# 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:** 472
**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:** [April 6, 2024, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9456 "2024-04-06T04:19:44Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Makes complete sense in a reactionary world. Or in any world, really. In Christianity, though many are sure to disagree, Paul is sort of the poster child for a reactionary ruining things for everybody who doesn’t agree with him. And he pre-dated the Catholic Church itself (well, at least under some definition for what the Catholic Church even is, given various theological debates, schisms, and such). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2024, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9457 "2024-04-06T04:53:58Z")
Aah yes, Paul. Asshole _primer peris_. The rest is just details. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2024, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9458 "2024-04-06T04:55:53Z")
Also, amazingly, the man whose words he identified as his opinion became dictates. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2024, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9459 "2024-04-06T15:57:26Z")
I just posted this on the other Musk/Twitter thread and realize that it may be better here. Sorry for the duplication, let’s see what Discourse says: If Twitter ever was a place to get the news faster, it no longer is. Now there is a LLM AI Chatbot called Grok, owned and developed by Elon Musk himself, and it makes news up, puts them in a “newly updated Explorer page” (that is, as I understand it, the new name for the trending news section curated by Twitter) and heralds those made up news as true. Yesterday Grok claimed that Iran had started bombarding Tel Aviv with missiles. Heavy Missiles, to be precise: > **[Elon Musk's X pushed a fake headline about Iran attacking Israel. X's AI...](https://mashable.com/article/elon-musk-x-twitter-ai-chatbot-grok-fake-news-trending-explore)** > > The AI-generated false headline was promoted by X in its official trending news section. In view of the great success of Grok Linda Yaccarino anounced that Grok will be enabled for all premium subscribers: > I wonder whether Twitter (or X, or whatever it is called) could be sued for damages if such made up news moves the markets in a significant way. Which seems totally possible to me. Even if an investor does not act on the made up news, because they have read the small print: > “Grok is an early feature and can make mistakes,” reads the tiny note from X underneath the written context provided on the Explore page. “Verify its outputs.” damage could result if others don’t read the fine print and act foolishly. This being now in The Pit should allow me some insulting of the despicables Mr. Musk and Ms Yaccarino, but I feel futile right now. May come back to it later. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9460 "2024-04-06T17:45:11Z")
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Elmo, self-proclaimed free speech absolutist, savior of humanity from nuclear apocalypse, defender of mankind from the dangers of AI. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2024, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9461 "2024-04-06T18:08:55Z")
Did you mean to post an “example” of that? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2024, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9462 "2024-04-07T01:04:06Z")
I suspect he was referring to the news about Grok just above his post. If I’m right, @Dissonance’s idea being that Musk has long claimed to be a free speech absolutist (and totally isn’t). AND has long claimed to be a savior from nuclear apocalypse (and totally isn’t). AND has long claimed to be a savior from AI, but has just now with the release of the stock-market manipulating Grok system, proven he isn’t that either. Ta Da! And with that the empresario **Dissoance** takes his bow and leaves the stage. I _really_ like the idea of an AI rumor monger that can be subtly “guided” in an utterly untraceable way to spew bullshit that can be front-run by the insiders to truly insane levels of profit. That is pure evil, and best of all represents Musk sowing the seeds of his own demise; if the stock market becomes just another totally (not partially) crooked casino, lots of capital formation is going away. Or going underground. For a guy whose wealth is substantially all in publicly traded stock, that sounds like a real nice foot-cannon he just built. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2024, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9463 "2024-04-07T02:05:00Z")
Indeed. And empresario, I like that. You are absolved of making the typo in my name. Coming soon, the combining of the trinity and the birth of Skynet: Grok unleashes a nuclear holocaust by becoming sentient and utilizing its free speech to create “news” in the NATO that Russian nukes are headed for DC, London and Paris, “news” in Russia that US, French and British nukes are headed for Moscow, “news” in Pakistan that Indian nukes are on the way to Islamabad, “news” in India that Pakistani nukes are on the way to New Delhi, and in China that everyone is sending nukes to Beijing. Hmm, I’d include North Korea but that would require a functioning electrical grid in Pyongyang. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2024, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9464 "2024-04-07T07:09:52Z")
> [@Dissonance](#): > > You are absolved of making the typo in my name. It could have been worse; you might now be **Discodance**. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2024, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9465 "2024-04-07T13:59:16Z")
> [@Dissonance](#): > > Indeed. And empresario, I like that. You are absolved of making the typo in my name. IMPRESARIO. [Empresario](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empresario) means something else. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2024, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9466 "2024-04-07T14:18:05Z")
That’s what I get for typing on my damned phone. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2024, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9467 "2024-04-07T14:36:16Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > [Empresario](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empresario) means something else. Are you assuming that @Dissonance hasn’t taken responsibility for settling Coahuila y Tejas? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2024, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9468 "2024-04-07T21:16:16Z")
Saw this thread on Reddit and found it kinda interesting to see when the public stopped liking Musk. I figured even those who like Musk (cough, Sam) might enjoy it. > [People who liked Elon Musk but no longer do, what was the turning point?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1bute49/people_who_liked_elon_musk_but_no_longer_do_what/) > > Two things. 1. When he called the cave rescuer a ‘pedophile’ and doubled down on it, after lying about sending a rescue ‘mini-sub’. 2. During the height of Covid, he claimed he was retrofitting his production and said he sent 1000 ventilators to desperate US hospitals. He actually sent a few useless… ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9469 "2024-04-07T21:32:38Z")
I don’t think I was ever exactly dazzled by Musk, though his twitter takeover has been eye-opening. I acknowledge that he one of the greats who started or catalyzed 3 successful innovative, game-changing, and welfare-enhancing companies. He’s had his misses, his claimed engineering prowess is mostly PR, and he’s made an utter jackass out of himself, but he’s also made substantial contributions to humanity. Rockets don’t launch without funding. John Oliver had a balanced take on Musk a few weeks back. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9470 "2024-04-08T12:31:40Z")
I guess we can agree that considering yourself\* above the law is a symptom of a deeply flawed character: > **[Elon Musk faces Brazil inquiry after defying X court order](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/apr/08/elon-musk-brazil-x-jair-bolsonaro)** > > Multibillionaire called for resignation of judge who ordered platform to block far-right users And calling for the dismissal or impeachment (a figure of law that does not even exist in Brazil, as far as I know: only elected oficials can be impeached and [judges seem not to be elected](https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/media/images/misc/brazilian_judicial_system_flowchart.png)) of the judge you don’t like is not free speech, it is rebellion, sedition and grounds for being court martial’d, drowned in boiling oil and being hung head down in the sun to dry. At least in some countries Mr. Musk proclaims to admire. \* Funny that my keyboard decided to spell that Xourself. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9471 "2024-04-08T14:15:37Z")
My apologies for posting a naked link. It’s a comic with an amusing reference to the [Watchmen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen) vis-à-vis Twitter. > **[Whackmen - Penny Arcade](https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2024/04/08/whackmen)** > > Videogaming-related online strip by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins. Includes news and commentary. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9472 "2024-04-08T14:32:44Z")
I read Penny Arcade regularly and I’m glad you posted this with the reference. Not sure I would have immediately understood it just from the comic and title. ---
**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:** [April 8, 2024, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9473 "2024-04-08T17:24:14Z")
I would only have gotten it in the final panel, one thing I always admired (for a deeply flawed character) about Ozymandias (the character) is that he doesn’t monologue about what he’s doing until it doesn’t _matter_ anymore. 🙂 ---
**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:** [April 8, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9474 "2024-04-08T21:24:23Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > My apologies for posting a naked link. When I think of PA and Twitter, I will always think of this one. [![](https://assets.penny-arcade.com/comics/panels/20080423-dX3NhlHr-p1.jpg) ](https://assets.penny-arcade.com/comics/panels/20080423-dX3NhlHr-p1.jpg) [![](https://assets.penny-arcade.com/comics/panels/20080423-dX3NhlHr-p2.jpg) ](https://assets.penny-arcade.com/comics/panels/20080423-dX3NhlHr-p2.jpg) [![](https://assets.penny-arcade.com/comics/panels/20080423-dX3NhlHr-p3.jpg) ](https://assets.penny-arcade.com/comics/panels/20080423-dX3NhlHr-p3.jpg) > **[Le Twittre - Penny Arcade](https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/04/23/le-twittre)** > > Videogaming-related online strip by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins. Includes news and commentary. “I’m a twitter shitter!” kills me every time. 😆 And now 16 years later, Gabe deletes his Twitter account. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/9475 "2024-04-08T23:16:16Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > “I’m a twitter shitter!” kills me every time. 😆 So now he’s a Xitter shitter instead. Holy alliteration, Batman! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442.md?page=471) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442.md?page=473)