4 ms·

Two big things about this that really grate me: 1) After Snowden, after Experian, after Pegasus, after decades of screaming about these issues and getting shus

Two big things about this that really grate me: 1) After Snowden, after Experian, after Pegasus, after decades of screaming about these issues and getting shushed and laughed at - that lefties might take over your twitter account is the straw that’ll break the camel’s back? Are you freaking kidding me? 2) Elon is going to get away with it. And he really shouldn’t - he already waived his right to back out based on any of this. Just because you like someone shouldn’t make them above the law, and basically the takeaway here will be that like Trump he’s above the law because a large enough section of the public likes him. Setting all of this aside, maybe it’s worth actually trying to do something about the real problem - that too many members of society (including the leaders) are dangerously under-informed for living in it, let alone governing. None of this should be news to anyone here.

TheRealDunkirk 4y ago
> that too many members of society (including the leaders) are dangerously under-informed for living in it, let alone governing And this might even be tenable, if they were to surround themselves with knowledgable people who could give them advice. But, in a situation not entirely dissimilar to the inner workings of large corporations, our leaders are surrounded by parasites who ride on the their backs, and lead them into making decisions that benefit themselves in the short term, instead of benefitting the country (or the company) in the long run. You can fix this in government by amending the Constitution to get rid of Citizens United ruling, and then tackling the lobbyist problem, as if either one were possible. And I don't know how you'd even begin to fix it in large corporations.
anonymouse008 4y ago
> 2) Elon is going to get away with it. And he really shouldn’t - he already waived his right to back out based on any of this. Just because you like someone shouldn’t make them above the law, and basically the takeaway here will be that like Trump he’s above the law because a large enough section of the public likes him. There’s no getting away with it. This was one hundred percent his plan the whole time - throw Twitter into chaos internally. Now for what reasons remain to be seen, but his extensive use of Twitter was highly unusual as a high profile CEO basically rewriting the PR game (which the SEC tried to reign in). That experience gives him unique insight into how Twitter works and what power it holds - he may very well feel a government party is influencing the platform too much and he’d rather destroy Twitter than lose control of it.
- croes 4y ago
  Don't make it bigger than it is. In that case, he was probably just lucky. Otherwise, they let him get away with a lot because he's just rich enough.
  - anonymouse008 4y ago
    Idk - it was absurd when he used twitter so much, it was absurd when Tesla started trading like a penny stock with 50bn market cap moves in hours, there’s been a lot of absurdities that are just outside of the hard fast rules that this would fit a pattern
    - croes 4y ago
      But that would mean Mudge lied as he said his whistleblowing had nothing to do with Musk and the timing is just a coincidence.
      - deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
      - zimpenfish 4y ago
        He might just be sticking it to Twitter because they ousted his friend, Jack, and that just happens to line up with another opportunity to shaft them along Elon's axis. Coincidence but not entirely random.
- bandyaboot 4y ago
  - m00x 4y ago
    Not sure if this is satire or some Alex Jones-level conspiracy theory.
- mnd999 4y ago
  Do people really like Elon? There isn’t much to like about him. Respect his achievements, sure , but actually like him?
pclmulqdq 4y ago
The Delaware chancellor, Kathaleen McCormick, has several cases involving Musk's bad behavior on her docket, and is aware of how he plays it very fast-and-loose with rules and laws. She might not let him get away with this one, particularly because it would cut at the main value proposition of the Delaware chancery court (adjudicating acquisitions) if he does. His best chance is to give her enough cover to plausibly find a material adverse effect, but that is a VERY high bar, and I doubt they are anywhere near that level.
- jcranmer 4y ago
  Even worse, it's been clear in several hearings that Musk's lawyers have squandered their credibility with McCormick--Musk has not generally been victorious in the discovery fights, and McCormick seems to be of the opinion that Musk is trying hard to screw Twitter in discovery (e.g., refusing to give relevant communications). Most of the legal professionals I've seen comment on the case so far are of the opinion that Musk is likely to lose this case in chancery court, and see few ways that Musk could evade a ruling of specific performance should he lose.
chasd00 4y ago
> he’s above the law because a large enough section of the public likes him public opinion is the voice of God
2OEH8eoCRo0 4y ago
The tech doesnt matter one bit. You can be tech illiterate and still understand foreign threats, freedom of speech, contract law, markets, etc. None of this is new.
splitstud 4y ago
aaaaaaaaata 4y ago
> lefties might take over your twitter account is the straw that’ll break the camel’s back? Are you freaking kidding me? You name-dropped all of those spooky nation-state related phrases, but still can't acknowledge the very real scenario where a government official's second (or forth) account on Twitter is compromised by a nation state — competing, their own, doesn't much matter — for blackmail material? That sbouldn't be of interest?

TheRealDunkirk 4y ago

> that too many members of society (including the leaders) are dangerously under-informed for living in it, let alone governing And this might even be tenable, if they were to surround themselves with knowledgable people who could give them advice. But, in a situation not entirely dissimilar to the inner workings of large corporations, our leaders are surrounded by parasites who ride on the their backs, and lead them into making decisions that benefit themselves in the short term, instead of benefitting the country (or the company) in the long run. You can fix this in government by amending the Constitution to get rid of Citizens United ruling, and then tackling the lobbyist problem, as if either one were possible. And I don't know how you'd even begin to fix it in large corporations.

anonymouse008 4y ago

> 2) Elon is going to get away with it. And he really shouldn’t - he already waived his right to back out based on any of this. Just because you like someone shouldn’t make them above the law, and basically the takeaway here will be that like Trump he’s above the law because a large enough section of the public likes him. There’s no getting away with it. This was one hundred percent his plan the whole time - throw Twitter into chaos internally. Now for what reasons remain to be seen, but his extensive use of Twitter was highly unusual as a high profile CEO basically rewriting the PR game (which the SEC tried to reign in). That experience gives him unique insight into how Twitter works and what power it holds - he may very well feel a government party is influencing the platform too much and he’d rather destroy Twitter than lose control of it.

croes 4y ago
Don't make it bigger than it is. In that case, he was probably just lucky. Otherwise, they let him get away with a lot because he's just rich enough.
- anonymouse008 4y ago
  Idk - it was absurd when he used twitter so much, it was absurd when Tesla started trading like a penny stock with 50bn market cap moves in hours, there’s been a lot of absurdities that are just outside of the hard fast rules that this would fit a pattern
  - croes 4y ago
    But that would mean Mudge lied as he said his whistleblowing had nothing to do with Musk and the timing is just a coincidence.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
    - zimpenfish 4y ago
      He might just be sticking it to Twitter because they ousted his friend, Jack, and that just happens to line up with another opportunity to shaft them along Elon's axis. Coincidence but not entirely random.
bandyaboot 4y ago
- m00x 4y ago
  Not sure if this is satire or some Alex Jones-level conspiracy theory.
mnd999 4y ago
Do people really like Elon? There isn’t much to like about him. Respect his achievements, sure , but actually like him?

pclmulqdq 4y ago

The Delaware chancellor, Kathaleen McCormick, has several cases involving Musk's bad behavior on her docket, and is aware of how he plays it very fast-and-loose with rules and laws. She might not let him get away with this one, particularly because it would cut at the main value proposition of the Delaware chancery court (adjudicating acquisitions) if he does. His best chance is to give her enough cover to plausibly find a material adverse effect, but that is a VERY high bar, and I doubt they are anywhere near that level.

jcranmer 4y ago
Even worse, it's been clear in several hearings that Musk's lawyers have squandered their credibility with McCormick--Musk has not generally been victorious in the discovery fights, and McCormick seems to be of the opinion that Musk is trying hard to screw Twitter in discovery (e.g., refusing to give relevant communications). Most of the legal professionals I've seen comment on the case so far are of the opinion that Musk is likely to lose this case in chancery court, and see few ways that Musk could evade a ruling of specific performance should he lose.

chasd00 4y ago

> he’s above the law because a large enough section of the public likes him public opinion is the voice of God

2OEH8eoCRo0 4y ago

The tech doesnt matter one bit. You can be tech illiterate and still understand foreign threats, freedom of speech, contract law, markets, etc. None of this is new.

splitstud 4y ago

aaaaaaaaata 4y ago

> lefties might take over your twitter account is the straw that’ll break the camel’s back? Are you freaking kidding me? You name-dropped all of those spooky nation-state related phrases, but still can't acknowledge the very real scenario where a government official's second (or forth) account on Twitter is compromised by a nation state — competing, their own, doesn't much matter — for blackmail material? That sbouldn't be of interest?