To me Musk’s behavior should worry Tesla shareholders and other investors. Say what if Rivian or a more mainstream automaker figures things out and catches up to Tesla. How much will Musk blame others will be determine how well Tesla stock will falter when the competition figures things out. It feels like to me that how Musk reacted to X’s performance should be a reflection of what will happen when Tesla truly gets fierce competition.
The lead Tesla has over automakers is starting to look insurmountable. The funny thing is that the other auto makers are only collateral damage. Tesla's competition is not GM. It is Exxon.
Just this week, the WSJ ran a story about how Meta deliberately targets teenagers through the dopamine response pathway, and there’s ample proof due to internal company memos. TikTok is far worse, run by the CCP, and represents a Trojan horse. Elon is a loose cannon and I would never give him capital, but much of the animosity toward him is due to the traditional media feeling threatened. I think Elon has horrible judgment sometimes but I don’t think he’s evil. Zuckerberg on the other hand plays the political game well but his products are demonstrably evil and harmful to kids.
If I'm correct I believe 60 Minutes had something on that maybe 2-3 years ago via a guy who used to work at FB... on the whole dopamine thing. It's not good; worse, yet, is if I pause on Reels it picks that up and throws more of the same at me. I never signed up for TikTok. (Though I did use the free wifi at the new Siam Reap airport in Cambodia, which was built by the Chinese, so I'm probably equally at risk now! 😱)
As for traditional media... their problems can be traced back to the creation of the Internet and, especially, the loss of classified ads.
As to whether Musk is evil... that's a judgement call. He operates by his own rules and has no guardrails. That, in my view, given his wealth, power and influence, can be dangerous.
Thanks for chiming in, TRW. Always enjoy your work.
Hear hear. Well spoken Herb. I found (in between the hilarity) that his sense that somehow he was ENTITLED to the advertising dollars of companies to be baffling. We've established in law that money is speech -- so not spending is pure free speech.
Herb baby stick to stock picking! We get it you’re for censorship and part of our one party state, but he’s a private company he can do and say as he pleases! Elons brilliant, doesn’t conform to board rules and he doesn’t need sponsors, advertisers, and I hope he keeps exposing unelected communist unelected officials!
You miss the point. The advertisers had been duped by fellow libtards and used it to stop advertising on X. Majority of these companies are not performing well, like Disney, because of their woke bullshit.
Stop clutching your pearls, X is not going out of business.
Musk is calling their bluff in a most aggressive manner. If X (formerly Twitter), is so important to so many, then it will survive. Users will adapt. Advertisers will return. This will just be another chapter in our never ending culture war. If in fact X has lost its utility then by all means let it shut itself down and let's be done with it.
Musk put a stake in the ground. If you(advertisers) think you can control the speech on a platform dedicated to free speech...then yeah, you go ....
I read the original post that Musk affirmed on X...in no way was it antisemitic. Corporate America needs to step back and take a breath BEFORE it reacts. I proudly support Israel !
You are coming in in the middle of the dispute. If you do not mention Media Matters then you are telling a half truth at best.
And even this issue is part of the much larger issue of government censorship using big tech which is a very serious issue. It is not really hyperbolic to say that civilization and freedom itself may be in the balance.
This all started when Elon pulled X out of the censorship-industrial complex. Portraying him as being petulant simply because advertisers are leaving is disingenuous at best. You article misses the context of his comments.
No one really believes Elon is anti-semitic. It is a clear character assassination. Elon has a target on his back due to issues bigger than quarterly reports. If you can not see this, then you are simply not paying attention.
To catch up, read what Ben Shapiro (who is clearly Jewish and obviously not anti-semitic) is saying about Elon and this issue. If you have not done your homework, then you really have no business writing about this.
I am assuming that you left out the context due to ignorance, not spite.
I sit on the fence with Musk, don't trust him at all but find him entertaining.
I am blissfully unaware of the deeper motivations of most X-feuds but just show you how simple-minded people like me (and there are probably a lof of us) think:
Very simple, obviously but also emotional and very intuitive (that's all you got if you are simple).
I wonder if he means us, when Musk refers to "earth". So don't underestimate his intincts.
The man has very good instincts. And he is obviously very smart too.
Ok, this is how I assume "earth" thinks, based on my own simple and badly informed self:
I am disgusted by Disney, cosying up to woke children mutilating ideologies.
If Musk gives a shit about them advertising on X, good on him.
It is not all about revenue and money - it is all about emotions. It is all about not being PC.
There is a few things Musk tweets that I like and a few things that I don't like and a lot I don't care about.
But no matter what he tweets, I like that he tweets, that he has a postion and stands-up for it, no matter if it harms his business or not.
He refused to be manipulated and cancelled - and that gives him respect from "earth". And he knows it.
Meanwhile, the other guy you mention (I already forgot his name - doesn't that tell you all) and his comments did simply bore me. Just another calculating coperate idiot with zero charisma.
Like or hate Musk, at least he is SOMEBODY. At he has charisma.
The only thing I haven't figured out yet is how authentic it is. Words are cheap.
Since he's looking at things in the universe, like Mars, I guess earth is just part of that. 🤷🏼♂️ I guess that's how evolved people speak. I'm not evolved, proud to say.
Elon Musk's decision to acquire Twitter raises questions about shareholder interests. Typically, shareholders seek sustained value, not diversions from core industries at high costs. The purchase price, admittedly steep, prompts reflection on whether this move aligns with Twitter's business objectives or serves more as a personal venture for Musk.
Certainly, the primary concern is that he shifted focus from Tesla, the biggest and most successful company with numerous stakeholders, to a private venture that doesn't benefit Tesla's shareholders. It's risky territory in my opinion. Apart from Tesla's high valuation and its declining competitive moat, this is one of the reasons I haven't considered investing in Tesla.
I completely agree, and I have no intention of criticizing one of the greatest minds of our time. What strikes me is that all the companies you mentioned (Neuralink, SpaceX, Tesla, and Boring Co.) showcase him primarily as an inventor or innovator, rather than a traditional businessman. Except for X, which stands out—it's less about disrupting industries and more of an uncharted territory for him. This anomaly prompts me to question why his focus has slightly shifted away from innovation and towards social media. While I understand its influential power in the media landscape, social media is a somewhat saturated field for younger generations. X seems to be the only venture of Elon Musk that doesn't drastically disrupt its counterparts.
"This anomaly prompts me to question why his focus has slightly shifted away from innovation and towards social media." - See Elon's latest interview with Joe Rogan where Joe asked him this directly. Basically he replied that with the leftist control of the media and the the government involvement in censorship that civilization itself was in danger. There is no point in innovation if civilization collapses. Free speech is the answer.
Advertisers were making way more money thanks to X than X itself thanks to advertisers...I think his attitude still remains a great business lesson, no matter what....
There were several really interesting takeaways from that interview beyond the tumultuous first 25 minutes - specifically the part near the end when Sorkin asked Elon about the NYT not buying a Twitter/X subscription and losing the reach that other outlets may get on the platform. Musk did not handle that question very well in my view. I understand the point he tried to make but he came off looking like a hypocrite on the ad rev blackmail point from the beginning of the chat.
Yeah, I have nearly 400,000 followers and used to get 10s of thousands of views. Now I'm lucky if I get a bit over 2,000, unless the tweet goes viral and feeds on itself. That's because, without a blue check, I'm no longer promoted. As a result, there is less engagement and less reason for me to post. And, of course, linking to one of my Substacks makes the gives the algo indigestion.
Don't need to be "blackmailed" into getting one! ;-) That's especially true since they went ahead and then handed them out to those with >1m followers and others as well. Truth is, it hasn't impacted anything. Throttled, not throttled. My ego doesn't need it. I would've gladly paid for Tweetdeck and the ability to edit, but once Elon started with his harshly polarizing views I had to make a choice. I could always change my mind, but for now my current use of social media works.
To me Musk’s behavior should worry Tesla shareholders and other investors. Say what if Rivian or a more mainstream automaker figures things out and catches up to Tesla. How much will Musk blame others will be determine how well Tesla stock will falter when the competition figures things out. It feels like to me that how Musk reacted to X’s performance should be a reflection of what will happen when Tesla truly gets fierce competition.
The lead Tesla has over automakers is starting to look insurmountable. The funny thing is that the other auto makers are only collateral damage. Tesla's competition is not GM. It is Exxon.
In my opinion, his greatest advantage lies in the cult-like following he has, which creates a fiercely loyal customer base.
Threads, Meta, and Disney are far worse than X/Twitter. They all deliberately show harmful content to kids and support censorship. Details here: https://www.wsj.com/tech/meta-instagram-video-algorithm-children-adult-sexual-content-72874155
Just this week, the WSJ ran a story about how Meta deliberately targets teenagers through the dopamine response pathway, and there’s ample proof due to internal company memos. TikTok is far worse, run by the CCP, and represents a Trojan horse. Elon is a loose cannon and I would never give him capital, but much of the animosity toward him is due to the traditional media feeling threatened. I think Elon has horrible judgment sometimes but I don’t think he’s evil. Zuckerberg on the other hand plays the political game well but his products are demonstrably evil and harmful to kids.
If I'm correct I believe 60 Minutes had something on that maybe 2-3 years ago via a guy who used to work at FB... on the whole dopamine thing. It's not good; worse, yet, is if I pause on Reels it picks that up and throws more of the same at me. I never signed up for TikTok. (Though I did use the free wifi at the new Siam Reap airport in Cambodia, which was built by the Chinese, so I'm probably equally at risk now! 😱)
As for traditional media... their problems can be traced back to the creation of the Internet and, especially, the loss of classified ads.
As to whether Musk is evil... that's a judgement call. He operates by his own rules and has no guardrails. That, in my view, given his wealth, power and influence, can be dangerous.
Thanks for chiming in, TRW. Always enjoy your work.
Hear hear. Well spoken Herb. I found (in between the hilarity) that his sense that somehow he was ENTITLED to the advertising dollars of companies to be baffling. We've established in law that money is speech -- so not spending is pure free speech.
Thanks, Dave! In the end the customer is the boss!
Herb baby stick to stock picking! We get it you’re for censorship and part of our one party state, but he’s a private company he can do and say as he pleases! Elons brilliant, doesn’t conform to board rules and he doesn’t need sponsors, advertisers, and I hope he keeps exposing unelected communist unelected officials!
At some point you get fed up with the progressives. Media Matters BS attack is exposed here.
https://www.racket.news/p/media-matters-and-the-fake-news-era
You miss the point. The advertisers had been duped by fellow libtards and used it to stop advertising on X. Majority of these companies are not performing well, like Disney, because of their woke bullshit.
Stop clutching your pearls, X is not going out of business.
Musk is calling their bluff in a most aggressive manner. If X (formerly Twitter), is so important to so many, then it will survive. Users will adapt. Advertisers will return. This will just be another chapter in our never ending culture war. If in fact X has lost its utility then by all means let it shut itself down and let's be done with it.
Musk put a stake in the ground. If you(advertisers) think you can control the speech on a platform dedicated to free speech...then yeah, you go ....
I read the original post that Musk affirmed on X...in no way was it antisemitic. Corporate America needs to step back and take a breath BEFORE it reacts. I proudly support Israel !
You are coming in in the middle of the dispute. If you do not mention Media Matters then you are telling a half truth at best.
And even this issue is part of the much larger issue of government censorship using big tech which is a very serious issue. It is not really hyperbolic to say that civilization and freedom itself may be in the balance.
This all started when Elon pulled X out of the censorship-industrial complex. Portraying him as being petulant simply because advertisers are leaving is disingenuous at best. You article misses the context of his comments.
No one really believes Elon is anti-semitic. It is a clear character assassination. Elon has a target on his back due to issues bigger than quarterly reports. If you can not see this, then you are simply not paying attention.
To catch up, read what Ben Shapiro (who is clearly Jewish and obviously not anti-semitic) is saying about Elon and this issue. If you have not done your homework, then you really have no business writing about this.
I am assuming that you left out the context due to ignorance, not spite.
1. Petulant refers to tone, not actions.
2. This has nothing to do with the dispute.
3. We'll have to agree to disagree about what I wrote.
4. Have a good day.
5. Thanks.
> 1. Petulant refers to tone, not actions.
It was for effect. It was a "We are mad as hell and we are not going to take it anymore!" moment.
> 2. This has nothing to do with the dispute.
No one believe this.
> 3. We'll have to agree to disagree about what I wrote.
Yes, agreed.
> 4. Have a good day.
You, too.
> 5. Thanks.
You are welcome. Thank you for letting me respond in the comments.
As long as it's civil. Cheers.
Hi Herb, nicely written, thanks.
I sit on the fence with Musk, don't trust him at all but find him entertaining.
I am blissfully unaware of the deeper motivations of most X-feuds but just show you how simple-minded people like me (and there are probably a lof of us) think:
Very simple, obviously but also emotional and very intuitive (that's all you got if you are simple).
I wonder if he means us, when Musk refers to "earth". So don't underestimate his intincts.
The man has very good instincts. And he is obviously very smart too.
Ok, this is how I assume "earth" thinks, based on my own simple and badly informed self:
I am disgusted by Disney, cosying up to woke children mutilating ideologies.
If Musk gives a shit about them advertising on X, good on him.
It is not all about revenue and money - it is all about emotions. It is all about not being PC.
There is a few things Musk tweets that I like and a few things that I don't like and a lot I don't care about.
But no matter what he tweets, I like that he tweets, that he has a postion and stands-up for it, no matter if it harms his business or not.
He refused to be manipulated and cancelled - and that gives him respect from "earth". And he knows it.
Meanwhile, the other guy you mention (I already forgot his name - doesn't that tell you all) and his comments did simply bore me. Just another calculating coperate idiot with zero charisma.
Like or hate Musk, at least he is SOMEBODY. At he has charisma.
The only thing I haven't figured out yet is how authentic it is. Words are cheap.
But he entetains earth better than Disney.
What’s with this repeated invocation to ‘Earth’? Looks like Muck oops Musk is going Scientology on his greenwashing credentials 🪪🤣
Since he's looking at things in the universe, like Mars, I guess earth is just part of that. 🤷🏼♂️ I guess that's how evolved people speak. I'm not evolved, proud to say.
Hi Herb. Great read. Let's cut our man some slack. Let's not speculate and see where this gets to. I can't imagine a whole empire crumpling down.
Elon Musk's decision to acquire Twitter raises questions about shareholder interests. Typically, shareholders seek sustained value, not diversions from core industries at high costs. The purchase price, admittedly steep, prompts reflection on whether this move aligns with Twitter's business objectives or serves more as a personal venture for Musk.
The joy of going private!
Never should've been public.
Certainly, the primary concern is that he shifted focus from Tesla, the biggest and most successful company with numerous stakeholders, to a private venture that doesn't benefit Tesla's shareholders. It's risky territory in my opinion. Apart from Tesla's high valuation and its declining competitive moat, this is one of the reasons I haven't considered investing in Tesla.
Elon also runs SpaceX, Boring Co, and Neuralink. He seems to have some skill at multi-tasking, or at least finding good people to work for him.
I completely agree, and I have no intention of criticizing one of the greatest minds of our time. What strikes me is that all the companies you mentioned (Neuralink, SpaceX, Tesla, and Boring Co.) showcase him primarily as an inventor or innovator, rather than a traditional businessman. Except for X, which stands out—it's less about disrupting industries and more of an uncharted territory for him. This anomaly prompts me to question why his focus has slightly shifted away from innovation and towards social media. While I understand its influential power in the media landscape, social media is a somewhat saturated field for younger generations. X seems to be the only venture of Elon Musk that doesn't drastically disrupt its counterparts.
"This anomaly prompts me to question why his focus has slightly shifted away from innovation and towards social media." - See Elon's latest interview with Joe Rogan where Joe asked him this directly. Basically he replied that with the leftist control of the media and the the government involvement in censorship that civilization itself was in danger. There is no point in innovation if civilization collapses. Free speech is the answer.
The mockingbird media is alive and controls most of the media… How about it Jamie 💎 Like what Musk had to say https://youtu.be/94o6uIR31hk?si=ax69zPmAYkYBkIHm
Advertisers were making way more money thanks to X than X itself thanks to advertisers...I think his attitude still remains a great business lesson, no matter what....
There were several really interesting takeaways from that interview beyond the tumultuous first 25 minutes - specifically the part near the end when Sorkin asked Elon about the NYT not buying a Twitter/X subscription and losing the reach that other outlets may get on the platform. Musk did not handle that question very well in my view. I understand the point he tried to make but he came off looking like a hypocrite on the ad rev blackmail point from the beginning of the chat.
Considering that I’ve been severely throttled, I’d agree! ;-)
Could you elaborate on that. In what way have you been severely throttled?
Yeah, I have nearly 400,000 followers and used to get 10s of thousands of views. Now I'm lucky if I get a bit over 2,000, unless the tweet goes viral and feeds on itself. That's because, without a blue check, I'm no longer promoted. As a result, there is less engagement and less reason for me to post. And, of course, linking to one of my Substacks makes the gives the algo indigestion.
Just curious. If the blue check is that important why not get yourself one? As far as I know the process is neither difficult, nor expensive.
Don't need to be "blackmailed" into getting one! ;-) That's especially true since they went ahead and then handed them out to those with >1m followers and others as well. Truth is, it hasn't impacted anything. Throttled, not throttled. My ego doesn't need it. I would've gladly paid for Tweetdeck and the ability to edit, but once Elon started with his harshly polarizing views I had to make a choice. I could always change my mind, but for now my current use of social media works.