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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to think Elon Musk is shining direct sunlight on a very grubby state of affairs?

373 replies

LondonWolf · 10/12/2022 11:02

Just staggered at what's coming out tbh. When he first bought Twitter there were several lengthy threads on here lamenting that Twitter would soon move to the Right and be full of hate. Now it appears that no one was bothering to work on child protection, child sexual abuse and exploitation routinely unaddressed, and Twitter employees were working directly with the FBI and government to censor stories some which arguably had direct impacts on how people would vote. Are there any threads on here discussing what's coming out like there were screening about how horrific it was all going to be, because I can't see any?

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LondonWolf · 10/12/2022 11:03

Link.

twitter.com/annecollier/status/1600889250761027585?s=46&t=tiMJnL-zzlhnH_Rbroldwg

OP posts:
Soothsayer1 · 10/12/2022 11:06

Where do you think Twitter is going now with Musk at the helm @Londonwolf?

LondonWolf · 10/12/2022 11:09

No idea. You?

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pointythings · 10/12/2022 11:10

I'm seeing a lot of Russian influence on that thread. How convenient to bring up Ukrainian Nazis (which obviously do exist) when that has been Putin's excuse for invading Ukraine. I don't think Elon Musk is shining lights on anything.

And if he wants to improve protection and safeguarding, maybe don't fire most of your staff?

Raquelos · 10/12/2022 11:13

I think Elon Musk is an ego maniac with far too much unchecked power. Of course he will be highlighting Twitter's failings before he got there, his massive ego means he wants to change the current narrative of him as an arse who people will leave their jobs rather than work for.

Does that mean Twitter wasn't shit on a number of fronts before he bought it, clearly not. But that doesn't make him some kind of saviour, he's still a massive dick who's only interest is his own self-interest.

Soothsayer1 · 10/12/2022 11:14

LondonWolf · 10/12/2022 11:09

No idea. You?

Same here but you seem to know what you're talking about?

LondonWolf · 10/12/2022 11:14

And if he wants to improve protection and safeguarding, maybe don't fire most of your staff?

Read an analysis of this from some business expert who said it was good business practice. He said that when you take over, you hack away all of the rotten wood and start again and that you have to cut deeply. It may be that it's so rotten that there's nothing left to work with or there'll be a sliver to build on.

Also the team dealing with CSE on there had been undermanned for ages so he was hardly sacking them was he. Says it on the thread.

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PearlclutchersInc · 10/12/2022 11:14

Are you saying that Elon Musk is a shining exampl

LondonWolf · 10/12/2022 11:15

Same here but you seem to know what you're talking about?

😁 what makes you think that? I just gave a basic summary. I've no idea, but fascinated by the whole situation hence posting here. Some MNetters have analysis that is second to none around these kinds of issues, in my humble opinion.

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pointythings · 10/12/2022 11:16

Read an analysis of this from some business expert who said it was good business practice. He said that when you take over, you hack away all of the rotten wood and start again and that you have to cut deeply. It may be that it's so rotten that there's nothing left to work with or there'll be a sliver to build on.

Yeah, that's the kind of business expert our current government just loves. I have no faith at all in anyone who talks like that. You don't walk in and start hacking without having a clue about how the business works, you go in, get a good idea of what is going on and where change is needed and then change. Fools rush in and all that.

PearlclutchersInc · 10/12/2022 11:16

Bugger, rubber fingers..... example of propriety??

LondonWolf · 10/12/2022 11:16

PearlclutchersInc · 10/12/2022 11:14

Are you saying that Elon Musk is a shining exampl

No, why do you think that? Did I say that?

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Soothsayer1 · 10/12/2022 11:16

he's still a massive dick who's only interest is his own self-interest
And stop being such a meanie!!
poor billionaire!
it's really hard for him coping with his fragile ego🎻

LondonWolf · 10/12/2022 11:18

PearlclutchersInc · 10/12/2022 11:16

Bugger, rubber fingers..... example of propriety??

No and I didn't say so. I factually said he's "shining direct sunlight" on certain matters at Twitter.

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SmartWatch · 10/12/2022 11:18

I agree with you OP. I work for a similar type of company and its well known 'in the bay area' that he got rid of the dead wood. Twitter had become bloated with scores of people doing an hour or two coding or a couple of meetings a day. Letting those people go makes complete business sense to me and what all bosses do when they take over a company. He also paid them for 3m which isn't actually a requirement in the US and allowed them to keep stock options. I think he does have a massive ego, of course, but fundamentally at heart he's a geek that got lucky and not necessarily evil incarnate. At least he seems to value truth and freedom of speech, which I think could be a good thing in the long run.

LondonWolf · 10/12/2022 11:19

Yeah, that's the kind of business expert our current government just loves. I have no faith at all in anyone who talks like that. You don't walk in and start hacking without having a clue about how the business works, you go in, get a good idea of what is going on and where change is needed and then change. Fools rush in and all that.

I didn't say I agreed with it but it is an explanation.

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SavoirFlair · 10/12/2022 11:19

Haha @LondonWolf what do you want from this thread? You’ve shown he’s looking into some grubby stuff. You posted a link…

Soothsayer1 · 10/12/2022 11:19

Musk is shining a light on himself ...now we can all see what a twit he is
🤣🤣🤣

LondonWolf · 10/12/2022 11:20

SmartWatch · 10/12/2022 11:18

I agree with you OP. I work for a similar type of company and its well known 'in the bay area' that he got rid of the dead wood. Twitter had become bloated with scores of people doing an hour or two coding or a couple of meetings a day. Letting those people go makes complete business sense to me and what all bosses do when they take over a company. He also paid them for 3m which isn't actually a requirement in the US and allowed them to keep stock options. I think he does have a massive ego, of course, but fundamentally at heart he's a geek that got lucky and not necessarily evil incarnate. At least he seems to value truth and freedom of speech, which I think could be a good thing in the long run.

I think that's a balanced summary Smile

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LondonWolf · 10/12/2022 11:21

Soothsayer1 · 10/12/2022 11:19

Musk is shining a light on himself ...now we can all see what a twit he is
🤣🤣🤣

You think it's "twittish" to expose these matters?

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LondonWolf · 10/12/2022 11:21

SavoirFlair · 10/12/2022 11:19

Haha @LondonWolf what do you want from this thread? You’ve shown he’s looking into some grubby stuff. You posted a link…

A discussion.

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BewareTheLibrarians · 10/12/2022 11:22

Soothsayer1 · 10/12/2022 11:06

Where do you think Twitter is going now with Musk at the helm @Londonwolf?

Something like this?

”Britain First, an extreme group whose leader has spent time in jail for hate crimes against Muslims, rejoined the social media network on Friday. It had been banned in 2017 under Twitter’s hate speech rules after posting inflammatory anti-Muslim videos.”
amp.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/29/banned-british-far-right-figures-return-to-twitter-within-hours-of-takeover

Or this?
“Anglin has publicly indicated that the goal of his operation and adherence to white nationalist ideology is to “ethnically cleanse White nations of non-Whites and establish an authoritarian government. Many people also believe that the Jews should be exterminated.” Anglin is a staunch supporter of Nazi ideology and regularly espouses Holocaust denail. In 2018, Anglin wrote that he “[hates] women. I think they deserve to be beaten, raped and locked in cages.”

www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/elon-musk-twitter-reinstates-neo-nazi-andrew-anglin-account-1234640390/amp/“

Also this

“In recent days, the platform’s new CEO has reactivated the accounts of known neo-Nazis; shared a picture of a white supremacist who said he’d like Trump to be more like Hitler; failed to prevent users from posting videos of the Christchurch massacre; tweeted a popular alt-right meme; used a known antisemitic trope; and, inadvertently or not, shared a dogwhistle that white supremacists interpreted as praise for Hitler.”
www.vice.com/amp/en/article/n7zm9q/elon-musk-twitter-nazis-white-supremacy

I wonder if that’s “full of hate” enough for Londonwolf?

Raquelos · 10/12/2022 11:22

Soothsayer1 · 10/12/2022 11:16

he's still a massive dick who's only interest is his own self-interest
And stop being such a meanie!!
poor billionaire!
it's really hard for him coping with his fragile ego🎻

🤣🤣

Sorry you're right, i meant to say, poor heroic Elon struggling selflessly against the forces of evil. My mistake!

LondonWolf · 10/12/2022 11:23

I wonder if that’s “full of hate” enough for Londonwolf?

Well it's not ideal. I hope you're not implying I want SM to be "full of hate"?

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SmartWatch · 10/12/2022 11:24

I think a discussion about Elon Musk is very interesting. I think a lot of people just assume everyone thinks he's a dick when actually, not everyone does. Some can see shades of grey and are waiting to see how it all pans out. I think it could go either way.