# 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:** 250
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/4984 "2023-05-29T01:51:18Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Just the fact that you’re ready to put Elon Musk’s business acumen in the same category as a high school dropout is amazing. The most successful businessman in history should get a little more credit than that, even if you don’t like his politics. I’m not putting him in that category. I’m asking you what, hypothetically, would have to happen for _you_ to put him in that category. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/4985 "2023-05-29T01:53:57Z")
The lack of _any_ sense of self-awareness is what’s truly mind-numbing. I’m not sure if I’d even call it hypocrisy; I honestly think he’s so totally lacking in self-awareness that he isn’t even aware of the hypocrisy. ---
**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:** [May 29, 2023, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/4986 "2023-05-29T02:11:13Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > The most successful businessman in history should get a little more credit than that, even if you don’t like his politics. You are such a pathetic fan boy. There can be an argument that he’s a good businessman, you can say he’s had a lot of success. But you’re coming off like a complete fanatic. You worship him. It’s pitiful, ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/4987 "2023-05-29T02:39:55Z")
> [@Palooka](#): > > To be fair, six months ago the expectation was that Twitter would fall apart and no one could access the site. And I would expect anyone who made such an unqualified assertion, along the lines of “Twitter will fall apart and be totally inaccessible within a few months”, to acknowledge that their claim was inaccurate if they get called on it. Anyone who responded to such a call-out by, say, trying to redefine the interpretation of “fall apart” or “totally inaccessible” or “a few months”, rather than just acknowledging that their overconfident assertion wasn’t borne out by subsequent events, would be engaging in defensive weaseling just as annoying as Sam’s. > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > You all are just laying into me because I refuse to just assume that Musk is screwing everything up. No, what’s annoying is when you refuse to acknowledge that YOU screwed up yet another of your insufficiently qualified predictions. > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I’m the one saying, “Maybe, maybe not. I don’t have enough evidence to say […]" So I will reserve judgment until I see this story play out. Except that reserving judgment is exactly what you DON’T do in these instances that attract so much criticism. You smugly make confident assertions about how Twitter is “running fine”, and present Musk’s decisions in the most optimistic light, and describe how you’d recommend your hypothetical software engineer son to curry favor with Musk because impressing the multibillionaire boss could catapult you to fast-track success and riches, etc. etc. etc. And then when those overconfident assertions run up against less impressive reality, you walk them back by claiming that you’re just keeping an open mind and refusing to rush to judgment. Sam, your posts are not what an open mind looks like. You’re not rebutting Musk-bashers just with factual corrections and caveats and alternative possibilities, you’re responding to anti-Musk spin with actively pro-Musk spin. And then you belatedly declare your neutrality when the facts don’t back you up. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/4988 "2023-05-29T02:46:56Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > The most successful businessman in history Elmo is the most successful businessman in history in the same sense that Nero was the greatest architect in the history of the Roman Empire. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/4989 "2023-05-29T09:48:24Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > You all are just laying into me because I refuse to just assume that Musk is screwing everything up. Do you draw a distinction between “assuming” and “concluding”? I mean, even an insufficiently supported conclusion is not to be mistaken for an assumption. ETA: I’m not saying that any such conclusions _are_ insufficiently supported. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/4990 "2023-05-29T12:19:10Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > You all are just laying into me because I refuse to just assume that Musk is screwing everything up. > ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/4991 "2023-05-29T15:41:06Z")
Personally, I think that Musk is doing a decent job of reducing costs and targeting the right for his clientele - killing Gab and Truth Social, which are the only real competitors in his space. If he reverts to being an open-to-all platform after those shut down then I’d say that he’s being clever. If he continues turning Twitter into 4chan then I’d have to point out that reddit is bigger than 4chan. A normal environment for normal people is your biggest money maker. Targeting extremists and crazies just gets you a smaller audience, each with a smaller income on average than a comparable normie. And, if his goal is to kill Gab/Truth Social, he risks losing his audience and creating some alternative to Twitter in the meanwhile, which will end up being bigger because it targeted normal folk. He will need to pivot back if any realistic opponent comes into the picture. That all said, I think he’s just suffering the effects of too little sleep for too many years, and is finally starting to lose it. That doesn’t deny his accomplishments, it’s just skepticism about his likely continued success. Turning Twitter into a successful replacement for Gab, financially stable as may be, would definitely be a significant down step from original Twitter. I personally wouldn’t view that as a success. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/4992 "2023-05-31T00:08:15Z")
Elon is boosting a fake AOC account. That’s why Sam and crew love him. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/4993 "2023-05-31T18:47:48Z")
Agile devaluation! > **[Twitter value keeps falling under Musk, now worth a third of what he paid](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/05/twitter-value-keeps-falling-under-musk-now-worth-a-third-of-what-he-paid/)** > > $15 billion valuation after Fidelity lowers value of its Twitter stake again. ---
**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:** [May 31, 2023, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/4994 "2023-05-31T19:29:48Z")
[![](https://i.imgflip.com/6uoble.jpg) ](https://i.imgflip.com/6uoble.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/4995 "2023-05-31T19:41:17Z")
Seems generous. ---
**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:** [May 31, 2023, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/4996 "2023-05-31T20:20:41Z")
It’s fine, all that old value wasn’t good. In fact, Elon needs to destroy it all so he can replace it with new better value. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/4997 "2023-05-31T20:31:31Z")
![](https://media.tenor.com/yucXbOJvP1UAAAAC/joker-burn.gif) ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/4998 "2023-05-31T21:21:27Z")
As the Ars Technica article said: > In a March 24 email that called Twitter an “inverse startup,” Musk [told employees](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/03/musk-says-twitter-value-is-down-to-20-billion-calls-firm-an-inverse-startup/) that its value had dropped to $20 billion. Musk also told staff that he “see[s] a clear but difficult path” to a future valuation of more than $250 billion. Sorry Elon, but that path will have a chance if it is made with regulations that you loath, otherwise, be happy to have site full of conspiracy nuts, yahoos and creeps, that will be there for a long time. Just not as popular or profitable as you want. (Remember how the Washington -Moonie- Times keeps on going, it does that thanks to a lot of money coming from nutballs) ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/4999 "2023-06-01T20:51:13Z")
From DJT’s Truth Social page. Makes me chuckle seeing the leopards attacking each other. [![](https://i.imgur.com/9Zcxnvv.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/9Zcxnvv.png) ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5000 "2023-06-01T22:12:11Z")
I dunno, it kinda makes me sad to see the Twuth Social crowd’s abilities at meme-ing. Replace the cartoonish rocket with an actual photo of Starship exploding - sorry, having a rapid unscheduled disassembly, and change the ‘failure to launch’ bottom text with ‘rapid unscheduled disassembly’. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems the much more obvious and meme-y thing to do. Maybe that would be a swipe too far at Elmo who is ‘one of the body’ with TFGs crowd now, Mr. Stone might understand the dynamics of that whole thing better. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5001 "2023-06-01T22:29:51Z")
I’m not saying they have a good meme game, just that it’s fun to see them attacking each other. And making fun of Musk. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5002 "2023-06-01T22:35:07Z")
I am now getting direct Twitter notifications for people I’ve never heard of, as though I subscribed to them. Block party ensuing. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5003 "2023-06-02T02:05:13Z")
Twitter’s head of trust and safety, who took over after Elmo fired the last one, has resigned. Agile turnover! > **[Twitter's head of trust and safety says she has resigned](https://www.reuters.com/article/twitter-management/twitters-head-of-trust-and-safety-says-she-has-resigned-idUSKBN2XN3WY?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews)** > > Twitter's head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, told Reuters on Thursday that she has resigned from the social media company. > [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442.md?page=249) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442.md?page=251)