusive special features.

Some of these options include cutting the subscription price, removing advertisements, and paying in Dogecoin.

“Everyone who signs up for Twitter Blue (ie pays $3/month) should get an authentication checkmark,” he tweeted.

“Price should probably be ~$2/month, but paid 12 months up front & account doesn’t get checkmark for 60 days (watch for CC chargebacks) & suspended with no refund if used for scam/spam.”

“And no ads. The power of corporations to dictate policy is greatly enhanced if Twitter depends on advertising money to survive,” Musk added.

Moreover, Musk considered Twitter blue pricing to “be proportionate to affordability & local currency.”

Can Musk Save the Company?
Twitter user numbers have fallen short of Wall Street estimates, and the company recorded a $221 million loss in 2021.

In the fourth quarter, Twitter confirmed that its monetizable daily active users increased by six million to 217, below the market forecast of 218.5 million. Ad revenues in the October-to-December period totaled $1.41 billion, under Wall Street’s $1.43 billion target.

Ultimately, Twitter usage has been disappointing over the last decade. In 2013, the platform had more than 200 million active users. Today, it has approximately 113 million, behind Facebook (200 million), Instagram (164 million), and TikTok (114.5 million).

“Where Twitter goes from here following Musk’s acquisition is honestly anybody’s guess,” Aron Solomon, chief legal analyst for Esquire Digital, told The Epoch Times. “What is certain is that Musk and any other people who helped facilitate his bid are banking on the fact that Elon Musk at the helm of Twitter is going to cause not only a spike in the price of the shares, but allow Twitter to grow and scale as it has yet to prove that it can do in its history.”

If Musk ‘Transforms’ Twitter, Will They Come Back?
Over the last couple of years, many Twitter alternatives have been popping up, including Truth Social, Parler, and Gettr. It is difficult to determine if users who flocked to these social media platforms will return to Twitter after “banning and suppressing” many users, says Terry Sawchuk, the CEO of Sawchuk Wealth.

Of course, the one person that a lot of users are waiting for is former President Donald Trump. Will he be reinstated, or will the real estate billionaire mogul even come back at this point?

Epoch Times

[Ptarmigan]

Twitter employees go 'absolutely insane' after Elon Musk buys company
https://thepostmillennial.com/twitter-employees-go-absolutely-insane-after-elon-musk-buys-company?utm_campaign=64487

On Monday in response to the Twitter buyout by Elon Musk, some of the company’s staff are having difficulties coping with the situation. When announcing the takeover, Musk vowed that free speech was a crucial part of his mission in the first place.

A Twitter employee source reached out to The New York Times reporter Talmon Smith to express how unsure they are about the future of the company, and their role in it.

The person added that they worked for the platform’s "toxicity and health" department so they don’t know what their future job prospects are (the reporter deleted that particular tweet but Jack Posobiec saved a copy).

The source complained about the lack of notice ahead of time, before Twitter’s CEO and the company’s board announced Elon’s takeover.

It was at 5 pm Eastern Standard Time that Twitter held a company-wide meeting.

Talk about epic meltdown. 

[Texacon]

On Monday in response to the Twitter buyout by Elon Musk, some of the company’s staff are having difficulties coping with the situation. When announcing the takeover, Musk vowed that free speech was a crucial part of his mission in the first place.

A Twitter employee source reached out to The New York Times reporter Talmon Smith to express how unsure they are about the future of the company, and their role in it.

The person added that they worked for the platform’s "toxicity and health" department so they don’t know what their future job prospects are (the reporter deleted that particular tweet but Jack Posobiec saved a copy).

The source complained about the lack of notice ahead of time, before Twitter’s CEO and the company’s board announced Elon’s takeover.

It was at 5 pm Eastern Standard Time that Twitter held a company-wide meeting.

 

What kind of degree does this person have?  I'm sure there are all kinds of job openings for that particular skill set ... today. 

Here's an idea for you the liberals came up with all on their own for what to do when you lose your job; Learn to code!

KC

[ABC-2]

Twitter employees go 'absolutely insane' after Elon Musk buys company
https://thepostmillennial.com/twitter-employees-go-absolutely-insane-after-elon-musk-buys-company?utm_campaign=64487

Talk about epic meltdown. 

I just love the taste of Schadenfreude in the morning!   

Actually, simply the German word & the  feeling (wretch that I am) ...

Not all the words to the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5isHw02S0Cg

[Ralph Wiggum]

Someone is taking away their sandbox!!!

When I was younger, reporters used to pound the pavement and find stories rather than "learning" their stuff on the Twitter.  Create your own safe space, p*ssies!

[Ptarmigan]

Twitter executive cries during staff meeting over Elon Musk takeover
https://thepostmillennial.com/twitter-executive-cries-during-staff-meeting-over-elon-musk-takeover

Twitter executive Vijaya Gadde, head of the tech giant's trust and safety, legal, and public policy functions, held a meeting Monday where she cried to employees who work under her amid recent changes to company leadership.

A new report says Twitter's top lawyer got emotional with staff when talking about how unclear things were, beyond the immediate future.

According to POLITICO, Gadde got teary-eyed on Monday when discussing Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter. Gadde is said to have played a crucial role in the negotiations between Musk and Twitter's board for finalizing the deal.

In her briefing with staffers, Gadde had a similar message to what CEO Parag Agrawal told employees when it came to uncertainty for the company's future.

 

[ABC-2]

 

Here's an idea for you the liberals came up with all on their own for what to do when you lose your job; Learn to code!

KC

"Here's an idea for you the liberals came up with all on their own for what to do when you lose your job; Learn to code!"

I remember that one!   

[Drafe Hoblin]

Musk is wasting no time ripping into Twitter's 'legal department' for its censorship of the Hunter Laptop story...

" INCREDIBLY INAPPROPRIATE. "

It'll be interesting to see how the laptop story further emerges as Musk moves to wall-off the 'new' legal department from the sins of the 'old' legal department.

[Eupher]

Senator Josh Hawley sent a letter to Musk asking him to dig into the censorship, rightly stating that algorithms don't eject subscribers - people do. Shadow-banning, how many people have been ousted, who was responsible for killing the story on Hunter's laptop, etc. etc.

Hawley claimed he and other senators had previously written to Twitter on these issues and, "not surprisingly," they were ignored.

I seem to remember a woman from India who was named as the laptop story killer. It sounds like the crying lawyer scrunt worried about her job might have been involved.

It looks like the entire Twitter apparatus needs to be cleaned out.

It'll be interesting to see if Musk replies to Hawley's letter.

[Old n Grumpy]

"Here's an idea for you the liberals came up with all on their own for what to do when you lose your job;

You can write the progressive slogan of the day on the cups.

[Eupher]

Musk fires the Twatter Board:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWjpnq2mzAA

[Ptarmigan]

Audio Reveals Employees Panicking At Twitter HQ After Elon Musk Bought The Company
https://conservativebrief.com/audio-62329/

Project Veritas has shared audio from inside Twitter’s headquarters that reportedly shows the chaos that occurred inside the social media company after Tesla CEO Elon Musk acquired the company for $44 billion.

Twitter board member Bret Taylor reportedly started the meeting by recognizing the emotional shock that he and others at the company experienced following Musk’s acquisition.

“I also just want to acknowledge all the emotions of today. It is an emotional day. I want to acknowledge it,” Taylor said. “By law, we are required to act in the best interest of our shareholders,” he said.

“Elon [Musk] made it clear in public that a large part of the reason he bought the platform was because of our moderation policies and disagreements in how we deal with health. This puts Twitter service and trust and safety, as well as anybody who cares about health on the platform in a very difficult position,” Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Berland can be heard saying in the video clip.

  

[DefiantSix]

Audio Reveals Employees Panicking At Twitter HQ After Elon Musk Bought The Company

Good. 

[Eupher]

I seem to remember a woman from India who was named as the laptop story killer. It sounds like the crying lawyer scrunt worried about her job might have been involved.

It looks like the entire Twitter apparatus needs to be cleaned out.

Yep, this is the same lying, crying scrunt Twatter lawyer who is still, apparently, the "head" of the "content moderation" division. Bonchie discusses his analysis on how Musk is gonna kick ass and take names before ousting these jagoffs - Baker included.

The schadenfreude will be delicious.

Elon Musk Responds to Russian Collusion Hoaxer Currently Working at Twitter, Points to Big Changes

After Musk’s blockbuster deal to buy Twitter, the next obvious question was “What happens next?” Was Musk going to come in and completely clean house, kicking out all the woke staffers and leftwing leadership? Or was he going to take a more hands-off approach to the transition, allowing some of the worst offenders to remain in their roles? I think we are starting to get an answer to that.

In the last 24 hours, Musk has offered criticism of Vijaya Gadde, who is currently the top lawyer and head of the content moderation division at Twitter. She was responsible for not only banning Donald Trump but also censoring the Hunter Biden laptop story. She also responded less than maturely to Musk’s takeover.

Now, in a move that intertwines multiple big stories, Musk has also responded to the fact that Russian collusion hoaxer Jim Baker, former FBI and now at Twitter, set up the meeting that Michael Sussmann used to spread the false Alfa Bank story. Sussmann is now under indictment via the John Durham special counsel.

Here are both those exchanges brought to you by a “journalist” from The Washington Post who apparently finds it really bad that Musk would call out obvious corruption regarding Twitter employees.

(Insert link to Twitter post)

Can I start by noting that the double standard in response to Musk calling out bad actors is just amazing? These are the same journos who cheered on the doxxing of Libs of TikTok. They didn’t once suggest that Taylor Lorenz had gone too far nor did they express concern about the online harassment Libs of TikTok received. Yet, the moment that Musk simply says “Yes, bad things are bad,” the same journos get really concerned about online harassment. Weird, right? It’s almost as if journalists only care about things that reinforce their political viewpoints.

Regardless, I think Musk responding to both those stories is important. It points to big changes coming at Twitter. Some on the right who are more cynical speculated that he’d come in and maintain the status quo. If that were true, he wouldn’t be publicly calling out figures like Gadde and Baker, both of whom currently hold major leadership roles within the company.

Clearly, Musk didn’t spend $44 billion to let Twitter keep operating as a leftwing mouthpiece, banning speech that doesn’t fit the narrative. And while he’s not officially in charge yet, when the keys are handed over, you can expect him to burn the place down in regards to personnel. Jim Baker absolutely has to go. Vijaya Gadde, the brains behind Twitter’s censorship, has to go.

Yes, there will be pushback and hair set on fire, mostly from the mainstream media. But seeing Musk’s recent comments has given me confidence he can handle it. The left knows that it is losing. They feel their grip on power slipping away, both electorally and in regards to free speech. Musk is just the man to keep that train rolling.

RedState

[Ptarmigan]

Is Twitter “Burning The Evidence” By Unshackling Conservative Accounts?
https://summit.news/2022/04/28/is-twitter-burning-the-evidence-by-unshackling-conservative-accounts/

Conservative Twitter users have noticed a massive uptick in followers and engagement following Elon Musk’s Twitter buy, while leftists on the platform are experiencing the inverse, prompting some to wonder if the company is undoing evidence that it rigged the reach of people it deemed to be undesirable.

The trend is so extreme that it prompted Twitter to address it, claiming that it is all organic owing to new accounts being created and existing accounts being deactivated.

“We’ve been looking into recent fluctuations in follower counts. While we continue to take action on accounts that violate our spam policy which can affect follower counts, these fluctuations appear to largely have been a result of an increase in new account creation and deactivation,” the company said in a statement.

Leftists are seeing followers shrink. Could Twitter be covering their tracks before a take over?

Fox News host Sean Hannity also covered the development Wednesday, suggesting that Twitter is attempting to “cover their tracks” before Musk’s takeover is complete.

“Conservatives on the platform—all of a sudden out of nowhere—enjoyed a massive bump in followers and interactions,” Hannity said, explaining “For example, in just two days, Donald Trump Jr.—wow, magically—he got 200,000 new followers. That is roughly a 2,000 percent increase daily. Wow. It’s almost as if Twitter employees lifted a broad anti-conservative, anti-Trump shadow ban—which we all knew was taking place anyway—in an effort to cover their tracks before the new boss takes over.”

[ABC-2]

Good. 

And even more good! 

They ain't seen nuthin' yet!!! 

[Eupher]

Is Twitter “Burning The Evidence” By Unshackling Conservative Accounts?
https://summit.news/2022/04/28/is-twitter-burning-the-evidence-by-unshackling-conservative-accounts/

Leftists are seeing followers shrink. Could Twitter be covering their tracks before a take over?

If Musk is smart, he'll shitcan 'em all, right down to the team leaders. Upper, mid, and lower management need to learn how to code.