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Elon Musk: Discussion Thread

The New York Times has lost its blue tick on Twitter after it said it would not pay to remain verified.

Twitter has started removing verification badges from accounts which already had a blue tick, after announcing they would be part of a paid subscription from 1 April.

The New York Times, along with several other organisations and celebrities, said they would not pay for the tick.

It prompted Elon Musk to launch a volley of insults at the newspaper.

"The real tragedy of @NYTimes is that their propaganda isn't even interesting", Mr Musk, who owns Twitter, wrote on the platform.

"Also, their feed is the Twitter equivalent of diarrhea. It's unreadable," he added.

There has been no official comment from Twitter and the New York Times has not responded to Mr Musk's comments.

Under Twitter's new rules, blue ticks which once showed official, verified accounts, will start to be removed from accounts which do not pay for it.

Organisations seeking verification badges instead have to pay a monthly fee of $1,000 (£810) to receive a gold verification tick, while individual accounts must pay $8 (£6.40) a month for a blue one.

The subscription service will generate revenue for Twitter. However, concerns have been raised that without the verification process, it will be difficult to tell genuine accounts from impersonators.

As well as not paying the subscription fee, the New York Times said it would also not pay for the verification of its journalists' Twitter accounts, apart from in "rare instances where this status would be essential for reporting purposes", a spokesperson said.

Following the announcement, the newspaper, which has almost 55 million Twitter followers, lost its verification badge.

But it is unclear whether all organisations must sign up to the subscription service in order to remain verified.

Ten thousand of the most-followed organisations on Twitter will be exempt from the rules, the New York Times reports, citing an internal Twitter document.

Since December, Twitter has introduced three different coloured verification badges: gold ticks are used for business organisations, grey ticks are for government-affiliated accounts or multilateral organisations, and blue ticks are used for individual accounts.

Many news organisations including CNN, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post - companies which also said they will not pay for Twitter verification - now have gold ticks.

Other New York Times accounts, such as New York Times Arts and New York Times Travel, also have the gold badge.

The removal of the blue ticks seems to be happening gradually. This could be because it is largely a manual process, according to The Washington Post, citing former employees of the company.

Celebrities like American basketball great LeBron James, who said he would not be paying for Twitter verification, still has a blue tick. The same is true of US rapper Ice-T, who has also criticised the new fee-paying system.

BBC
 
Tesla: Carmaker told to pay ex-worker $3.2m over racism case

Electric carmaker Tesla has been ordered to pay almost $3.2m (£2.6m) to a black former worker after he won a racial harassment lawsuit.

Owen Diaz, a lift operator from 2015 to 2016 at its Fremont factory, was subjected to a racially hostile work environment, a federal jury found.

However, the payment has been slashed by 98% from the $137m that he was originally awarded in 2021.

A judge ruled last year that the initial amount was excessive.

On Monday, Mr Diaz was awarded $3m in punitive damages and $175,000 in damages for emotional distress.

"If we had been allowed to introduce new evidence, the verdict would've been zero imo," Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said on Twitter.

"Jury did the best they could with the information they had. I respect the decision," he added.

Mr Musk did not provide details of what new evidence Tesla would have presented.

Tesla's lawyer Alex Spiro declined to comment. The company did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.

In the original lawsuit, Mr Diaz alleged that African-American workers "encountered a scene straight from the Jim Crow era" at the firm's plant in Fremont, California.

He claimed that black workers regularly faced racist slurs on the factory floor and racist graffiti in bathrooms.

...
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65171071
 
Promise To Bring Elon Musk, Rs 8,000 Ticket: Fake Claims Made At Noida Start-Up Event

The homepage of the official website of the World Startup Convention featured top Indian officials.

Promised to bring Elon Musk, Sunder Pichai, Gautam Adani, and some of India's top ministers and global investors under one roof, the 'World Startup Convention' in Greater Noida was touted to be 'the world's biggest investment festival'. However, when the budding entrepreneurs reached the venue after buying tickets worth Rs 8,000 on the day of the event, it turned out to be what's being called a scam.

The festival was organised by investors Luke Talwar and Arjun Chaudhary and was scheduled to begin on March 24. The event promised to provide a platform for budding entrepreneurs to connect with big names in the industry and seek funding.

The homepage of the official website of the World Startup Convention featured top Indian officials including Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Chief Minister of India's northern state of Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami.

The organisers also used pictures of union minister Nitin Gadkari. Author Chetan Bhagat allegedly promoted the event on his social media account and is now receiving backlash due to his association with the World Startup Convention. Not just Mr Bhagat, but other top influencers including Ankur Warikoo, MBA Chaiwala and Raj Shamani were singing praises for the event.

For the event, the tickets were priced at Rs 8,000 and budding entrepreneurs from different parts of the country participated.

https://www.ndtv.com/feature/promis...ed-out-to-be-biggest-start-up-scandal-3922088
 
  • Elon Musk, boss of Twitter and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has given a surprise interview to the BBC
  • Musk agreed unexpectedly to the last-minute conversation with our correspondent James Clayton at Twitter HQ
  • The billionaire admits he only bought Twitter because he had to, and describes running the firm as "quite painful" and "a rollercoaster"
  • He also spoke about the mass lay-offs at the firm, saying it was down to 1,500 staff members from an initial 8,000
  • The BBC objected this week to a new tag describing it as "government funded media" on its main Twitter account - and Musk agrees the tag will be updated
  • He also says he sometimes sleeps at the office, and addresses his controversial tweets saying: "I think I should not tweet after 3am".
  • And he contests the idea that hate speech is now more common on the platform
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BBC ‘journalism’ at its finest &#55358;&#56614;&#55356;&#57339;*♂️<br><br>BBC Journo: “There’s been a rise in hatful content on Twitter.”<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a>: “Give me an example.”<br>Journo: “I can’t.”<br>Musk: “You just lied.” <a href="https://t.co/wOfzn5vGfJ">pic.twitter.com/wOfzn5vGfJ</a></p>— Darren Grimes (@darrengrimes_) <a href="https://twitter.com/darrengrimes_/status/1646115621032325122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Twitter boss Elon Musk has threatened to sue Microsoft as he accused the technology giant of using data from his social media company without permission.

"They trained illegally using Twitter data. Lawsuit time," the multi-billionaire said in a tweet.

Mr Musk was responding to Microsoft's plan to remove Twitter from its corporate advertising platform.

He did not provide further details or evidence to support the claim.

Microsoft declined to comment when approached by the BBC on Thursday.

Earlier, the company said in a notice that its advertising platform would "no longer support Twitter" from Tuesday 25 April.

BBC
 
SpaceX Starship: Elon Musk's big rocket explodes on test flight

Elon Musk's SpaceX company's mammoth new rocket, Starship, has exploded on its maiden flight.

No-one was hurt in the uncrewed test that lifted off from Texas' east coast on Thursday morning local time.

After two or three minutes into the flight, the rocket - the biggest ever developed - started to tumble out of control and was then destroyed, most probably by onboard charges.

Mr Musk has said his company will try again in a couple of months.

SpaceX engineers still class Thursday's mission as a success. They like to "test early and often" and are not afraid to break things. They will have gathered a mass of data to work towards the next flight. A second Starship is almost ready to take flight.

"Congrats [MENTION=129927]space[/MENTION]X team on an exciting test launch of Starship! Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months," Mr Musk tweeted.

...
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65334810
 
As Legacy Blue Tick Disappears, Elon Musk Is "Personally Paying" For Twitter Blue Subscription Of These Celebrities
Basketball star LeBron James and author Stephen King still retained their checkmarks despite publicly announcing that they would not sign up for the service.

Twitter removed the legacy blue tick from verified accounts yesterday. This comes months after the company's CEO Elon Musk announced the date to press users to sign up for Twitter Blue, its paid subscription service. Due to the recent development, many celebrities and noted personalities across various domains lost their coveted verification check mark. With the launch of Twitter Blue, only users who are subscribed to it will be able to have a blue checkmark in front of their names along with access to some brand-new features. However, basketball star LeBron James and author Stephen King still retained their checkmarks despite publicly announcing that they would not sign up for the service. It was later informed by the CEO of the company that he is "personally paying" for the Twitter Blue subscriptions of some celebrities to keep their checkmark.

This came to light after American author Stephen King took to the microblogging website and said, "My Twitter account says I've subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven't. My Twitter account says I've given a phone number. I haven't." Replying to the same, Mr Musk said, "You're welcome namaste" along with a folding hand emoji.

In a separate tweet, Mr Musk informed, "I'm paying for a few personally." Later, he tweeted, "Just Shatner, LeBron and King," referring to Star Trek star William Shatner, who had last month complained about being forced to pay to keep his blue checkmark.

NDTV
 
A few days ago, Twitter removed the legacy blue tick from all accounts. With the launch of paid subscription service Twitter Blue, only users who have subscribed will be able to have a blue checkmark in front of their names along with access to some brand-new features. Due to this development, many celebrities and noted personalities across various domains had lost their coveted verification check mark. However, now, it seems that the microblogging site's new owner Elon Musk has made some exceptions for people who have not enrolled for the service. He seems to have restored the blue badge of users with reportedly over a million followers, a report in Rolling Stone.

Several users who have at least one million Twitter followers discovered today that the blue ticks they had until Friday, April 20 have returned to their accounts. But the blue checks that were restored display that the accounts are verified because they are paying for Twitter Blue. Bollywood actors like Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan, cricketers Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, former US President Donald Trump, and billionaire Bill Gates, who also lost their blue ticks because of the new update, have the blue checkmark back on their profile. Although, it is not clear whether they have paid for the verification or not.

NDTV
 
VIDEO AND AUDIO CALLS COMING TO TWITTER: ELON MUSK

Twitter boss Elon Musk on Tuesday put out word that audio and video calls are coming to the platform.

“Coming soon will be voice and video chat from your handle to anyone on this platform,” Elon Musk said in a tweet.

“So you can talk to people anywhere in the world without giving them your phone number.”

In a subsequent comment fired off on Twitter, Musk contended that the WhatsApp messaging service operated by Meta “cannot be trusted.”

A messaging feature at Twitter would compete with an array of free services including Messenger, Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp.

Musk added that Twitter on Wednesday will start encrypting direct messages on the platform, scrambling contents to safeguard privacy.

Since buying Twitter for $44 billion late last year, Musk has implemented changes in seemingly impulsive ways, sometimes causing chaos for users.

The Twitter boss has talked publicly of building an all-purpose “X” application that combines messages, payments and more.

Musk recently made the tech firm part of an “X” shell corporation, getting rid of the Twitter company name but continuing to use it for the service.
 
Elon Musk’s brain implant company Neuralink approved for in-human study
The Food and Drug Administration, which had initially rejected the application, finally gave the company the green light

Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-implant company, said on Thursday it had received a green light from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to kickstart its first in-human clinical study, a critical milestone after earlier struggles to gain approval.

Musk has predicted on at least four occasions since 2019 that his medical device company would begin human trials for a brain implant to treat severe conditions such as paralysis and blindness.

Yet the company, founded in 2016, only sought FDA approval in early 2022 – and the agency rejected the application, seven current and former employees told Reuters in March.

The FDA had pointed out several concerns to Neuralink that needed to be addressed before sanctioning human trials, according to the employees. Major issues involved the lithium battery of the device, the possibility of the implant’s wires migrating within the brain and the challenge of safely extracting the device without damaging brain tissue.

Thursday’s FDA approval comes as US lawmakers are urging regulators to investigate whether the make-up of a panel overseeing animal testing at Neuralink contributed to botched and rushed experiments.

Neuralink has already been the subject of federal investigations.

...
https://www.theguardian.com/technol...ralink-brain-implant-fda-approval-human-study
 
Billionaire Elon Musk's X, the social media formerly known as Twitter, is facing 2,200 arbitration claims from ex-employees since Mr. Musk took over the company and fired most of its workforce. The filing fees alone for that volume of cases could amount to $3.5 million.
The lawsuit was filed in a Delaware district court, according to CNBC. The case is Chris Woodfield v. Twitter, X Corp. and Elon Musk (No. 1:23-cv-780-CFC).

A former employee, Woodfield, a former senior staff network engineer who had worked at Twitter's Seattle office in his suit said that Twitter had promised then failed to pay his severance, and later delayed alternative dispute resolution by failing to pay the necessary fees required for him to move ahead in the JAMS arbitration system, CNBC reported.
 
X owner Elon Musk is threatening to sue the Anti-Defamation League for defamation, claiming that the nonprofit organization’s statements about rising hate speech on the social media platform have torpedoed X’s advertising revenue.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Musk said US advertising revenue is “still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL (that’s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X/Twitter!”

Musk also claimed that since he took over the platform in October 2022, the ADL “has been trying to kill this platform by falsely accusing it & me of being anti-Semitic.”

“To clear our platform’s name on the matter of anti-Semitism, it looks like we have no choice but to file a defamation lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League … oh the irony!” he said.


CNN
 
Elon Musk borrowed $1 billion from SpaceX in same month of Twitter deal, Wall Street Journal reports

Sept 5 (Reuters) - Elon Musk withdrew a loan of $1 billion from SpaceX - the two-decade-old rocket company run by the billionaire - around the same time he was acquiring Twitter, now known as X, for $44 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

SpaceX approved the $1 billion loan, which was backed by some of Musk's SpaceX stock, in October and Musk drew all of it down the same month, according to the report, citing documents. Musk took ownership of Twitter in October.

Elon Musk sold a massive chunk of his Tesla shares in 2022, both before and after the Twitter deal, bringing his total sales to about $40 billion which frustrated investors in the EV maker.

In April 2023, Tesla disclosed that it had further tightened rules around Musk using his stake in the company to borrow money, according to the WSJ report.
 
Why does this guy have so much fan following?
I find his tweets pretty much devoid of humor(even when he tries to be funny)
 
On Mexico's 'Alien' Mummies, Elon Musk's Response: "It Was Cake All Along".

The spoof video also featured spoof text that read: "Breaking news: 'Alien' revealed as cake. Suspected Alien corpse turns out to be a Cake."

Responding to the video, Mr Musk said: "It was cake all along."


NDTV
 
SAN FRANCISCO: Online platform X could introduce a monthly fee for all users, its owner Elon Musk said Monday, citing the need to cut down on bots.

The tech tycoon has made multiple changes since taking over the site for $44 billion in October last year, when it was known as Twitter.

During a talk with Musk on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the question of online anti-Semitism, and how X could “prevent the use of bots – armies of bots – to replicate and amplify it.”

Musk replied that the company was “moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the X system.”

“Because a bot costs a fraction of a penny – call it a tenth of a penny – but if somebody even has to pay a few dollars, some minor amount, the effective cost of bots is very high.

“And then you also have to get a new payment method every time you have a new bot.”

Business Recorder
 
WicketLord said:
SAN FRANCISCO: Online platform X could introduce a monthly fee for all users, its owner Elon Musk said Monday, citing the need to cut down on bots.

The tech tycoon has made multiple changes since taking over the site for $44 billion in October last year, when it was known as Twitter.

During a talk with Musk on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the question of online anti-Semitism, and how X could “prevent the use of bots – armies of bots – to replicate and amplify it.”

Musk replied that the company was “moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the X system.”

“Because a bot costs a fraction of a penny – call it a tenth of a penny – but if somebody even has to pay a few dollars, some minor amount, the effective cost of bots is very high.

“And then you also have to get a new payment method every time you have a new bot.”

Business Recorder
Click to expand...

If they charged for Twitter, do you think people would stay on the platform?
Has anyone tried threads? If so, how do you find it?
 
Singer-songwriter Grimes has sued Elon Musk over parental rights, filing a petition last week against the billionaire mogul with whom she has three children, according to a court docket.

The Canadian musician, whose legal name is Claire Boucher, filed a petition to establish a parental relationship in San Francisco Superior Court on Friday.

Court documents are not available for the case, but a notice of alternative dispute resolution methods was also filed that day.

Representatives for Musk and Grimes were not immediately available for comment on Tuesday.


www.nbcnews.com

Grimes sues Elon Musk over parental rights

Grimes, whose legal name is Claire Boucher, filed a petition to establish a parental relationship in San Francisco Superior Court on Friday.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com
 
Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, has started charging new users in New Zealand and the Philippines $1 (£0.82) a year to access key features, as part of a new trial.

They include the ability to tweet, retweet, like posts and reply to posts.

Those who opt out of the subscription fee will only be able to read posts, watch videos and follow accounts.

The social media platform said that the aim is to "reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity".

New accounts will also be required to verify their phone number, though Mr Musk has said that it will still be free to create "read only" accounts, which do not have key features. .

Last month, the boss of X, Tesla and SpaceX suggested that all X users may have to pay for access.

Since Mr Musk bought Twitter for $44bn last year, it has seen a continuous revenue decline.

While there is a clear financial interest for the company to charge users, the controversial billionaire has said that getting people to pay for the service is aimed at tackling bots.

He has previously said that a bot costs "a fraction of a penny" to make. "But if somebody even has to pay a few dollars or something, some minor amount, the effective cost to bots is very high".

Paid subscribers of an enhanced service, called X Premium, now pay for more features like longer posts and increased visibility on the platform

X Premium currently costs $8 a month in the US. The price differs depending on which country a subscriber resides in, while other users can still use X for free.

One risk of putting X behind a paywall is that the platform may lose a large chunk of its users. That in turn, could drive down advertising revenue, which currently accounts for the vast majority of the company's income.

In recent weeks, the company has been investigated by the European Union for the possible spread of terrorist and violent content and hate speech, after Hamas's attack on Israel.

It has also been fined by Australia's internet safety watchdog for failing to cooperate with a probe into anti-child abuse practices.

BBC
 

Elon Musk says X to have two new premium tiers​

Elon Musk has said his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, will launch two new tiers of premium subscriptions.

"One is lower cost with all features, but no reduction in ads, and the other is more expensive, but has no ads," the billionaire said in a post on X.

It comes as the firm started charging new users $1 in New Zealand and the Philippines for accessing the platform.

Mr Musk did not provide more details on the plans.

New users who opt out of subscribing will only be able to take "read only" actions, such as reading posts, watching videos, and following accounts, the company said in its website.

Mr Musk has long said that his solution for getting rid of bots and fake accounts on the social media platform is charging for the service.

Since taking over the firm in October last year he has looked to incentivise users to pay for an enhanced service, which is now called X Premium, and tried to woo advertisers back to X with offers of discounts.

Some users now opt to pay $8 per month for the blue check subscription service.

Its "Not A Bot" subscription method aims to reduce spam, manipulation of the platform and bot activity.

Mr Musk's rapid changes, including mass layoffs and disbanding content moderation teams, has led to advertisers halting ads on the service.

He acknowledged that the platform has taken a hit on revenue and blamed activists for pressuring advertisers.
 
X Is Now Worth $19 Billion, Less Than Half Of What Elon Musk Paid For It
Restricted stock units awarded to employees value the company at $19 billion, or $45 a share, according to a person familiar with the matter. A year ago, Musk bought Twitter Inc. for $44 billion.

Since the takeover, most of Twitter's staff was laid off or resigned. Musk renamed the company X, changed some of its content rules and lost more than half of its advertising revenue.

Fortune earlier reported on the valuation, citing an internal memo.

The company has struggled financially under Musk's ownership. At the time of the takeover, Twitter was valued at $44 billion, based on a mix of debt and equity. Musk's purchase saddled the company with $13 billion in debt and over time his erratic decision making and looser content-safety rules have driven away advertisers, contributing to a 60% drop in sales. X also owes about $1.2 billion in interest payments per year on its debt, Bloomberg earlier estimated.

Musk's plan for X is to shift away from advertising toward paid subscriptions. But so far the company has persuaded less than 1% of users to sign up for its monthly premium service, translating to less than $120 million annually, Bloomberg has estimated.

Musk has also been vocal about turning X into an "everything app" that could generate revenue from features like shopping and payments. The company rolled out audio and video calling earlier this month, has a beta version of a hiring service and announced plans to launch a news wire. Musk told employees that X plans to compete with Google's YouTube, Microsoft Corp.'s LinkedIn and Cision's PR Newswire.

When Chief Executive Officer Linda Yaccarino met with bankers this month to lay out the company's financial plan, she shared ideas for X's new products and services, including the launch of advertising tiers. In the past, Musk has hinted that he'd like to take X public, but the company's steep drop in value could make that difficult.

NDTV
 
Tesla Car Crashed In US, Killing Driver. Jury Says Autopilot Not To Blame
The civil suit accused Tesla of "reckless and negligent behavior" after the high-speed incident near Los Angeles, in which a Tesla Model 3 slammed into a palm tree and burst into flames.

San Francisco, United States: A California jury on Tuesday rejected a claim that a Tesla car involved in a fatal 2019 crash had a manufacturer's defect in its "Autopilot" self-driving feature, according to a court spokesperson.
The civil suit accused Tesla of "reckless and negligent behavior" after the high-speed incident near Los Angeles, in which a Tesla Model 3 slammed into a palm tree and burst into flames. The driver later died of his injuries, while two passengers were also harmed.

The lawsuit faulted the car's Autopilot and safety features.

Tesla should have known the technology was not ready for market, yet the company "and its CEO Elon Musk advertised, presented, and maintained it as if it was," the suit contended.

"Though we express disappointment in the verdict, it's undeniable that a national lens is now focused on this pressing matter," the plaintiff's lawyer, Jonathan Michaels of MLG Attorneys at Law, said when contacted by AFP about the verdict.

"Tesla, despite its stature, was pushed to its limits during the trial."

The fact that jurors deliberated for four days, and were split nine to three, "casts a shadow of uncertainty" on the tech, according to Michaels.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company has been hit with several lawsuits stemming from car accidents, and its driver-assistance technology has provoked regulatory probes in the United States.

Musk has said that Tesla will realize fully autonomous cars "later this year," though the billionaire has already missed several deadlines for the long-anticipated milestone.

NDTV
 
Humanoid Robot Can "Chase You Anywhere", Warns Musk In Talks With UK PM

The owner of X Elon Musk on Thursday predicted the future with AI would be an "age of abundance" with a "universal high income" instead of a universal basic income but warned of "humanoid robots" that might chase humans.

Musk was speaking during a conversation with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak following a world-first AI summit at Bletchley Park in the UK.

The SpaceX and Tesla CEO said there would come a point when "no job is needed" in the one-to-one with Sunak which was held later in London.

Jobs instead would be just for those who wanted one for "personal satisfaction".

AI was like "a magic genie" that gives you any wishes you want, Musk added, quipping however that those fairy tales rarely end well.

"One of the future challenges is how do you find meaning in life?" he said.

Musk cautioned that "we should be quite concerned" about humanoid robots that "can follow you anywhere".

The tech billionaire stressed the importance of having a physical off switch.

"A humanoid robot can basically chase you anywhere," he said.

"It's something we should be quite concerned about. If a robot can follow you anywhere, what if they get a software update one day, and they're not so friendly any more?"

Sunak responded that "we've all watched" movies about robots that end with the machines being switched off.



www.ndtv.com

Humanoid Robot Can "Chase You Anywhere", Warns Musk In Talks With UK PM

The owner of X Elon Musk on Thursday predicted the future with AI would be an "age of abundance" with a "universal high income" instead of a universal basic income but warned of "humanoid robots" that might chase humans.
www.ndtv.com www.ndtv.com
 
Major US companies including Disney, Warner Bros and NBC parent company Comcast have pulled advertising from X (formerly Twitter) amid a row over Elon Musk's alleged endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory.

The Tesla chief on Wednesday agreed with a post on X that falsely claimed Jewish people were stoking hatred against white people, saying the user who referenced the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory was speaking "the actual truth".

That conspiracy theory holds that Jewish people and leftists are engineering the ethnic and cultural replacement of white populations with non-white immigrants that will lead to a "white genocide".

Mr Musk's apparent endorsement of the theory was met with a stinging rebuke from the White House, which accused him of "abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate" that "runs against our core values as Americans".

news.sky.com

Disney and Warner Bros pull ads from X after Elon Musk apparently endorses antisemitic conspiracy theory

Elon Musk is under fire - including from the White House - for his alleged endorsement of the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
 
Elon Musk is now boosting the ‘Pizzagate’ conspiracy theory

Elon Musk on Monday boosted the dangerous, years-old “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, just days after being roundly criticized and facing an advertiser exodus following his embrace of an antisemitic conspiracy theory.

In a post Monday, an X user attempted to link the founder of Media Matters — the progressive media watchdog that last week identified ads for major brands running alongside pro-Nazi content on X — to the owner of the “Pizzagate restaurant.” Musk replied: “Weird.” By replying, Musk called the post to the attention of his more than 160 million followers on X.

Pizzagate is an anti-Hillary Clinton conspiracy theory that spun up on 4chan, Reddit, Twitter and other platforms in the final days before the 2016 US presidential election. Believers imagined a pedophilia ring supposedly being run out of a Washington, DC pizza shop that involved Clinton and other Democrats.

The wildly false claims were behind self-appointed “investigator” Edgar Maddison Welch’s decision in December of that year to fire an assault rifle inside the restaurant. (No one was hurt, and Welch later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison.)

It’s just the latest conspiracy theory Musk has drawn attention to using X. Musk last week agreed with an antisemitic post on his social media platform X, endorsing the claim that Jewish communities push “hatred against Whites.” Musk last year also gave credence to a fringe conspiracy theory about the violent attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, by posting a link to an article full of baseless claims about Paul Pelosi.

Musk last week faced backlash from the White House and others for engaging with an antisemitic conspiracy theory.

“It is unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie behind the most fatal act of Antisemitism in American history at any time, let alone one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement to CNN.


 

Elon Musk to reportedly visit Israel after antisemitism controversies​


Elon Musk will visit Israel next week to show solidarity with the traumatized residents of Gaza frontier towns that were overrun by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, according to Hebrew-language media.

The Tesla mogul who owns the X social media platform is expected to get a first-hand glimpse of the devastation left by armed Palestinian Islamists who used hang-gliders and pickup trucks to cross the Israel-Gaza border in an assault just after dawn — resulting in the deaths of 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of more than 200 people.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day truce that went into effect on Friday. As per the terms of the deal, the Gaza-based terrorist group will release a group of hostages in exchange for an Israeli pledge to free scores of Palestinian prisoners.

Musk, who has been widely criticized for appearing to endorse an antisemitic conspiracy theory which accuses Jews of facilitating mass migration of minorities to the West, is reportedly scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.

News of Musk’s planned visit was reported by the N12 news site.

The Post has sought comment from X as well as from representatives of the Israeli government.

Israeli officials were angered by Musk after he announced last month that his rocket-building company, SpaceX, would provide Starlink satellite-based internet service to the Gaza Strip.

Musk said the service would benefit Gaza-based humanitarian organizations, but Israeli officials alleged that Hamas would make use of the technology for military purposes.

Musk and X have vehemently denied accusations from liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America and others that the platform promotes neo-Nazi and antisemitic content.

The social media company formerly known as Twitter filed a “thermonuclear” lawsuit against the Democratic Party-aligned Media Matters over a report which found that pro-Nazi content was appearing next to ads from blue-chip companies.

In response to the report, large corporations such as Disney, IBM, Apple, Comcast and Warner Bros. Discovery paused ads on X — which has sought to woo advertisers who fled the platform in the weeks and months following Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of the company last year.

In recent months, Musk has butted heads with the Anti-Defamation League, the civil rights organization which has sought to combat antisemitism in the US.

Musk threatened legal action against the ADL after he accused the group of scaring off advertisers by claiming that X was a haven for neo-Nazi and antisemitic voices.

nypost.com

Elon Musk to reportedly visit Israel after antisemitism controversies

Elon Musk will visit Israel next week to show solidarity with the traumatized residents of Gaza frontier towns that were overrun by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, according to Hebrew-language media. T…
nypost.com nypost.com
 
Elon Musk's X May Lose Up To $75 Million By End Of The Year: Report

Elon Musk-owned social media company X could lose as much as $75 million in advertising revenue by the end of the year as dozens of major brands pause their marketing campaigns, the New York Times reported on Friday.

Musk backing an antisemitic post on the platform last week has led several companies including Walt Disney and Warner Bros Discovery to pause their advertisements on the site formerly called Twitter.

X has struck back and sued media watchdog group Media Matters, alleging the organization defamed the platform with a report that said ads for major brands including Apple and Oracle had appeared next to posts touting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party.




www.ndtv.com

Elon Musk's X May Lose Up To $75 Million By End Of The Year: Report

Elon Musk-owned social media company X could lose as much as $75 million in advertising revenue by the end of the year as dozens of major brands pause their marketing campaigns, the New York Times reported on Friday.
www.ndtv.com www.ndtv.com
 
"Go F*** Yourself": Elon Musk Slams Advertisers Over Anti-Semitic Charge
On Wednesday Elon Musk said he had "handed a loaded gun" to detractors, describing his post as possibly the worst he had made during a history of messages that included many "foolish" ones.

San Francisco: Billionaire Elon Musk told advertisers that have fled his social media platform X over antisemitic content to "go f*** yourself" in a fiery Wednesday interview.
His profanity-laced remarks followed a moment of contrition in a New York Times DealBook Summit interview, as he first said "I'm sorry" for a tweet that agreed with an anti-Jewish post on X on Nov. 15.

Musk has faced a torrent of criticism since he on Nov. 15 agreed with a user who falsely claimed Jewish people were stoking hatred against white people, saying the user who referenced the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory was speaking "the actual truth."

On Wednesday Musk said he had "handed a loaded gun" to detractors, describing his post as possibly the worst he had made during a history of messages that included many "foolish" ones.

The Tesla CEO bristled at the idea that he was antisemitic and said that advertisers who left X, formerly known as Twitter, should not think they could blackmail him, saying "f*** you" numerous times. At one point he added the words "Hey Bob," an apparent reference to Robert Iger, chief executive of Walt Disney, which pulled ads on X.

The "Great Replacement" theory holds that Jewish people and leftists are engineering the ethnic and cultural replacement of white populations with non-white immigrants that will lead to a "white genocide."

www.ndtv.com

"Go F*** Yourself": Elon Musk Slams Advertisers Over Anti-Semitic Charge

Billionaire Elon Musk told advertisers that have fled his social media platform X over antisemitic content to "go f*** yourself" in a fiery Wednesday interview.
www.ndtv.com www.ndtv.com
 
Could X go bankrupt under Elon Musk?

In April, I sat down with Musk for the first of his many chaotic interviews about his acquisition of X.

He said something that, in hindsight, was rather revealing, but which passed me by at the time.

Talking about advertising, he said: "If Disney feels comfortable advertising children's movies [on Twitter], and Apple feels comfortable advertising iPhones, those are good indicators that Twitter is a good place to advertise."

Seven months later, Disney and Apple are no longer advertising on X - and Musk is telling companies that have left to "Go [expletive] yourself."

The companies paused adverts after an investigation by a US organisation, Media Matters for America, flagged ads appearing next to pro-Nazi posts. X fiercely challenged the report, questioning its research methods, and launched a lawsuit against the organisation.

In a fiery interview on Wednesday, Musk also used the "b" word - bankruptcy, in a sign of just how much the ad boycott is damaging the company's bottom line.

For a company he bought for $44bn (£35bn) last year, bankruptcy might sound unthinkable. But it is possible.

To understand why, you have to look at how reliant X is on advertising revenue - and why advertisers are not coming back.

Although we don't have the latest figures, last year around 90% of X's revenue was from advertising. It is the heart of the business.

On Wednesday Musk more than hinted at this.

"If the company fails… it will fail because of an advertiser boycott. And that will be what bankrupts the company." he said.

Mark Gay, chief client officer at marketing consultancy at Ebiquity, which works with hundreds of companies, says there is no sign anyone is returning.

"The money has come out and nobody is putting a strategy in place for reinvesting there," he says.

On Friday, retail giant Walmart announced it was no longer advertising on X.

After Musk had told advertisers who quit X where to go in Wednesday's interview at the New York Times DealBook Summit, he said something that made advertisers wince even harder.

"Hi Bob", he said - a reference to the chief executive of Disney, Bob Iger.

When Musk puts chief executives "in his crosshairs" like this they will be even more reticent to be involved with X, says Lou Paskalis, of marketing consultancy AJL Advisory.

Jasmine Enberg, principal analyst at Insider Intelligence, adds: "It doesn't take a social media expert to understand and to know that publicly and personally attacking advertisers and companies that pay X's bills is not going to be good for business."

If advertisers are gone for good, what does Musk have?

When I interviewed him in April, it was clear he understood that subscriptions on X were not going to replace advertising money.

"If you have a million people that are subscribed for, let's say, $100 a year-ish, that's $100m. That's a fairly small revenue stream relative to advertising," he told me.

In 2022, Twitter's advertising revenue was around $4bn. Insider Intelligence estimates this year it will drop to $1.9bn.

The company has two major outlays. The first is its staffing bill. Musk has cut X to the bone already, laying off thousands.

The second is servicing the loans Musk took out to buy Twitter, totalling about $13bn. Reuters has reported that the company now has to pay $1.2bn or so in interest payments every year.

If the company cannot service the interest on its loans or afford to pay staff then, yes, X really could go bankrupt.

But that would be an extreme scenario that Musk would surely want to avoid.

He has options. By far the simplest thing for Musk would be to put more of his money in - but it sounds like he doesn't want to do that.

Musk could try to renegotiate with the banks for less onerous interest payments. He could ask, for example, for "payment in kind" interest - where payments are delayed.

But if renegotiation does not work and the banks don't get their money, then bankruptcy could be the only option, and at that point the banks could try to push for a change in management.

"It would be very messy and complex," says Jared Ellias, a professor of law at Harvard Law School. "And it would be extremely challenging. It would create a lot of news because he would constantly get deposed and have to testify in court."

It could be terrible for Musk's business reputation, and would also impact how Musk could borrow money in the future.

And in a bankruptcy scenario, would X simply stop working?

"I find that to be very hard to believe," says Ellias. "If that happened, it'd be because Elon decided to pull the rug out. But even then, if he were to do that, the creditors would have the option of pushing the company into bankruptcy, getting a trustee appointed and turning the lights back on," he says.

The obvious solution to all these problems for X is to simply find another revenue stream - and fast. Musk is certainly trying.

He has launched a new audio and video calls service. Last month he streamed himself playing video games - he hopes X can compete with apps like Twitch.

He wants X to become the "everything app", covering everything from chat to online payments.

According to the New York Times, which got hold of the pitch deck Musk was giving to investors last year, X was supposed to bring in $15m from a payments business in 2023, growing to about $1.3bn by 2028.

X is also sitting on a huge treasure trove of data, and its vast archive of conversations can be used to train chatbots. Musk believes this data is vastly valuable.

So X does have potential.

But in the short term, none of these options plug the hole advertisers have left.

It's why Musk's profane outburst was so baffling to many.

"I don't have any theories that make sense," Paskalis says. "There is a revenue model in his head that eludes me."

Source: BBC

www.bbc.com

Could X go bankrupt under Elon Musk?

Musk's profane attack on advertisers baffled experts - without adverts, how would X survive?
www.bbc.com
 
Elon Musk's Tesla recalls two million cars in US over Autopilot defect

Tesla is recalling more than two million cars after the US regulator found its driver assistance system, Autopilot, was partly defective.

It follows a two-year investigation into crashes which occurred when the tech was in use.

The recall applies to almost every Tesla sold in the US since the Autopilot feature was launched in 2015.

Tesla, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, said it would send a software update "over the air" to fix the issue.

The update happens automatically and does not require a visit to a dealership or garage, but is still referred to by the US regulator as a recall.

The UK Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency said it was not aware of any safety issues involving Teslas in the UK, noting that cars sold in the UK are not equipped with all of the same features as cars in the US.

"Teslas sold in the UK market are not self-driving and are not approved to do so," a spokesperson said, adding that the agency would continue to monitor the situation.

Autopilot is meant to help with steering, acceleration and braking - but, despite the name, the car still requires driver input.

Tesla's software is supposed to make sure that drivers are paying attention and that the feature is only in use in appropriate conditions, such as driving on highways.

But the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said a two-year investigation of 956 Tesla crashes found that "the prominence and scope of the feature's controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse".

"Automated technology holds great promise for improving safety but only when it is deployed responsibly", the NHTSA wrote, adding it would continue to monitor the software once it was updated.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

According to the recall notice, the company did not concur with the agency's analysis but agreed to add new features to resolve the concerns, including additional checks on turning on the self-driving features.

The recall comes a week after a former Tesla employee told the BBC he believed the technology was not safe.

Lukasz Krupski, speaking after winning the Blueprint Prize which recognises whistleblowers, told the BBC: "I don't think the hardware is ready and the software is ready".

"It affects all of us because we are essentially experiments in public roads", he claimed.

Reacting to the news of the recall Mr Krupski told the BBC it was "a step in the right direction" but pointed out it was not just a problem in the US.

"The hardware is the same in all the Teslas in the US, China etc.", he said



www.bbc.com

Elon Musk's Tesla recalls two million cars in US over Autopilot defect

It follows investigation into crashes which occurred when firm's Autopilot system was in use.
www.bbc.com
 
US judge tentatively rules Musk must testify again in SEC's Twitter probe

A federal judge on Thursday tentatively ruled that Elon Musk must testify again for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's probe of his $44 billion Twitter takeover, handing the SEC a victory in its latest skirmish with the world's richest person.

During a hearing in San Francisco, U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler quickly rejected arguments by Musk's attorney that SEC officials do not have the authority to issue subpoenas, saying the agency has broad investigative powers and that no judge would "second guess" an SEC probe.

Beeler told the sides to figure out when Musk would sit for one more four-hour deposition, or she would issue an order.

"If you don't work it out, then it's in San Francisco in February," she said during Thursday’s hearing.

The SEC sued Musk in October to compel the Tesla and SpaceX CEO to testify as part of an investigation into his 2022 purchase of social media giant Twitter, which he subsequently renamed X. Musk refused to attend a September interview for the probe, the SEC said.

The agency is examining whether Musk followed the law when filing the required paperwork with the agency about his purchases in Twitter stock, and whether his statements in relation to the deal were misleading.

Thursday's face-off is the latest spat in a years-long feud between Musk and the top U.S. markets regulator, dating back to 2018 when he tweeted that he had "funding secured" to take the electric carmaker private.


 
EU investigates Elon Musk’s X over possible breaches of social media law

The European Union is investigating social media company X over suspected violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA) in its first probe under the law.

“Today we open formal infringement proceedings against X” under the Digital Services Act, European Commissioner Thierry Breton said Monday in a post on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“The Commission will now investigate X’s systems and policies related to certain suspected infringements,” spokesperson Johannes Bahrke said at a news briefing in Brussels. “It does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation.”

The investigation will look into whether X failed to do enough to curb the spread of illegal content and whether measures to combat ” information manipulation”, especially through its crowd-sourced Community Notes fact-checking feature, were effective.

The probe will also consider issues with user interface, deceptive use of “verified’ accounts and lack of access to researchers.

“X remains committed to complying with the Digital Services Act, and is cooperating with the regulatory process,” the company said in a statement.

“It is important that this process remains free of political influence and follows the law. X is focused on creating a safe and inclusive environment for all users on our platform, while protecting freedom of expression, and we will continue to work tirelessly towards this goal.”

Under the DSA, which became law in November last year, online platforms and search engines with more than 45 million active users must actively tackle illegal content and risks to public security and must protect their services against manipulative techniques.

The EU started its preliminary investigation in October with the start of Israel’s war with Hamas when EU industry chief Breton sent letters to X, Meta, TikTok and Alphabet reminding them of their obligations under the DSA to moderate harmful and illegal content.

The platforms responded by highlighting steps they have taken to stop disinformation on their platforms, but Musk challenged Breton over the disinformation charge.

The probe will focus on countering the dissemination of illegal content in the EU and the effectiveness of measures taken to combat information manipulation, including the “community notes” system, the commission said.

This year, X launched its Community Notes feature, which allows users to comment on posts to flag false or misleading content, in effect crowd-sourcing fact checking to users rather than a dedicated team of fact checkers.

The commission said it will now carry out an in-depth investigation by sending additional requests for information and conducting interviews and inspections, it said.

It will also review measures taken by X to increase transparency and a suspected deceptive design of the user interface, such as check marks linked to subscription products, the so-called blue checks, it said.

The commission said a preliminary investigation included an analysis of a report submitted by X in September, X’s transparency report published in November and X’s replies to a formal request for information about illegal content in connection to Hamas’s attacks against Israel.

The DSA imposes new rules on content moderation, user privacy and transparency. Any firm found in breach faces a fine worth up to 6 percent of its global turnover.

Source: Al Jazeera

www.aljazeera.com

EU investigates Elon Musk’s X over possible breaches of social media law

European Commission says platform breached content moderation rules under EU Digital Services Act.
www.aljazeera.com www.aljazeera.com
 
Elon Musk's X back up after outage

Users of Elon Musk's social media site were unable to use the site for around 45 minutes on Thursday morning, with posts to the platform not showing up.

The website and phone app for Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) appear to have been restored after going down.

Earlier, users were still able to open the service but were faced with a message reading "welcome to your timeline", instead of the usual feed of posts.

Spaces, where people can take part in voice chat debates, remained functional.

Tens of thousands of reports about the technical issues were filed on DownDetector.

Posts from users on their own profiles were also not showing up on the site and app.

However, the platform did appear to allow users to continue posting, despite the content not showing up.

#TwitterDown began trending shortly after 6am.

Users of X Pro, which replaced Tweetdeck, also reported issues using the service.

Advertisement

Elon Musk bought the platform in a $44bn (£33.6bn) deal last year and later renamed it from Twitter to X.
​
news.sky.com

Elon Musk's X back up after outage

Users of Elon Musk's social media site were unable to use the site for around 45 minutes on Thursday morning, with posts to the platform not showing up.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
 
Elon Musk's Neuralink weight loss plan sparks safety concerns among experts

Renowned entrepreneur Elon Musk's latest venture into the realm of weight loss using his brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, Neuralink, has ignited a wave of safety concerns among experts in the field.

Musk's ambitious suggestion that BCIs could be a solution for severe depression, morbid obesity, and sleep disorders is facing criticism due to the invasive nature of the procedures involved.

While BCIs like Neuralink have demonstrated success in assisting individuals with paralysis, the notion of using them for weight control has raised ethical and safety considerations. Experts highlight the risks associated with brain surgery, including the potential for infection and rejection, as major drawbacks compared to alternative weight-loss interventions.

The US Government Accountability Office has emphasized the surgical risks associated with implanted BCIs, raising questions about the overall safety of such procedures. Critics argue that a new class of drugs known as "glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists" (GLP-1s) presents a safer and more effective option for weight loss.

Originally designed for diabetes treatment, GLP-1s have shown appetite-suppressing effects by slowing the movement of food through the digestive system. The recent approval of Eli Lilly's GLP-1 drug, Zepbound, by the US Food and Drug Administration for obesity treatment underscores the safety and efficacy of this drug class, administered through injections.

Large-scale trials have affirmed the safety and efficacy of GLP-1 drugs when used in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Experts emphasize that GLP-1 drugs offer a molecular approach to hunger control with fewer risks compared to invasive BCI procedures.

Critics raise concerns about the potential for abuse and adverse effects associated with hunger-controlling interventions, whether through implants or drugs. However, medical professionals argue that proper screening can identify individuals at risk of eating disorders, minimizing potential harm.

Drawing on the historical precedent of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, experts stress the complex relationship between food restriction and psychological effects, underscoring the importance of cautious approaches to weight-loss interventions.

In conclusion, the availability of safe and effective GLP-1 drugs suggests a more viable path for weight-loss interventions than experimental brain-chip procedures. Experts urge a thorough exploration of alternative options, including lifestyle changes and pharmaceutical interventions, before considering the use of invasive BCIs for conditions with established, safer alternatives.



www.samaa.tv

Elon Musk's Neuralink weight loss plan sparks safety concerns among experts

While BCIs like Neuralink have demonstrated success in assisting individuals with paralysis, the notion of using them for weight control has raised ethical and safety considerations. Experts highlight the risks associated with brain surgery, including the potential for infection and rejection...
www.samaa.tv www.samaa.tv
 

MrBeast brutally responds to Elon Musk's request for him to upload videos to X​

If a billionaire asks you to shift your content on to their platform, how can you refuse?

Well, apparently it’s quiet easy if you’re famous enough.

In a strange social media conversation, Elon Musk requested a YouTuber to start posting their content to X, formerly Twitter.

But they were hilariously turned down and fans had a field day with it.

It wasn’t too long ago that MrBeast, real name Jimmy Donaldson, one of the most famous YouTubers in recent years, had a hilarious discussion with Musk online regarding the state of the platform.

In May 2022, Musk posted: “If I die under mysterious circumstances, it’s been nice knowin ya.”

The social media star was quick to shoot his shot and replied: “If that happens can I have Twitter.”

To which Musk responded: “Ok.”

But this isn’t the conversation that created a huge buzz online.

Instead, it was an innocent post to promote MrBeast’s new video on YouTube.

The video creator recently joked that his followers should go and watch it or ‘I’ll drop kick you’.

However, nobody could have expected Musk to pipe up in the replies.

When @dogedesigner commented: "Upload on this platform too," Musk’s small ‘yeah’ is what would be his public downfall.

MrBeast savagely replied: “My videos cost millions to make and even if they got a billion views on X it wouldn’t fund a fraction of it.

“I’m down though to test stuff once monetization is really cranking!”

This seemed to imply that X wouldn’t generate enough money to be worth posting on the platform, which is why fans found it hilarious.

Of course, his online presence is worth so much that it wasn’t a shock when MrBeast was the first person on the Threads to reach a million followers.

After joining Mark Zuckerberg’s rival app, he wrote: "I feel like I’m cheating on Twitter by using this app."

The exchange between Musk and MrBeast resulted in users mocking the Tesla CEO in a gloves-off way.

However, Musk still hasn’t responded since the exchange on Saturday (30 December).

One user candidly summed it up: “He told Elon 'You cant afford me lil bro'."

Another wrote: “Mr. Beast’s quashing of Elon’s hopes for growing video on this platform.”

A third user said: “Told Elon to stfu and make his platform better, holy based.”

As the YouTuber is renowned for making dreams come true in the form of homes, cruises, money, hearing aids and so forth. Maybe he can make Musk’s dream come true too and work on posting to the social media platform once he gets the numbers right.

www.ladbible.com

Brit faces 70 years in prison after admitting to hacking Elon Musk's Twitter account

A British man is facing a hefty stint in prison after pleading guilty to hacking over 100 Twitter accounts, including CEO Elon Musk's.
www.ladbible.com www.ladbible.com
 
Will Elon Musk’s Starlink provide satellite service to Pakistan?

The caretaker federal government has sanctioned the National Space Policy, aiming to facilitate satellite communication services across Pakistan.

Umar Saif, the Caretaker Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, emphasized that multinational corporations will introduce satellite services in the country following clearance from the Ministry of Defence through the issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs).

To bolster this initiative, the private sector will allocate 6 percent of its revenue to contribute to the government’s Research and Development (R&D) fund.

The minister confirmed that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will be responsible for granting satellite communication service licenses to interested companies. This development is expected to enable residents in remote areas of Pakistan to access communication services through low-orbit satellite technology.

Highlighting the potential impact of unregulated practices in the space sector, the government estimated an annual loss of $40 million to the country.

With the approval of this policy, Elon Musk’s Starlink is poised to potentially become the inaugural provider of low-orbit satellite services in Pakistan, marking a significant advancement after encountering delays over the years.
​
SOURCE: SAMAA
 
What do you make of his drug use? On one hand, some claim it opens your mind. On the other hand, the guy clearly has mental issues and drugs could worsen them (and so his companies by default).

Personally, I think it's dumb of him to do it, he runs a few public companies, and puts shareholders money at risk.

 
Tesla Earnings Slide 40%; Next-Gen Vehicle Teased As Elon Musk Says 'We Don't Have A Crystal Ball'

Tesla (TSLA) reported worse-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings and revenue late Wednesday and Chief Executive Elon Musk warned investors that the EV giant doesn't know what way profit margins will go in 2024. TSLA shares fell on the news.

Tesla reported Wednesday that Q4 earnings fell 40% to 71 cents per share. Meanwhile, quarterly revenue totaled $25.17 billion, up 3.5% vs. Q4 2022. Tesla's gross profit margin came in at 17.6%, down 612 basis points. For 2023, Tesla EPS fell 23% to $3.12 while revenue increased 19% to $96.77 billion.

Wall Street had forecast Q4 EPS falling 39% to 73 cents with revenue increasing 5% to $25.62 billion. For the full 2023 year, analysts predicted earnings dipping 25% to $3.05 per share with sales of $97.46 billion, up 20%. Wall Street consensus had auto gross-profit margins, excluding regulatory credits, hitting 15.7% in Q4, according to FactSet.


www.investors.com

Tesla Earnings Tumble 40%; Next-Gen Vehicle Teased As Elon Musk Says 'We Don't Have A Crystal Ball'

Elon Musk says Tesla isn't sure what way profit margins will go in 2024.
www.investors.com www.investors.com
 
The cars were only the start. His main goal is pretty much something out of the movie Terminator. An army of robots with AI, along with satellite connections to control them. He sometimes talks as a neutral but this man has made no real benefit to mankind.
 
KingKhanWC said:
The cars were only the start. His main goal is pretty much something out of the movie Terminator. An army of robots with AI, along with satellite connections to control them. He sometimes talks as a neutral but this man has made no real benefit to mankind.
Click to expand...
what happened to his cyber truck? after that window crashing test nothing heard about that truck again.
 
Cricket Warrior said:
what happened to his cyber truck? after that window crashing test nothing heard about that truck again.
Click to expand...
There was some design issues but the rich bought. It is a rare, very good new automobile but I think its really for future military use, as its designed to be very strong from the outside, bullet proof etc.
 
KingKhanWC said:
There was some design issues but the rich bought. It is a rare, very good new automobile but I think its really for future military use, as its designed to be very strong from the outside, bullet proof etc.
Click to expand...
Yeah, design was catchy and unique but could only be utilized by the military not for regular use i guess.
 
A judge in the US state of Delaware has annulled a $56bn (£44bn) pay deal awarded to Elon Musk in 2018 by the electric car company Tesla.

The lawsuit was filed by a shareholder who argued that it was an overpayment.

Judge Kathaleen McCormick ruled that the Tesla board's approval of the pay package was "deeply flawed."

In a post on X, formerly Twitter which he also owns, Mr Musk wrote, "Never incorporate your company in the state of Delaware".

In her 200-page ruling, Judge McCormick called the compensation "an unfathomable sum" that was not fair to shareholders.

The compensation deal was the biggest ever in corporate history.

The ruling can be appealed to the Delaware Supreme Court.

Shares in Tesla are down more than 3% in extended trade. They have lost more than 20% of their value so far this year.



BBC
 
What is Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chip, now being tested on humans?

A year after being cleared for the test, billionaire Elon Musk’s Neuralink has implanted its wireless brain chip in a human for the first time.

Musk announced that the patient received the implant on Sunday and “is recovering well”. The device is meant to have several applications, from restoring motor functionality within people to enabling a brain-computer interface. There was no independent verification of Musk’s claims, and Neuralink did not offer too many details.

Musk has touted Neuralink as the future of technology and medicine, but ethical concerns have been raised around the chip and its testing.

Here is what you need to know about Neuralink and its human testing.

What is Neuralink, and what does it do?

Neuralink is a brain-chip startup founded by Musk in 2016.

A device the size of a coin is surgically implanted in the skull, with ultra-thin wires going into the brain and developing a brain-computer interface (BCI).

The disk would register brain activity and send it over to a device, such as smartphone, through a common Bluetooth connection.

The first product, called Telepathy, would allow people to control their phones or computers “just by thinking”, said Musk.

Planting the chip in the part of the brain that controls motor function would also enable people to overcome neurological disorders, the company claims.

Musk said that initial users would be those who have lost the use of their limbs.

What is the human trial phase of Neuralink?

The human testing phase will collect data on safety and effectiveness, while helping improve the device.

Musk said on X on Monday that the “initial results show promising neuron spike detection”. This means that neurons are sending electrical and chemical signals to each other around the body. Such activity allows us to carry out our everyday functions from eating to talking.

When Neuralink initially started searching for trial participants in September, it was looking for individuals with diseases of the spinal cord, a key part of the body’s nervous system.


www.aljazeera.com

What is Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chip, now being tested on humans?

Musk said the first person to receive a Neuralink brain-chip implant is recovering.
www.aljazeera.com www.aljazeera.com
 
Hope Neuralunk chip works well. It is a major hope for people who are disabled due to paralysis for various reasons.
 
"We Disagree...": Elon Musk's X Claims Centre Orders To Withhold Accounts

The Centre has issued orders requiring microblogging site X to act against some accounts and posts, the Elon Musk-led organisation has said, stressing that it disagrees with these actions and that the posts should not be withheld on grounds of freedom of expression.

The global government affairs team of X, formerly Twitter, said they are unable to publish the Centre's executive orders due to legal restrictions, but "believe that making them public is essential for transparency". The Centre is yet to respond to the allegations that were made in a post on X past midnight.

The Indian government has issued executive orders requiring X to act on specific accounts and posts, subject to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment.

In compliance with the orders, we will withhold these accounts and posts in India alone; however,…

"The Indian government has issued executive orders requiring X to act on specific accounts and posts, subject to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment," the post read.

"In compliance with the orders, we will withhold these accounts and posts in India alone; however, we disagree with these actions and maintain that freedom of expression should extend to these posts," it added.

"Consistent with our position, a writ appeal challenging the Indian government's blocking orders remains pending. We have also provided the impacted users with notice of these actions in accordance with our policies. Due to legal restrictions, we are unable to publish the executive orders, but we believe that making them public is essential for transparency. This lack of disclosure can lead to a lack of accountability and arbitrary decision-making," the post stated.

The microblogging site's big charge is set to turn into the latest flashpoint in its run-ins with the government over the past few years. Back in 2021, the popular social media platform, then called Twitter and led by a different leadership, had objected to the Centre's guidelines and expressed concern about the "potential threat to freedom of expression". The government had then asked the platform to "stop beating around the bush and comply with the laws of the land" instead of "dictating terms" to the world's largest democracy.

Interestingly, this comes shortly after a Norwegian MP nominated Musk for the Nobel Peace Prize for being a "stout proponent of free speech". Musk's record of pushing free speech on X has also been chequered. Following the takeover of the microblogging site, many have flagged a rise in hate speech against specific sections. Musk has, stressed that free speech, according to him, is that "which matches the law". "I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law. If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect," he had said shortly after taking over Twitter.

SOURCE: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/elo...old-accounts-5104139#pfrom=home-ndtv_bigstory
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/1763214981753983161

Japan's birth rate hits record low: Over two people died for every baby born

The Japanese are dying twice as fast as they're being born.

This is not just a recipe for societal and racial collapse, it's a civilizational tragedy.

It's generational hari-kari.

Births in 2023 fell for the eighth consecutive year, to 758,631, a drop of 5.1 percent, preliminary data released Tuesday showed.

The number of deaths, at 1,590,503, was more than double that figure, meaning the overall population declined by 831,872.

For a population of around 125 million, losing close to a million people every year is unsustainable. It's bad for humanity to have an older and older population. Contrary to what the climate cultists say, collapse ("degrowth") is not good for people or the planet.

While falling birthrates are seen as a "Western issue" to be solved by mass migration, it's really an issue of modern society.

In addition to a record low number of babies, Japan also saw a record low number of new marriages in their country last year as well.

In 2023, 489,281 marriages were registered, down 5.9 percent from the previous year and the first time they were under half a million.

The number is the lowest since 1933, when 486,058 couples tied the knot. At the time, the Japanese population was roughly 70 million compared to around 124 million now.

It looks bleak.

Once again, those "fundamentalist" types who warned about the slippery slope and emphasized the importance of marriage, family, and tradition don't look so crazy now, do they?
 
Elon Musk has sued ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, saying they abandoned the startup's original mission to develop artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity and not for profit.

The lawsuit filed late on Thursday in San Francisco is a culmination to the billionaire's long-simmering opposition to the startup he co-founded and has since become the face of generative AI, partly due to the billions of dollars in funding from Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab.

Musk alleged a breach of contract, saying Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman originally approached him to make an open source, non-profit company, but the startup established in 2015 is now focused on making money.

Recounting OpenAI's founding, Musk said the three men had agreed to work on artificial general intelligence (AGI), a concept that machines could handle tasks like a human, but in a way that would "benefit humanity", according to the lawsuit.


Tribune
 
Elon Musk's X anti-hate group case thrown out

A US judge has thrown out a lawsuit brought by Elon Musk's social media firm X against a group that had claimed that hate speech had risen on the platform since the tech tycoon took over.

X had accused the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) of taking "unlawful" steps to access its data.

The US judge dismissed the case and said it was "evident" Mr Musk's X Corp did not like criticism.

X said it planned to appeal.

Imran Ahmed, founder and chief executive of CCDH, celebrated the win, saying Mr Musk had conducted a "loud, hypocritical campaign" of harassment and abuse against his organisation in an attempt to "avoid taking responsibility for his own decisions".

"The courts today have affirmed our fundamental right to research, to speak, to advocate, and to hold accountable social media companies" he said, adding that he hoped the ruling would "embolden" others to "continue and even intensify" similar work.

It is a striking loss for the billionaire, a self-described "free-speech absolutist".

The company, formerly known as Twitter, launched its lawsuit against CCDH in 2023, claiming its researchers had cherry-picked data to create misleading reports about X.

It accused the group of "intentionally and unlawfully" scraping data from X, in violation of its terms of service, in order to produce its research.

It said the non-profit group designed a "scare campaign" to drive away advertisers, and it demanded tens of millions of dollars in damages.

But in his decision Judge Charles Breyer said Mr Musk was "punishing the defendants for their speech".

Judge Breyer said X appeared "far more concerned about CCDH's speech than it is its data collection methods".

He said the company had "brought this case in order to punish CCDH for ... publications that criticised X Corp - and perhaps in order to dissuade others who might wish to engage in such criticism".

Mr Musk purchased the platform in 2022 for $44bn (£34bn) and swiftly embarked on a slew of controversial changes, sharply reducing its workforce with deep cuts to teams in charge of content moderation and other areas.

His own posts have also drawn charges of anti-semitism, a claim he has denied.


BBC
 
Tesla to settle over fatal Autopilot crash

Electric car giant Tesla has agreed to settle a lawsuit over a crash in 2018 which killed Apple engineer Walter Huang after his Model X, operating on Autopilot, collided with a highway barrier.

The case, brought by Mr Huang's family, was scheduled to begin in the California Superior Court this week.

If the trial had gone ahead, it would have brought increased scrutiny of the firm's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving technology.

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed and reports have said the deal still needs to be approved by a judge. Tesla did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.

Before the settlement, Tesla argued that Mr Huang had misused the system because he was playing a video game just before the accident.

The firm has previously won trials in California by arguing that drivers involved had not followed its instructions to maintain attention while using the system.

The electric vehicle (EV) maker faces a series of lawsuits over crashes related to the alleged use of its driver-assistant technology.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has also been investigating some accidents involving Autopilot.

For many years, Tesla has promised to produce an autonomous car but has yet to launch one.

On Friday, Mr Musk said the company plans to unveil a self-driving robotaxi in August.

The settlement with Mr Huang's family comes at a time when the company is battling weakening sales.

Deliveries slid sharply in the first three months of this year as Tesla grappled with a fire at its European factory, global shipping disruption and growing competition.

Tesla has cut prices repeatedly in response to increased competition from rivals such as BYD but demand in key markets like China has fallen.

Tesla's shares have lost almost a third of their value since the start of this year.

BBC
 

Tesla laying off more than 10% of staff globally as sales fall​

internal memo seen by Reuters on Monday shows, as it grapples with falling sales and an intensifying price war for electric vehicles (EVs).

"About every five years, we need to reorganize and streamline the company for the next phase of growth," CEO Elon Musk commented in a post on X. Two senior leaders, battery development chief Drew Baglino and vice president for public policy Rohan Patel, also announced their departures, drawing posts of thanks from Musk although some investors were concerned.

Musk last announced a round of job cuts in 2022, after telling executives he had a "super bad feeling" about the economy. Still, Tesla headcount has risen from around 100,000 in late 2021 to over 140,000 in late 2023, according to filings with U.S. regulators.

Baglino was a Tesla veteran and one of four members, along with Musk, of the leadership team listed on the company's investor relations website.

Scott Acheychek, CEO of Rex Shares - which manages ETFs with high exposure to Tesla stock - described the headcount reductions as strategic, but Michael Ashley Schulman, chief investment officer at Running Point Capital Advisors, deemed the departures of the senior executives as "the larger negative signal today" that Tesla's growth was in trouble.

Less than a year ago, Tesla's chief financial officer, Zach Kirkhorn, left the company, fueling concerns about succession planning.

Tesla shares were down 5% at $162.42 late on Monday. Shares of EV makers Rivian Automotive (RIVN.O), opens new tab, Lucid Group (LCID.O), opens new tab and VinFast Auto were also trading between 2.2% and 10.7% lower.

"As we prepare the company for our next phase of growth, it is extremely important to look at every aspect of the company for cost reductions and increasing productivity," Musk said in the memo sent to all staff.

"As part of this effort, we have done a thorough review of the organization and made the difficult decision to reduce our headcount by more than 10% globally," it said. Bloomberg quoted anonymous sources as saying cuts of closer to 20% could occur in some divisions.

Reuters saw an email sent to at least three U.S. employees notifying them their dismissal was effective immediately.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Source: Reuters
 
Tesla's Elon Musk postpones India trip, aims to visit this year

Elon Musk postponed a planned trip to India where he was to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing obligations at his Tesla (TSLA.O) automaker and saying he aimed to reschedule the visit for later this year.

"Unfortunately, very heavy Tesla obligations require that the visit to India be delayed, but I do very much look forward to visiting later this year," Musk posted on his X social media platform.

Reuters reported the postponement on Saturday, citing four people familiar with the matter. The trip was to have included the announcement of plans for the electric vehicle (EV) maker to enter the South Asian market, Reuters has reported.

The CEO and the prime minister are both at critical junctures.

Tesla could have used the India announcement to try to reassure investors after months of share-price declines and the news on April 15 that it would lay off more than 10% of its global workforce.

Musk is expected to face tough questions from analysts when Tesla announces quarterly results on Tuesday about falling sales, rising competition from Chinese EV makers and the fate of key future Tesla products.

Reuters reported on April 5 that Tesla had halted development of its long-awaited affordable EV, often called the Model 2. Musk posted that "Reuters is lying" after the report, without citing any inaccuracies. He has not spoken further about the model, leaving investors clamouring for clarity.

Rohan Patel, a Tesla public policy executive who, according to sources, was one of those leading the company's India entry plans, also resigned this week.

Musk would have arrived on Sunday, two days after the start of India's nation election, in which Modi is forecast to win a rare third term. Modi wants to highlight progress toward promises of making India a global manufacturing hub.

After Reuters reported Musk's India trip plans on April 10, he posted on X that he was "Looking forward to meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India!"

In New Delhi, Musk was expected to announce an investment of $2 billion to $3 billion, mainly to build a factory in India, after the government announced a policy lowering high tariffs on imported cars if companies invest locally, Reuters has reported.

He was also expected to meet executives from several space startups in New Delhi. Musk is awaiting Indian government regulatory approvals to begin offering his Starlink satellite broadband services in the world's most populous country.

Source: Reuters
 
Australian PM calls Elon Musk an 'arrogant billionaire' in row over attack footage

Australia's leader has called Elon Musk an "arrogant billionaire" in an escalating feud over X's reluctance to remove footage of a church stabbing.

On Monday, an Australian court ordered Mr Musk's social media firm - formerly called Twitter - to hide videos of last week's attack in Sydney.

X previously said it would comply "pending a legal challenge".

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's criticism followed Mr Musk using a meme to accuse his government of censorship.

On Tuesday, Mr Albanese told ABC News that Mr Musk "thinks he's above the law but also above common decency".

Last week Australia's eSafety Commissioner, an independent regulator, threatened X and other social media companies with hefty fines if they did not remove videos of the stabbing at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church, which police have called a terror attack.

X has argued the order is "not within the scope of Australian law".

The commissioner sought a court injunction after saying it was clear that X was allowing users outside Australia to continue accessing footage.

"I find it extraordinary that X chose not to comply and are trying to argue their case," Mr Albanese told a press briefing.

In a subsequent series of online posts, Mr Musk wrote: "I'd like to take a moment to thank the PM for informing the public that this platform is the only truthful one." Another depicted a Wizard of Oz-style path to "freedom" leading to an X logo.

Earlier, he also criticised eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant personally, describing her as the "Australian censorship commissar".

Mr Albanese defended Ms Inman Grant, saying she was protecting Australians.

"Social media needs to have social responsibility with it. Mr Musk is not showing any," he said.

The platform will have 24 hours to comply with Monday evening's injunction, with a further hearing into the matter expected in the coming days.

X and the eSafety Commissioner are already involved in legal proceedings over the platform's alleged failure to provide information over how it tracks and removes child abuse material online.

BBC
 
Inspirational leaders that worked on revolutionary battery tech getting fired, absolute joke.
I wasn’t working in 2008 but now I see what greed looks like.

“Beware of false prophets who will sell you a fake future, of bad teachers and corrupt leaders and dirty corporations … But most of all beware of each other, because everything is about to change.”

- Halt catch fire
 
Elon Musk praises ‘great meeting’ with Argentina’s Javier Milei’

X owner Elon Musk has declared he had a "great meeting" with Argentina President Javier Milei in Los Angeles on Monday.

Milei and Musk had their second meeting in less than a month, this time at a global investors summit in Los Angeles.

Milei attended as the main speaker invited by the Milken Institute, accompanied by his sister and the Argentine ambassador to the US.

Musk posted on X about the "great meeting" with President Milei in California, which reportedly lasted nearly an hour.

The pair initially met on April 12 at Tesla's plant in Austin, Texas, where they affirmed their personal and ideological alignment.


SKY NEWS
 
The social network formerly known as Twitter has fully migrated over to X.com, owner Elon Musk said on Friday.

The billionaire head of Tesla, SpaceX and other companies bought Twitter for $44 billion in late 2022 and announced the rebrand to X last July.

Although the logo and branding were changed to “X”, the domain name remained Twitter.com until Friday.

“All core systems are now on X.com,” Musk wrote on X, posting an image of a logo of a white X on a blue circle.


Dawn
 

Musk, Indonesian health minister, launch Starlink for health sector​


Elon Musk and Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin launched SpaceX's satellite internet service for the nation's health sector on Sunday, aiming to improve access in remote parts of the sprawling archipelago.

Starlink was launched at three Indonesian health centres on Sunday, including two in Bali and one on the remote island of Aru in Maluku.

A video presentation screened at the launch showed how high internet speeds enabled the real-time input of data to better tackle health challenges such as stunting and malnutrition.

Asked about whether he planned to also invest in Indonesia's electric vehicle industry, Musk said he was focused on Starlink first.


Reuters
 
Musk opposes US tariffs on Chinese electric cars

Tesla boss Elon Musk says he opposes US tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), just days after President Joe Biden quadrupled levies on EVs imported from China.

"Neither Tesla nor I asked for these tariffs", the multi-billionaire told a technology conference in Paris via video link.

Mr Musk's comments are at odds with a warning he made in January that Chinese car makers would "demolish" competitors from other countries if there were no trade barriers.

Last week, the White House said new measures, including a 100% tariff on EVs from China, were a response to unfair policies and intended to protect US jobs.

"In fact, I was surprised when they were announced. Things that inhibit freedom of exchange or distort the market are not good," Mr Musk said on Thursday.

“Tesla competes quite well in the market in China with no tariffs and no deferential support. I’m in favour of no tariffs," he added.

Mr Biden has maintained a number of tariffs on China that were introduced by his predecessor Donald Trump, while increasing trade pressure on Beijing.

Last week, Mr Biden vowed to not let China "unfairly control the market" for electric vehicles and other key goods, including batteries, computer chips and basic medical supplies.

China said it was opposed to the tariff hikes and would take retaliatory measures.

This week, China launched an anti-dumping probe into imports of a widely used plastic from the US, EU, Taiwan and Japan.

The announcement from the Ministry of Commerce that it will investigate imports of polyoxymethylene copolymer - which is used in electronics and cars - was seen as a signal that China will hit back in its trade disputes with the US and Europe.

Also this week, China signalled it could hit cars with large engines imported from the EU and US with tariffs of as much as 25%.

The China Chamber of Commerce to the EU said it had been told about the potential move by what it called "insiders".

The European Commission (EC), which oversees the EU's trade policies, has given itself a 4 July deadline to decide whether to impose measures against imports of Chinese-made EVs.

BBC
 
Proxy firm advises shareholders to reject Elon Musk's $56 billion pay package

Proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis said on Saturday it has urged Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab shareholders to reject a $56 billion pay package for Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, which if passed would be the largest pay package for a CEO in corporate America.

The report cited reasons like the "excessive size" of the pay deal, the dilutive effect upon exercise and the concentration of ownership. It also mentioned Musk's "slate of extraordinarily time-consuming projects" which have expanded with his high-profile purchase of Twitter, now known as X.

The pay package was proposed by Tesla's board of directors, which has repeatedly come under fire for its close ties with the billionaire. The package has no salary or cash bonus and sets rewards based on Tesla's market value rising to as much as $650 billion over the 10 years from 2018. The company is currently valued at about $571.6 billion, according to LSEG data.

In January, Judge Kathaleen McCormick of Delaware's Court of Chancery voided the original pay package. Musk then sought to move Tesla's state of incorporation to Texas from Delaware.

Glass Lewis also criticized the proposed move to Texas as offering "uncertain benefits and additional risk" to shareholders.

Tesla has urged shareholders to reaffirm their approval of the compensation.

In an interview this month, Tesla's board chair Robyn Denholm told the Financial Times that Musk deserves the pay package because the company hit ambitious targets for revenue and its stock price.

Musk became Tesla CEO in 2008. In recent years, he has helped improve results, taking the company to a $15 billion profit from a $2.2 billion loss in 2018 and seven times more vehicles have been produced, according, opens new tab to an online campaign website, Vote Tesla.



Reuters
 

Elon Musk's xAI valued at $24 bln after fresh funding​

May 26 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's AI startup xAI raised $6 billion in series B funding, reaching a post-money valuation of $24 billion as investors bet big on challengers to companies like OpenAI in the intensifying AI race.

The funding round was backed by investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, the company said in a blog post on Sunday.

The company's pre-money valuation was $18 billion, Musk said in a post on X, opens new tab.

The money will be used to take xAI's first products to market, build advanced infrastructure and accelerate research and development of future technologies, xAI said.

"There will be more to announce in the coming weeks," Musk said in another X post, in response to the announcement of the funding.

Companies like Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab backed OpenAI and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab are among those leading the fierce race for generative AI dominance, driving significant investments and innovation in the rapidly evolving landscape.

Source: Reuters
 

Musk's Neuralink seeks to enroll three patients in brain implant study​


May 28 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's brain-chip startup, Neuralink, seeks to enroll three patients to evaluate its device in a study that is expected to take several years to complete, according to details on the U.S. government's database of clinical trials.

Neuralink is testing its implant to give paralyzed patients the ability to use digital devices by thinking alone, a prospect that could help people with spinal cord injuries.

Neuralink's study is estimated to have a primary completion date of 2026, with the full study expected to be complete in 2031.

The study will enroll patients between the ages of 22 years and 75 years with a condition known as quadriplegia or tetraplegia.

According to eligibility criteria posted on the database, patients must have limited mobility without improvement for at least one year, with a life expectancy greater than or equal to 12 months.

Eligible patients must have very limited or no hand, wrist, and arm movement due to spinal cord injury or a neurological disorder called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The study was registered as a "first-in-human early feasibility study" on Monday.

Early feasibility studies are exempt from a requirement to post trial details on the U.S. National Institutes of Health's website, ClinicalTrials.gov, but major medical journals often require trials be registered on the database.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that more than 1,000 quadriplegics had signed up for Neuralink's patient registry.

The study uses a robot to surgically place a brain-computer interface (BCI) implant in a region of the brain that controls the intention to move, Neuralink had said.

In January, Neuralink implanted the device in the brain of its first patient, Noland Arbaugh, who is paralyzed from the shoulders down due to a 2016 diving accident.

The device has allowed Arbaugh to play video games, browse the internet and move a computer cursor on his laptop by thinking alone, according to company blog posts and videos.

Source: Reuters
 

Elon Musk: Tesla shareholders urged to stop chief executive's 'excessive' £56bn payday​


The compensation package, if approved, would be the biggest ever for a chief executive in the US.

Tesla shareholders have been urged to vote against plans to pay its chief executive Elon Musk up to $56bn (£44bn).

The compensation package, if approved, would be the biggest ever for a chief executive in the US.

However, proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) has warned the amount is "excessive" and said it would not help Musk to "focus" more on the company.

It comes following concerns that the controversial billionaire has become distracted from running Tesla by his other business interests, including SpaceX and X, formerly Twitter.

The electric carmaker has also been hit recently by falling revenue, product recalls and job cuts.

Shareholders will vote on whether to approve Musk's payout at Tesla's annual general meeting on 13 June.

They will also decide whether to reincorporate the company in Texas after a judge in Delaware, where Tesla is officially based, blocked a previous attempt to pay Musk the multi-billion figure.

Other advisory proxies have also recommended that shareholders block the pay amount in the vote, which is being seen by some commentators as a referendum on Musk's leadership of the firm.

The compensation package sets rewards based on Tesla's market value rising to as much as $650bn (£510bn) over the 10 years from 2018. The company is currently valued at nearly $570bn (£445bn).

ISS said in a report that, although the compensation package arguably reflected "the company's significant financial growth," it also "remains excessive, even given the company's success".

The advisers said the amount "failed to achieve the board's other original objectives of focusing CEO Musk on the interests of Tesla shareholders, as opposed to other business endeavours, and aligning his financial interests more closely with those of Tesla stockholders".

ISS said there were also other concerns including "a lack of clarity on the board's plan" for Musk's future pay.

Tesla has defended the plans and said Musk had generated wealth for stockholders because he has "skin in the game".

In comments earlier this week, responding to similar criticism, the company said Musk had helped it achieve "performance targets that were regarded by many as extremely difficult or impossible".

It added: "Stockholders should care enormously about value creation.... and not about whether Elon's perceived 'focus' was strong enough."

It comes after the company's quarterly revenue dropped in April for the first time in almost four years.

Competition from China and slowing demand for electric vehicles have been blamed for the recent downturn in the firm's fortunes, along with controversies surrounding Musk.

It came as Tesla announced on Friday a recall of more than 125,000 of its vehicles in the US to fix problems with seat belt warning systems.

US officials said the alerts - which are supposed to inform and remind drivers if a seat belt is not fastened - were not going off as expected and did not comply with safety regulations, raising the risk of people getting injured during a crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the recall included certain 2012-2024 Model S, 2015-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles.

news.sky.com

Elon Musk: Tesla shareholders urged to stop chief executive's 'excessive' £56bn payday

The compensation package, if approved, would be the biggest ever for a chief executive in the US.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
 
Australia drops case against X over stabbing videos

Australia has abandoned a legal battle to have graphic footage of a church stabbing in Sydney removed from Elon Musk's social media platform X.

Declared a terror incident by police, the attack on bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in April was livestreamed online and led to riots outside the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley.

Australia's eSafety Commissioner, an independent regulator, threatened X and other social media companies with hefty fines if they did not remove videos of the stabbing, concerned it could incite further violence.

The case was seen as a test of Australia's ability to enforce its online safety rules on the social media giants.

The Federal Court had temporarily ordered X hide the videos - but it refused to comply saying the order was not valid.

X, formerly Twitter, did eventually block access to the video in Australia, but users could easily get around this by using a VPN.

But Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant - who herself once worked for Twitter - had asked for the video to be removed globally, prompting Mr Musk to call her a "censorship commissar".

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded by labelling Musk an "arrogant billionaire".

In a statement on Wednesday, Ms Inman-Grant said owing to "multiple considerations", dropping the case was "likely to achieve the most positive outcome for the online safety of all Australians, especially children".

"Our sole goal and focus in issuing our removal notice was to prevent this extremely violent footage from going viral, potentially inciting further violence and inflicting more harm on the Australian community," she said.

She added that she stood by the decisions the eSafety Commission had made - and the Minister for Communication Michelle Rowland said the same in parliament on Wednesday afternoon.

In a statement on X, the firm's Global Government Affairs team said they were "heartened to see that freedom of speech has prevailed".

It had previously argued the commission's orders were "unlawful and dangerous".

"Global takedown orders go against the very principles of a free and open internet and threaten free speech everywhere," it said in a statement.

"This was a tragic event and we do not allow people to praise it or call for further violence," it added.

Ms Inman-Grant on Wednesday told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that Mr Musk's attention resulted in a pile-on from his millions of followers - which included death threats and the personal information of her children being exposed online.

BBC
 
Elon Musk unexpectedly drops case against OpenAI

Elon Musk has unexpectedly asked a California court to withdraw a legal case against OpenAI and its boss Sam Altman, which accused them of abandoning the firm's founding mission of developing artificial intelligence (AI) for humanity's benefit.

The filing submitted by the multi-billionaire's lawyers asked for the months-old case to be dropped without offering any reason for the move.

It came just a day before the court was expected to hear the ChatGPT-developer's bid to have the case dismissed.

BBC News has contacted Mr Musk's lawyer and OpenAI for comment.

The latest filing asked for the case's dismissal "without prejudice", meaning Mr Musk could still reactivate it at a later stage.

The Tesla boss filed the lawsuit against OpenAI at the end of February this year, arguing the company he had helped found in 2015 had deviated from its altruistic goals to focus on making money.

OpenAI countered that Mr Musk had previously backed the idea of a for-profit structure and even suggested a merger with his electric car firm Tesla.

The feud intensified earlier this week after Apple unveiled a partnership with OpenAI to boost its Siri voice assistant and operating systems with OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot.

After the announcement, Mr Musk posted several messages on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, criticising the tie-up.

One of the posts ended with the words: "Apple has no clue what’s actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI. They’re selling you down the river."

However, investors seemed to welcome the news, as Apple's stock market value rose to a record high above $3tn.

Mr Musk started his own AI company, called xAI, in July 2023, which he said would aim to "understand reality".

In November that year, xAI launched Grok, a chatbot with "a little humour", in a bid to rival the likes of ChatGPT.

BBC
 
Musk says Tesla investors voting yes for pay deal

Tesla boss Elon Musk says shareholder votes on a record-breaking payout to the multi-billionaire and a plan to move the firm's legal headquarters to Texas are "currently passing by wide margins".

Tesla shareholders have been voting on several proposals, including one that could confirm a pay deal for Mr Musk, that was worth $56bn (£43.8bn) when it was first agreed in 2018.

The company is due to make an official announcement on the result of the vote at a meeting on Thursday.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BBC News.

In a post on social platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr Musk thanked his supporters.

However, legal experts say it is not clear if a court that blocked the deal will accept the re-vote, which is not binding, and allow the company to restore the pay package.

Earlier this year, a Delaware judge voided the compensation deal after a small investor sued.

The judge ruled the sum was "unfair" and the process for determining the package, by a board dominated by Mr Musk, was "deeply flawed".

Tesla called the decision "fundamentally unfair, and inconsistent with the will of the stockholders".

The company then submitted the deal to another vote - and asked its shareholders to back a plan to reincorporate the company outside the state of Delaware.

The board has said Mr Musk deserves the package because Tesla achieved its ambitious targets under his leadership and that it is necessary to ensure he remains dedicated to the company.

Tesla executives also expressed support for the package in social media posts, saying that Mr Musk is crucial to the company's success.

Meanwhile, Mr Musk promised a personal tour of Tesla's factory in Texas to some shareholders who supported him.

The package - worth an estimated 300 times what the top-earning boss in the US made last year - won backing from 73% of shareholders who voted six years ago.

BBC
 

Elon Musk beats $500 million severance lawsuit by fired Twitter workers​


Elon Musk won dismissal of a lawsuit claiming he refused to pay at least $500 million of severance to thousands of Twitter employees he fired in mass layoffs after buying the social media company now known as X.

U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson in San Francisco ruled on Tuesday that the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act governing benefit plans did not cover the former employees' claims, and therefore she lacked jurisdiction.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. Musk's lawyers also did not immediately respond to similar requests.

The case is one of many accusing Musk of reneging on promises to former Twitter employees, including former Chief Executive Parag Agrawal, and vendors after buying the company for $44 billion in October 2022.

Musk also runs the electric car company Tesla and is the world's richest person, according to Forbes magazine.

According to the complaint, Twitter's 2019 severance plan called for employees who stayed on after the buyout to receive two or six months of pay, plus one week of pay for each year of employment, if they were laid off.

The plaintiffs, Courtney McMillian, who oversaw Twitter's compensation and benefits, and Ronald Cooper, an operations manager, said Twitter instead offered fired employees just one month of pay as severance, with no benefits.

Thompson said ERISA didn't apply to Twitter's post-buyout plan because there was no "ongoing administrative scheme" where the company reviewed claims case-by-case, or offered benefits such as continued health insurance and outplacement services. "There were only cash payments promised," she wrote.

The judge said the plaintiffs can try amending their complaint, but only for claims not governed by ERISA.

The case is McMillian et al v. Musk et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 23-03461.

 

EU says X’s blue tick accounts deceive users​


Elon Musk's social media site X has been accused by the European Union of breaching its online content rules, with its "verified" blue tick accounts having the potential to "deceive" users.

The bloc's tech regulator said users could be duped into thinking the identity of those with blue tick marks was verified, when in fact anybody can pay for a blue tick. It said it had found evidence of "malicious actors" abusing the system.

It also found a lack of transparency around advertising and said X did not provide data for research use as required under EU rules.

The ruling could lead to X being fined up to 6% of its global annual turnover and being forced to change how it operates in the bloc.

The BBC has contacted X for comment. Elon Musk bought the platform, formerly Twitter, for $44bn in 2022.

The findings follow a seven month investigation under the Digital Services Act (DSA) which requires big tech firms, like X, to take action to stop illegal content and safeguard the public.

The DSA was introduced in 2022. ByteDance's TikTok, AliExpress and Meta Platforms are also being investigated under the act.

The Commission said that the way X designs and operates its interface for blue tick verified accounts "does not correspond to industry practice and deceives users".

"Since anyone can subscribe to obtain such a 'verified' status, it negatively affects users' ability to make free and informed decisions about the authenticity of the accounts and the content they interact with," it added.

"There is evidence of motivated malicious actors abusing the 'verified account' to deceive users."

Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market, said: "Back in the day, BlueChecks used to mean trustworthy sources of information.

"Now with X, our preliminary view is that they deceive users and infringe the DSA," he added.

"X has now the right of defence — but if our view is confirmed we will impose fines and require significant changes."

X was also charged with blocking researchers from accessing its public data.

"In particular, X prohibits eligible researchers from independently accessing its public data, such as by scraping, as stated in its terms of service", the Commission said.

If found to be in breach, X would also be subject to an "enhanced supervision period to ensure compliance".

The Commission will also continue investigations into X's practices around dissemination of illegal content, and how well it combats the spread of fake news.

www.bbc.com

Elon Musk's X accused of breaching content rules by EU

The EU says the way the social media site designs and operates blue tick accounts "deceives" users.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
Musk to move SpaceX and X HQ over gender-identity law

Billionaire Elon Musk has said he will move the headquarters of two of his most high-profile companies, rocket firm SpaceX and social media platform X, out of California to Texas.

He cited his opposition to a new Californian state law which bans schools from requiring staff to disclose information about a child's gender identity - including to parents.

"This is the last straw," he wrote on social media.

The businessman had already moved Tesla's headquarters to Texas in 2021, a move he first threatened over Covid-era lockdowns.

Since then, he has become increasingly involved in US politics.

Over the weekend, he formally endorsed Donald Trump for president. On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported he would be directing $45m a month toward his campaign. Mr Musk replied on Twitter/X with a picture of "fake gnus".

The issue of what schools should tell parents about their children's gender identities has become a major topic of debate in the US.

LGBTQ advocates say students have a right to privacy, but others argue parents have a right to know what is happening with their children.

Mr Musk, who has a transgender daughter, has previously said he "supports trans" while expressing impatience with pronouns, which he has described as an "aesthetic nightmare".

Last year, he said he would lobby to criminalise transgender medical treatment that would lead to what he described as "severe, irreversible changes to children below the age of consent".

"Because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas," he said in a post on X on Tuesday, noting that he had previously expressed his opposition to the bill.

In explaining the decision to move X to Austin, Mr Musk criticised the state of affairs in San Francisco, saying he had "had enough of dodging gangs of violent drug addicts just to get in and out of the building".

California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose name is among the ones that have been floated to possibly replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate for the upcoming election, took to social media in an apparent criticism of Mr Musk's decision.

“You bent the knee,” Mr Newsom posted, along with a screenshot of a 2022 post from Donald Trump criticising the billionaire.

A spokesperson for the governor said after the bill was signed that it kept "children safe while protecting the critical role of parents".

"It protects the child-parent relationship by preventing politicians and school staff from inappropriately intervening in family matters and attempting to control if, when, and how families have deeply personal conversations," Brandon Richards told the Associated Press.

States have historically competed aggressively to woo companies to establish headquarters, bringing with them high-paying corporate jobs.

Mr Musk himself is already a resident of Texas, which has no income tax.

SpaceX, which employs more than 5,000 people in California, according to state records, also already has a large base of operations in the state.

In response to Mr Musk's pledge, Greg Abbott, governor for Texas, said: "This cements Texas as the leader in space exploration."

Neither SpaceX nor X responded to requests for comment about whether the decision to move headquarters would lead to job cuts in California.

BBC
 
Musk says Tesla to use humanoid robots next year

Tesla boss Elon Musk says the electric vehicle car maker will start producing and using humanoid robots from next year.

In a social media post, Mr Musk said the robots will first be used by Tesla, which will start making them to sell in 2026.

The technology billionaire had previously said he expected the robot, called Optimus, to be ready for use in Tesla factories by the end of this year.

Other firms, including Honda and Boston Dynamics, have also been developing their own humanoid robots.

"Tesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026," Mr Musk said on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

It came just a day before Tesla was due to release its latest financial results.

The company's shares ended Monday's trading session on Wall Street up by more than 5%.

He has previously said the Tesla aimed for the robots to be mass produced and cost less than $20,000 (£17,900) each.

Mr Musk is known for setting ambitious timelines for his companies, which he has not always met.

In 2019, he said he felt "very confident" Tesla would have self-driving taxis on the road by the following year.

Earlier this year, Mr Musk said the long-awaited robotaxi would be unveiled on 8 August.

Last week, he appeared to confirm a report that the event would be delayed.

Mr Musk did not give a new date but said he had requested a change to the front of the vehicle.

“The extra time allows us to show off a few other things,” he wrote.

It came after Bloomberg News reported that the event had been delayed to October.

Mr Musk's businesses have been increasingly focusing on technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous driving and robots at a time of slowing demand for electric vehicles.

BBC
 
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