So "X" - nothing to see here. Elon's in control - Part XXX

Dyr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119363434#Comment_119363434

Pretty sure Facebook is circling the drain anyway

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119363434#Comment_119363434

Facebook is on borrowed time; it's a functional irrelevance below a certain age bracket (a bracket that's only going to increase), and that "Meta" is now as much WhatsApp and Instagram as the parent product speaks volumes. But insta kinda nuked a lot of small to medium creative accounts thanks to their recent pivot to "Reels" and overall algorithm-focused approach.

I'd say commercial and business accounts are probably the main thing keeping it alive.

I don't get the impression Twitter is suffering similar demographic issues, but its reputation is slowly eroding. And if there was one good thing about Musk's idiotic power play, it shed more light on the service's toxicity and so on.

joseywhales

Meta is a good buying opportunity, price is 12 times earnings, so it's almost a value stock, plenty of cash in meta. I never get why adults get so upset with Twitter, I get that social media in general can be toxic for teenagers and other vulnerable people but at the end of the day, none of it is real, as an adult you can just not use it, if the negatives outweigh the benefits. I think people lose perspective, I still see these things as like bebo when I was college student, they're just toys, it's not reality, what happens there has no value.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119363748#Comment_119363748

12 times earnings seems good. However earnings are dependent on advertising stream. It similar with a lot of tech stocks. If the Twitter/Musk controversy could damage all tech stocks. You could see advertising streams half. You have other negatives as well with inflation riding company's will want to cut costs. Advertising is an easy cut and saves straight away in a lot of cases

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119363235#Comment_119363235

Why would the trial ruin Twitter?

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119364237#Comment_119364237

I guess a lot depends on how much laundry gets brought out during the trial.

Details of the function of their algorithm , clarity on the Bot numbers , details on their editorial/review process.

Who knows what kind of info might come out that would be damaging to the business model.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119364237#Comment_119364237

Because a man can dream?

joseywhales

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119364223#Comment_119364223

Yeah a recession is definitely the head wind but personally I think us recession is overblown, I still think they might avoid technical recession, they have huge advantages with dollar strength and access to energy that Europe clearly does not. Having said that meta revenue is geographically distributed so exchange rates on foreign income won't be great for them. I still see it as a valuable company though, the last advertising streams that will be cut are meta and google because they are the most cost effective and the sales generated are well measured and known. Reels has been going well, metaverse I have no idea, I kind of despise the idea, would have to ethically hold my nose to buy meta to be honest but that is actually probably another indicator that it is good value.

pixelburp

Looks like Musk is countersuing Twitter. Apparently the details are confidential so haven't seen the argument made in the filing. Presumably something more compelling than "Lol was only messin'"

pixelburp

Twitter's filing has been unsealed and some of the arguments have been fairly aggressive, and enlightening as to just how ludicrous this scenario has been.

The item I found especially interesting was the claim the tool Musk used to identify bots ... had identified Musk's own account as a bot 🤭

https://gizmodo.com/elon-musk-twitter-obliterates-excuses-44-billion-bots-1849375310

Agent Coulson

If Musk wins and is allowed to back out how long will it take Twitter to ban him from the site or do they need him there to help drive traffic to it.

joseywhales

It's interesting that you can still buy Twitter stock....very tempting.....

Penn

Reports that Musk is now proposing to go ahead with the Twitter deal at the previously agreed price. Sounds like he knows he's likely to lose his legal case so is willing to buy Twitter to avoid a very public loss.

If not, the case is due to start Oct.17th.

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119701097#Comment_119701097

That and the fact that the case would expose even more of his internal behaviours - What little we've seen already do not paint him in anything close to a good light.

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119701097#Comment_119701097

Trump will be delighted at this news if hes 100% considering another presidential run. He'll be back on his most powerful mouthpiece in no time.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119701187#Comment_119701187

Nah, I'm sure Truth Social is going to really take off any day now.

AndrewJRenko

Well well well

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-63254883

Agent Coulson

So you can't say anything you want and it will be filled full of ads

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1585619322239561728?s=20&t=0jGQ-j454fwb0ulcYyJmjg

Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences!

"In addition to adhering to the laws of the land, our platform must be warm and welcoming to all, where you can choose your desired experience according to your preferences, just as you can choose, for example, to see movies or play video games ranging from all ages to mature.

"I also very much believe that advertising, when done right, can delight, entertain and inform you; it can show you a service or product or medical treatment that you never knew existed, but is right for you.

"For this to be true, it is essential to show Twitter users advertising that is as relevant as possible to their needs.

"Low relevancy ads are spam, but highly relevant ads are actually content!

"Fundamentally, Twitter aspires to be the most respected advertising platform in the world that strengthens your brand and grows your enterprise.

BruteStock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118930197#Comment_118930197

lol. 😉

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119801098#Comment_119801098

Well , to be fair he spent quite a bit of time and money trying to get out of the deal and only dropped the lawsuit when it became publicly embarrassing for him and his rich friends as part of discovery etc.

So thinking that he didn't really want to buy it were never that far from the truth.

Also - Why did he bring a sink with him to the Twitter HQ yesterday??

He is a very odd human being , that much is certain..

jimmybobbyschweiz

I never understood how Facebook and Twitter got such an easy ride when they were the biggest enablers of Trump and his more extreme supporters before and during his Presidency.

Seeing Facebook in a seemingly unstoppable death spiral and now Twitter start to pivot to something that will likely become a lot less prominent, I have to say, is satisfying. My enemy's enemy etc when it comes to Musk.

BruteStock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119801126#Comment_119801126

Nobody pays $44Billion for something they don't want.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119801126#Comment_119801126

Why did he bring a sink with him to the Twitter HQ 

Reference to all the money he's 'sinking' in the company?

Penn

As for the idea that nobody pays 44bn for something they don't want, he spent the last several months trying to get out of the deal (not renegotiate, but fully get out of, to the point where private texts of his were being revealed in court discovery). Then he tried to renegotiate. Now that he's having to stick to the full deal rather than suffer the loss in court and more reveals regarding him were likely to be made public, he's instead claiming victory and that he's doing it because he cares for humanity.

He made an awful deal and couldn't get out of it. Now he's carrying a sink into a building because his meme game is strong.

I'd also say his message to advertisers is designed to try and quell fears it'll just be a free-for-all with lax moderation. If big advertisers start pulling from Twitter, Elon likely to lose a fair chunk of cash.

jmcc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119801195#Comment_119801195

It is a joke. The tweet was "let that sink in". Even some neurotypical people may have got it.

Regards...jmcc

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119801098#Comment_119801098

Oh yeah, he showed me. When I buy something I really want, I always wait until a court forces me to pay for it. 😉

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119801373#Comment_119801373

It's not the explanation, it's the fact he did it and thought it was funny. If he had tweeted "This'll shake things up!" and walked in with a cocktail shaker, that would still be less weird because at least it's easy to carry around a cocktail shaker.

He arranged for someone to get him a large sink, and then had someone film him walking into Twitter HQ with it just to tweet "Let that sink in!"

joseywhales

It's got to be one of the worst deals ever, he is overpaying by about 40%. I'm sure he will shape some narrative to explain it as a great decision.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119801373#Comment_119801373

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119801504#Comment_119801504

And 'shaking this up' would at least have some specific relevance to his situation. 'Let that sink in' could be appended to any mildly interesting happening...

EOQRTL

Twitter is a toxic hellhole full of fake news and lads pretending they are in the know. Frankly people that use it aren't that intelligent.

jmcc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119801849#Comment_119801849

You do know that Musk is, to use that awful phrase, on the Autism Spectrum? He's even used it while hosting an episode of Saturday Night Live.

Regards...jmcc

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119801880#Comment_119801880

Still doesn't make it funny

JRant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119801879#Comment_119801879

You're just using it all wrong. Twitter is great for sport, technology, science and space news. It's also good for funny memes and comedy clips in general. There's a whole world available to you on Twitter once you stay away from any sort of politics, as it's usually poisonous gick from all sides of the divide.

pixelburp

If I hope one thing, it's that Musk pushes Twitter's tech team to overall their video system. It has been F'ing dire for years now, and I hate playing video back on that service. Terrible interface, worse quality. It's the modern day Real Player of video playback.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119801635#Comment_119801635

Oh he won't need to. He has enough of a cohort of fans, sycophants and online warriors out to champion Musk's every utterance and decision as that of heightened genius (the rest of us just bitter lefties). Christ the American Right practically climaxed at the thought of Trump being reinstated.

Still waiting for that plan to solve world hunger Musk claimed to have. Or indeed, his car tunnel to actually be something other than a giant waste of money, time and engineering.

Royale with Cheese

Elon taken to court and forced to go through with this horrendously overpriced deal. Facebook stock absolutely tanking while Zuck spends billions desperately trying to convince someone the metaverse is a viable product after his shítty ad tech gets regulated out of existence.

2022 ain't all bad.

Dyr

Is he going to reinstate Trump?

Will the collective psyche of the bluechecks survive such a blow?

jmcc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119802189#Comment_119802189

They will complain and whinge but they'll make money for Twitter because they think that their tweets matter.

Regards...jmcc

Quin_Dub

Musk reinstating Trump would present a bit of a problem for Trump.

Him going back to Twitter would be an admission that Truth Social is the turd that everyone knows that it is and it would be the final nail in the coffin of that scam.

MisterAnarchy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119802189#Comment_119802189

That is the sound of inevitability Dyr.

The Donald is coming home.

jmcc

Looks like the terminations are starting:

https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/elon-musk-completes-44-bln-acquisition-twitter-2022-10-28/

CEO, CFO and head of legal fired. CEO and CFO were escorted out of the Twitter HQ.

Regards...jmcc

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119802062#Comment_119802062

Facebook seems on the downward slope all right, the metaverse a laughing stock with no clear sign of interest from inside or outside the tech bubble. VR will remain niche no matter how many evangelists plead otherwise. While the core app seems in a slow death spiral; its user-base ageing slowly.

While FB/Meta have managed to suck the life out of Instagram since acquiring the app; ask any small to medium artist or creative how the app has been since Instagram started trying desperately to be TikTok. The algorithm has killed the ability to gain traction, emphasising the so-called "whales" above small accounts.

As to Twitter? Strange to fire the Head of Legal. I've seen Musk's pronouncements and they're exactly as empty calories as I'd expect from him. Big promises, no detail. The whole bot thing is a weird obsession; one that misses the point that not all bots are malicious, many being legitimate corporate accounts used for promotional posting. Separating them from the Bad 'Uns won't be easy.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119802520#Comment_119802520

I'd be a little surprised if Trump comes back. I don't see him having any trouble dropping Truth Social - he has form abandoning his many failures - but just as a PR exercise Musk intervening and unbanning Trump is a big precedent and huge blunder. And I'd say he knows this now, speaking to those who can read the tea leaves. Must acquired something he didn't want; he may as well make the best of it and restoring a noted Uber Toxic element back in would be madness.

Then again anything that hastens the death of Twitter I'll cheer.

HalloweenJack

Thank God for Elon Musk! I assume I'll now be able to call him a paedo and post rumours about his inappropriate workplace behaviour with no consequences whatsoever given he's here to protect free speech.

nullzero

One prejudiced regime replaced with a different prejudiced regime?

I suppose the cries of "Twitter is a private business and can ban whoever they like" will be coming from a different direction from now on.

RobbieTheRobber

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119802982#Comment_119802982

I will continue not to engage with twitter. Unless forced because companies use it for support and I will continue to state that it is a private company and can ban who it wants.

How about you nullzero, where do you stand now?

Ubbquittious

Buying twitter could be the downfall of Elon Musk. Compared to the utility provided by SpaceX, Starlink and even Tesla twitter provides fcuk all

It is basically a single IRC channel with everyone on ignore by default. Not only that but it has probably passed its peak, Facebook has already gone into decline and that started around the same time as it.

Elon could have started his own twitter replacement for about 0.001% of what he pumped into buying twitter. He will never see the money back he wasted on this

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119802520#Comment_119802520

Doesn't matter and Trump won't care. Twitter is his most powerful platform. If he's going to run in 2024, he will very likely use it and it absolutely will have an impact.

There has been no visible downsides to deplatforming him from Twitter, his sensational opinions are completely out of the news cycles, if he goes back on, it will be like 2016 all over again. Likewise, cranks and loons and pseudo-scientists everywhere will be salivating at the thought of all the unfettered free speech that is about to come their way.

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119803256#Comment_119803256

But but but, he is not buying it to make money, he is buying it as a gift to humanity, or whatever nonsense he can concoct to placate his fragile ego.

He just paid 44 billion + legal fees for a shít filled lemon.

Dyr

Imagine being a normal engineer guy in twitter who's had to just keep quiet while blue haired weirdos were running around the company sperging out about Trump or whatever. You'd feel a bit like a released hostage now.

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119803465#Comment_119803465

You think a "normal engineer guy" would be a Trump supporter?

😂

matrim

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119802827#Comment_119802827

Surprised he sacked the head of legal. Seems like they are better than his own lawyers so it would have been good to have them on his side