# 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:** 277
**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:** [July 10, 2023, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5526 "2023-07-10T04:02:51Z")
> ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5527 "2023-07-10T06:10:53Z")
Holy shit. Isn’t this guy supposed to be an adult? ---
**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:** [July 10, 2023, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5528 "2023-07-10T06:23:39Z")
You’d think so. But then again, Zuck has been happily married to his college sweetheart for 11 years and is an active dad to his three children, whereas Elmo is thrice-divorced, his children hate him, and he once tried to buy an employee a horse in exchange for a handjob. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5529 "2023-07-10T06:26:22Z")
ugh!!! ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5530 "2023-07-10T06:28:35Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > he once tried to buy an employee a horse in exchange for a handjob. So much for any suggestion that he has an even basic knowledge of economics. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5531 "2023-07-10T06:33:44Z")
Pfft, it’s all about the numbers, baby. Elmo is singlehandedly solving the greatest threat humanity faces today, low reproduction rates of good Nordic stock. He’s pumped out 10 kids already, who cares if they like him? For anyone who doesn’t know already, no I’m not joking. > ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5532 "2023-07-10T15:44:57Z")
I always imagine a “dick measuring contest” (especially a “literal” one) as something like giving them a each a tape measure and a line up of guys and they get judged by how many dicks per second they can measure (or alternatively, given a time limit, get scored for accuracy). I think what Elon means is a “dick length contest”. ---
**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:** [July 10, 2023, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5533 "2023-07-10T16:29:14Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > he once tried to buy an employee a horse in exchange for a handjob. BTW, I keep hearing this in the voice of John Mulaney. “It’s a **horse** … in exchange for a **handjob** …” ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5534 "2023-07-10T17:52:59Z")
At some point, you have to think that this is going to start to affect his other business, right? People looking at doing business Tesla/SpaceX/Boring have got to be looking at this and wondering if they want to be in business with somebody so incredibly unstable. ---
**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:** [July 10, 2023, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5535 "2023-07-10T18:08:12Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > People looking at doing business Tesla/SpaceX/Boring have got to be looking at this and wondering if they want to be in business with somebody so incredibly unstable. Same old, same old. [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna907476](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna907476) ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5536 "2023-07-10T18:15:45Z")
Smoking weed isn’t anywhere near posting that he wants a literal dick measuring contest, a cage match, and all of the other madness he’s posted. A lot of people smoke MJ. It will almost certainly eventually be legal across the US instead of just a few states. I’ve never had a lot of respect for Musk, but lately he sounds legitimately deranged. Much _MUCH_ more so than normal. Either this is the real him and he’s been keeping it slightly under wraps/control and the freedom to do whatever he wants in his social media playground has allowed him to reveal himself, or he’s cracking under the pressure of it all. He does not sound well. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5537 "2023-07-10T18:23:13Z")
He just sounds like a drug addict with too much power to me. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5538 "2023-07-10T18:26:14Z")
Lots of people feel more free to express their real beliefs once they accumulate enough wealth/power to do so. Part of that is the lack of repercussions, but there’s also the fact that the people around them no longer feel as free to criticize - either because he fires them or through self-censoring to avoid drawing his ire. The ones who do feel free to criticize without major repercussion, i.e. his parents and his former partners and children, do so quite publicly and freely, and that does seem to contribute considerably to his angst. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5539 "2023-07-10T18:58:10Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > I’ve never had a lot of respect for Musk, but lately he sounds legitimately deranged. Much _MUCH_ more so than normal. Either this is the real him and he’s been keeping it slightly under wraps/control and the freedom to do whatever he wants in his social media playground has allowed him to reveal himself, or he’s cracking under the pressure of it all. He does not sound well. He’s always been like this, it’s just getting more public attention. How else would you describe someone who unironically believes we are [living in the matrix](https://medium.com/@yazinakkawi/elon-musk-thinks-were-living-in-the-matrix-if-he-s-right-it-s-a-good-thing-6f5d3cb97334#:~:text=Elon%20Musk%20thinks%20it%27s%20almost,No%2C%20really.) (note article date is 2017),names one of his children [X AE A-XII Musk](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/elon-musk-baby-name-pronounce-how-b1839670.html) and another [Exa Dark Sideræl Musk](https://www.nme.com/news/music/grimes-says-shes-changed-her-and-elon-musks-daughters-name-from-exa-dark-siderael-3420839)? ETA: You know, the name Exa Dark Sideræl Musk kinda reminds me of [Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way](https://myimmortal.fandom.com/wiki/Ebony_Dark%27ness_Dementia_Raven_Way) of the cursed Harry Potter fanfic fame. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5540 "2023-07-10T19:00:55Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > At some point, you have to think that this is going to start to affect his other business, right? People looking at doing business Tesla/SpaceX/Boring have got to be looking at this and wondering if they want to be in business with somebody so incredibly unstable. And yet Tesla has more than doubled since the start of the year, SpaceX has been valued at $150 billion, The Boring company has a valuation somewhere between $1 billion and $10 billion, and Neuralink has a $5 billion valuation. When Starlink goes public, it’s expected to have a market cap of well over $150 billion by itself. According to Forbes, Musk’s net worth is now $245 billion > **[By The Numbers: How Billionaires Musk And Zuckerberg Stack Up On Everything...](https://www.forbes.com/sites/phoebeliu/2023/07/09/billionaire-brawl-now-whos-winning-the-fight-between-musk-and-zuckerberg/?sh=1db5e00526bc)** > > Zuckerberg threw the latest punch, launching Twitter rival Threads but Musk is ready for battle. Forbes takes a look at their longstanding rivalry and looks at how the two stack up on everything from fortunes to family. > [@](#): > > Since the beginning of 2023, Zuckerberg’s fortune has jumped 137%, from $43.8 billion to $103 billion. Over the same period, Musk’s net worth has climbed by 68%, from $146.5 billion to $246 billion. Their main shareholdings, Meta and Tesla, are the [second- and third-best performing stocks in the S&P 500](https://www.forbes.com/sites/segunolakoyenikan/2023/06/21/the-best-and-worst-performing-stocks-so-far-in-2023/?sh=737956ef353d) in the first half of 2023, up 141% and 123% respectively. Musk also reclaimed his position as the world’s richest man. Maybe the impressions of left-wing activists are not the same as the market in general. The other rich people I’ve read are baffled by Musk, and consider him an outlier. There’s everyone else following the rules, then there’s Musk who constantly surprises, and regularly wins. Among financial people in Silicon Valley, Elon Musk is a legend. That’s why he can raise money for the dumbest sounding things. It’s also why his layoffs at Twitter kicked off a general round of layoffs in Silicon Valley. Everyone knew they were needed, but were scared to make the massive layoffs required after years of bloat. So Musk just went and did it, and the sky didn’t fall. That gave everyone else the kick they needed to follow suit. ---
**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:** [July 10, 2023, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5541 "2023-07-10T19:02:15Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > Smoking weed isn’t anywhere near posting that he wants a literal dick measuring contest, a cage match, and all of the other madness he’s posted. No, clearly you missed my point. My point was that there would be nothing new about his crazy bullshit hurting Tesla or other businesses he runs. It’s happened before. I don’t think he gives a shit, it’s all just a game to 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:** [July 10, 2023, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5542 "2023-07-10T19:22:29Z")
Just what I feared, guys like Elon may start having some right wing tendencies, but unfortunately the current right wing in the US is also hell bent on dismissing global warming. Getting closer to the right wing yahoos does mean that even if he believed before that controlling our emissions was the key, his conspiracy minded peers were going to eventually get him the climate denier Kool-aid. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5543 "2023-07-10T19:25:16Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > The Boring company has a valuation somewhere between $1 billion and $10 billion, If you think this particular company is actually worth anywhere near that much, you’re as delusional as Musk. Current valuation is based on unicorn farts. There are countless, countless examples where a companies valuation bears no relation whatsoever to it’s actual value or it’s eventual success. One such is “LookSmart” In March 2000, LookSmart’s stock price peaked at $72 per share. The company was valued at $5 billion. By 2003, LookSmart had a net income of $5.8 million. By 2005, LookSmart had a market cap of $96.21 million By 2015, the company had a market cap of around $3.6 million. By 2017 the company de-registered its common stock and suspended its public reporting obligations ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5544 "2023-07-10T19:33:10Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > It’s also why his layoffs at Twitter kicked off a general round of layoffs in Silicon Valley. Everyone knew they were needed, but were scared to make the massive layoffs required after years of bloat. So Musk just went and did it, and the sky didn’t fall. That gave everyone else the kick they needed to follow suit. Jesus, this is delusional. [Your own post](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-legal-elon-musk-ultimatum-do-extremely-hardcore-work-or-get-out/975040/108) in November last year argued that twitter folk who quit en masse would have a hard time finding a job _after_: > [@](#): > > Silicon Valley is currently laying off employees like crazy, and it’s going to get worse. Twitter is not an exception in this regard - it could be that anyone who owned Twitter needed to seriously downsize the staff. > > Those employees who quit are going to be competing with the 11,000 Meta employees being layed off (three times as many as Twitter), Amazon just layed off 10,000 employees, Lyft cut 700. Stripe cut 1,100. Microsoft cut 1,000 jobs. Coinbase cut 1,100. And those are just some of the big ones. There are smaller layoffs going on all over the place. In addition, tech firms are leaving SF and California in general because of the high cost of living, crime, and because the workforce is expensive and demanding. Those layoffs preceded Twitter layoffs. Why do you make this shit up? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2023, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/5545 "2023-07-10T19:40:36Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Those layoffs preceded Twitter layoffs. Why do you make this shit up? From here: > **[Understanding the Massive Tech Layoffs in Silicon Valley](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/understanding-massive-tech-layoffs-silicon-valley-turnkey-labs)** > > Stay with us as we try to make sense of why many tech companies are suddenly trimming down their workforce. So grab a cup of coffee and let’s go! Tech Layoffs: What’s Been Happening? If you are working in Silicon Valley or tech in general right now,... > [@](#): > > 2022 was a wild ride for tech companies and their employees. Big names like Peloton, Robinhood, Substack, Lyft, and others made headlines for laying off workers at the start of the year, **but it wasn’t until Twitter dropped a bomb in November that things got real.** Their massive layoff of 50% of employees shocked everyone, creating a chain reaction. Soon enough, Meta, Amazon, and Cisco announced their own cuts. Your accusations of lying are tiresome. My ankles are getting sore from the biting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442.md?page=276) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442.md?page=278)