Elon Musk owns Twitter: The story so far • Hacker News Board

Re: Elon Musk owns Twitter: The story so far

#881

Post by DeathArrow » Sat, Oct 29, 2022, 6:16 AM UTC

_fat_santa wrote: post #312

cutenewt wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's going to be more in the other direction. He really hates the bots, so he'll probably close up the API. Until bots gets solved, no developer should expect the API to open up.

The problem isn't the bots, the problem is the lack of differentiation between bots and real accounts. I say open up the API and let people make whatever bots they wish, but if you tweet through the API then you get a big "BOT" tag next to your username on the feed.

>The problem isn't the bots,

I would see bots as a major concern if you want to monetize the platform.

Re: Elon Musk owns Twitter: The story so far

#882

Post by coldtrait » Sat, Oct 29, 2022, 6:16 AM UTC

DeathArrow wrote: post #879

While this might be a boon for the returning of free speech, I wonder if Musk will succeed in monetizing the platform, a task where previous CEOs failed. Also, had he waited a couple more weeks before making the offer, he could have bought Twitter for half the price. Even if he manages to make the acquisition worth, I would expect it would take at least 5 - 10 years, so it isn't the best investment he could made. It…

> Also, had he waited a couple more weeks before making the offer, he could have bought Twitter for half the price.

I'm sure you know much better than the guy and all his advisors who spent a year trying to buy it.

Re: Elon Musk owns Twitter: The story so far

#883

Post by DeathArrow » Sat, Oct 29, 2022, 6:21 AM UTC

I think he might evolve Twitter to a more complex, FB like platform with longer text modes, groups, chat, marketplace, job postings and maybe apps. Maybe Instagram and TikTok like functionality.

If his platform will be more free than others and if it does have the functionality people are accustomed to, I can see a massive flock of users to Twitter. If he has the user base, why not grow it and keep it more on the platform?

Re: Elon Musk owns Twitter: The story so far

#884

Post by bamboozled » Sat, Oct 29, 2022, 6:22 AM UTC

inawarminister wrote: post #709

philsnow wrote: post #688

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> his goal is the Everything App (which he calls X). The Everything App has news, social media, games, videos, and a payment infrastructure so, WeChat?

WeChat for Anglosphere/the West could be a great innovation, to be fair. WeChat in China, LINE in Japan, Gojek in Indonesia... A lot of those platforms are crazy profitable

The reason we don’t need an everything app is because we have a lot of good apps, that’s not the case in Japan, for example.

Re: Elon Musk owns Twitter: The story so far

#885

Post by bamboozled » Sat, Oct 29, 2022, 6:23 AM UTC

throwaway290 wrote: post #723

philsnow wrote: post #688

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> his goal is the Everything App (which he calls X). The Everything App has news, social media, games, videos, and a payment infrastructure so, WeChat?

Having used WeChat, LINE and the like I shudder. Not just because they naturally become bloated slow ugly behemoths to use but also because they more generally become de-facto monopolies. Not having to compete with anyone is the ultimate killer of innovation.

Same, I’m happy I have a bunch of different apps which are good at different things.

Re: Elon Musk owns Twitter: The story so far

#886

Post by DeathArrow » Sat, Oct 29, 2022, 6:27 AM UTC

Beltalowda wrote: post #457

maxerickson wrote: post #390

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if he just loses a big pile of money while Twitter twists in the wind because there isn't much of a plan? That seems likely enough really.

Isn't that kind of the story of Twitter thus far already? Certainly on the financial front they never seemed to have much of a plan, and on the product side things always seemed like a bit of a mess to me as well. Some fresh leadership might not be a bad thing for Twitter. Whether Musk is the right person for that...

>Whether Musk is the right person for that...

If he's unsure about that, he can hire Zuck which might be free from contract soon if we look at how Meta stock is trading.

Re: Elon Musk owns Twitter: The story so far

#887

Post by nanolith » Sat, Oct 29, 2022, 6:27 AM UTC

Elon Musk's ideological takeover won't save Twitter. It's too late for that. Twitter has lost too many active users to make a comeback.

I deleted my Twitter account this year. I had it for 16 years. My Twitter account was boring. I'm not a right-wing or left-wing anything. My political commentary is less about ideology and more about practicality and appearances. It was also rare. Mostly, I used my account to post schematics for projects I had built and to interact with colleagues.

I replied in a thread with a friend about some silly information security "debate" on Capitol Hill. I said that these politicians would be "tarred and feathered" over some stupid grandstanding they were making over information security, and my comment was flagged for inciting violence. Inciting violence? Seriously? It was a figurative statement about how they were going to be lambasted by the press -- no one is going to literally "tar and feather" anyone in this day and age -- leading to my comment being flagged and my account being suspended with a cool-down period.

The real problem is that this automated action changed my score on the platform. It put me in the cross-hairs of their moderation algorithm, which means that any future post I made would be further scrutinized by their poorly written AI. I was at the start of a vicious cycle that I had no intention of propagating. I've had my account since a few months after it was possible to have a Twitter account. I hit the delete button without hesitation, as many others have. I know the horror stories, and I'm not interested in getting stuck on their moderation treadmill. I'll catch my friends on IRC, Discord, or Slack. Twitter's purpose is meaningless the moment one can no longer effectively communicate on the platform.

Re: Elon Musk owns Twitter: The story so far

#888

Post by bamboozled » Sat, Oct 29, 2022, 6:29 AM UTC

munificent wrote: post #504

wzyoi wrote: post #349

I always wonder: how much honesty is in him? For example, he stopped talking about the bot population on the platform altogether after he could not get out of the deal. Was he honest about this being a big issue in the first place? For me, it’s not easy to believe this because this bot issue appeared right after Twitter staff did not like his speech, and talks with the CEO fell apart. Am I mistaken about how it all p…

Every one of us has run into situations where choosing to be honest has materially cost us. You accidentally scratch a parked car on your way out. Do you stop and leave a note with contact info or not? The richer you are, the more leverage you have and larger the material cost for these situations. A fellow rich friend gives you a little insider info that a stock you hold is about to crater. Do you sell some? In othe…

I disagree but I think what you’re saying applies for most billionaires.

I don’t think Yvon Chouinard is a liar though, for example.

Re: Elon Musk owns Twitter: The story so far

#889

Post by halfjoking » Sat, Oct 29, 2022, 6:32 AM UTC

from wrote: post #810

endymi0n wrote: post #712

I‘ve been an Elon fanboy since pre-Falcon 1 times and all the time I could simply follow his first principles to the core, be it the switch to electric cars, flight control using a quorum cluster of non-space-rated processors or the viability of methane and stainless steel for Starship against all previous failures. With Twitter, I‘ve lost that feeling and I don‘t know how it would be possible: Free speech, happy adv…

> satisfied governments globally This is the easy part if he really wants to choose the free speech absolutist route. Close the European offices (which will probably happen anyways due to mass firings), bank accounts and move it all to America or other friendly jurisdiction if needed for tax purposes. They can sue all they want in Europe but American courts won't enforce a judgement that isn't compatible with America…

You're worried about Europe, but how is the US a friendly jurisdiction for free speech? The Biden Admin targeted specific users on Twitter, and insisted those users were banned:

https://reclaimthenet.org/biden-admin-alex-berenson-twitter-...

What if Musk's Twitter doesn't listen to those requests? Don't you think the DOJ would apply pressure to Google/Apple to ban Twitter from the App Store? What happened to Parler? You can cherry-pick users "instigating violence" on any platform, including Facebook and reddit. The difference with those platforms is they censor who the government wants censored. It will be interesting to see Musk navigate both corporate media hit pieces and all political forces aligned against him.

Re: Elon Musk owns Twitter: The story so far

#890

Post by bamboozled » Sat, Oct 29, 2022, 6:34 AM UTC

planetsprite wrote: post #768

As much as people dislike Musk, he draws excitement and captivation not only to himself, but to whatever he touches. Now for the first time people actually care about the "future" of Twitter, or in a sense, have a vision for its future that isn't defined by its frequent moderation-related controversies. Is Musk's financial success and unparalleled cultural relevance a science that can be replicated? I mean, as much a…

Honestly I think we’re all just scared he is going to help get the boy king elected and if that’s the case, if that happens there’s a good chance that will be the end of civilization as we know it.

That is legit the only reason anyone I know of cares at all about this deal.