# Now that Elon Musk has bought Twitter - now the Pit edition (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 25, 2022, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442 "2022-04-25T22:50:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 198
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3944 "2023-03-18T13:22:04Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I then speculated that Musk might be bringing the same philosophy to Twitter - push features out fast, get feedback,. refactor. I believe I even said that the approach might not work in social media and could get him into trouble. > > It was **speculation** based on previous evidence of how Musk works. It wasn’t a claim that’s that’s WHY he was doing everything he was doing, but one explanation as to what might be going on The thing with this theory is that Twitter (like most web companies) was already working like this - iterative development that’s not merely _fast_ but _continuous_. And Musk has actually reversed this trend (if we’re to believe insider reports and industry scuttlebutt). CI/CD depends on the ability to rapidly sense problems, diagnose them, and correct them. But these things have broken it: - Twitter (as a whole) is a complex system (a network with feedback loops). Musk’s only expertise is in complicated systems (machines like rockets, cars, etc) and has no skills for dealing with complexity. - Musk has misunderstood Twitter to be a software product rather than a networked social ecosystem. Twitter’s customers are advertisers. Musk thinks his customers are Twitter users, and he’s wasting money trying to please them with “new features” because this is what worked at Tesla. - Musk has fired so many people that the time to diagnose and correct problems has mushroomed, and problems are becoming more frequent. - Musk has a great deal of personal vanity invested in the product, he cannot tolerate making mistakes in public, so he is correcting opposite the direction of iteration - he’s implemented change freezes, meaning that changes are deployed in larger sets, meaning they’re harder to reason about when things break. - He’s lied to Twitter, lied about Twitter, and been abusive to his employees in some ways that are turning out to be quite expensive. This erodes trust in both his intentions and judgment, so employees are less willing to go the extra mile for him. The irony here is that Musk’s success in rocketry came in no small part from bringing an iterative change approach to a discipline that’s historically been waterfall. Then he dove into an industry (well, painted himself into a corner) that’s already committed to the iterative approach, _yet he is regressing toward a waterfall approach_. This ought to be a giant red flag that Musk’s “genius” is limited to some narrow technical domains, and his “success” is due in large part to managing hype. While he’s not a moron _per se_, his screwups at Twitter are grounds to treat all of his enterprises and public-facing comments with the sort of total skepticism that one would attribute to an _actual moron_. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3945 "2023-03-18T16:46:44Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > is me, I think I am becoming a god. That’s how I want to die; violently shitting myself to death while those closest to me help me stand up. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3946 "2023-03-18T17:16:04Z")
I want to die in battle against a zombie horde as I hold them back so my friends can escape. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3947 "2023-03-18T17:18:04Z")
Ha! I see through your scheme, you just want a zombie horde to arrive so you can save us all with your horde of kill-bots, become acclaimed as a Savior, and replace Musk as the TechGod to the many bros out there. Musk wishes he could do this. [see I brought the hijack back to the thread topic!] ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3948 "2023-03-18T17:18:40Z")
I hope I have a friend like you when the zombie hordes come. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2023, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3949 "2023-03-18T17:24:53Z")
Hodor! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3950 "2023-03-19T23:51:54Z")
> [@Mr.E](#): > > The Financial Times [reports that](https://www.ft.com/content/703c3894-3adc-45f1-b280-1a75c4085d60) Twitter’s cost cutting is leaving them open to major lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny. It occurs to me that Twitter is subject to regulatory scrutiny in at least three broad areas: - Content moderation requirements, especially in the EU - Labour laws - Finance and tax laws And Elmo’s attitude to all of these laws is utter contempt. With Elmo’s orange-hued hero and self-declared genius reportedly about to get his first criminal indictment, I have this delightful vision of both of them winding up in jail. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.E](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.e/32/8932_2.png) [@Mr.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.E)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3951 "2023-03-20T18:43:39Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > Wasn’t there another businessman who was infamous for not paying people and letting them sue so they would settle for a partial payment, if any at all? He got into politics I think, but left disgraced after committing numerous crimes including an attempt coup. > … > I wonder when Musk will attempt a coup? Good news! He actually beat Individual #1 by over a year, if his claims to be involved with Bolivia’s 2019 coup are to be believed. > **[Elon Musk Confesses to Lithium Coup in Bolivia](https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/elon-musk-confesses-to-lithium-coup-in-bolivia-20200725-0010.html)** > > The billionaire CEO of Tesla and lithium-exploiting capitalist has admitted his role in the November coup. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3952 "2023-03-20T18:50:46Z")
That is Fucked Up. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3953 "2023-03-20T19:48:12Z")
We all understand he’s brazenly self-interested. But it does take a shocking degree of brazenness to advocate for and admit to helping overthrow the legitimate government of a sovereign nation to further business interests. Early 20th Century robber baron indeed. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3954 "2023-03-21T21:20:41Z")
> **[Twitter's premium advertisers flee as interest in the platform evaporates |...](https://boingboing.net/2023/03/20/twitters-premium-advertisers-flee-as-interest-in-the-platform-evaporates.html)** > > Brand advertisers have fled from Twitter and have no intention of returning, at least until owner Elon Musk stops performative tweets in his embarrassing attempt to endear himself to right-wing tro… It is going really well. Really, really well. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3955 "2023-03-21T22:54:39Z")
I’m not sure if [this article](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/elon-musk-disney-apple-among-twitter-advertisers-1235343069/) about a March 7 investor conference interview with Musk was discussed here, as that was when the Halli kerfuffle was foremost, but some interesting info. > [@](#): > > One of the difficulties has come as advertisers have reportedly left the site in droves after bot attacks and fears of a higher level of hate speech on the platform, after Musk had promoted the idea of free speech for all. Musk [has since been](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/twitter-elon-musk-tells-advertisers-1235249948/) seeking to reassure advertisers about the platform. […] > > To that end, Musk said Twitter will be more focused on relevance in advertising. He wants to lean more into performance advertising and recently spoke with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav about the ability to show HBO’s _White Lotus_ trailers, for example, every time the phrase “White Lotus” is tweeted. […] > > Musk did not directly address the layoffs, but said he believes it will take a few years to make Twitter’s management team look like his team at Tesla. (He called Twitter “an easier problem than Tesla by a long shot.”) > > Musk has also said he ultimately plans to use Twitter to build a social platform called “[X.com](http://X.com),” in which users can send money to one another and earn interest on the money. “Basically I think it is possible to become the biggest financial institution in the world,” he said. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3956 "2023-03-21T23:21:53Z")
So basically he is trying to do what he originally wanted to do at PayPal and for which he was ousted by CEO. The internet landscape has changed a lot since then. Every bank is online now. Interac is a thing now. Plus for a guy who doesn’t seem to pay much heed to regulations and laws, I’m not sure owning a bank is such a great idea. If he thinks he’s under scrutiny now… oh boy, wait until he’s an online bank. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3957 "2023-03-22T00:41:41Z")
I imagine he’s thinking more along the lines of crypto than a traditional bank. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3958 "2023-03-22T10:45:37Z")
> **[Got a question for Twitter's press team? The answer will be a poop emoji](https://www.npr.org/2023/03/20/1164654551/twitter-poop-emoji-elon-musk)** > > Twitter's communications email went dark after mass layoffs late last year. CEO Elon Musk announced this weekend (and NPR confirmed) that it now responds to press inquiries with a single poop emoji. So mature. And his fanboys are loving it. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3959 "2023-03-22T10:59:00Z")
That’s his new self portrait, not a poop emoji. Yes, I am behaving as childish as he is. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3960 "2023-03-23T01:07:43Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > recently spoke with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav about the ability to show HBO’s _White Lotus_ trailers, for example, every time the phrase “White Lotus” is tweeted. Definitely the best time to make me aware of a TV show is when I’m discussing the episode of it I just watched. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3961 "2023-03-23T16:51:24Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Definitely the best time to make me aware of a TV show is when I’m discussing the episode of it I just watched. I had some early DVDs that started with unskippable ads for the DVD format. ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3962 "2023-03-23T18:45:39Z")
What a petty, immature and irresponsible asshole. BBC News - How Elon Musk’s tweets unleashed a wave of hate > **[How Elon Musk's tweets unleashed a wave of hate](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-64989720)** > > The Twitter owner's response to a BBC investigation highlights how abuse is thriving on the platform. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/3963 "2023-03-23T19:03:56Z")
Musk is doing all he can to make the world worse for the lulz. It’s the sort of thing you’d expect from a spoiled rich guy with way too much power and zero immediate consequences. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442.md?page=197) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442.md?page=199)