# Now that Elon Musk has bought Twitter - now the Pit edition (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** elon-musk\ **Created:** [August 13, 2024, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634 "2024-08-13T00:48:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 166
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2026, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3322 "2026-05-09T08:24:35Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Musk invested more than $300B in xAI I don’t see how that’s possible given the vastly inflated valuation of xAI is $250B and the most recent funding round before the acquisition was $20B. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2026, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3323 "2026-05-09T12:39:44Z")
The New York Times [reports](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/business/dealbook/musk-openai-trial.html) that Musk is claiming in the OpenAI trial that he’s afraid that OpenAI will bring about a Terminator-like future, while he would bring about a more benign one. And yet, OpenAI is just software, while Musk is the one producing self-driving cars, bipedal robots and rockets (that might be repurposed as missiles). From my perspective, a Terminator-like future seems more likely to be the product of Musk’s factories than OpenAI’s software. > Musk is trying to make the case that a “Terminator” future lies ahead. Tech companies are often used to arguing cases before judges, who largely focus on the evidence and how closely the arguments hew to established case law. > > But in a jury trial, narrative matters. And the story line Musk is spinning is that he, not OpenAI, is primarily concerned with the future of the human race, which can be saved only if OpenAI is stopped. > > “We want to be in a Gene Roddenberry outcome like ‘Star Trek,’” Musk testified last week, “not so much a James Cameron movie like ‘Terminator.’” ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2026, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3324 "2026-05-09T15:34:26Z")
You know, I love Science Fiction too, but I’m capable of telling the difference between SF and reality. Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2026, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3325 "2026-05-09T16:38:01Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > he’s afraid that OpenAI will bring about a Terminator-like future, while he would bring about a more benign one. Just like DOGE was going to save us a bazillion dollars in tax money in its first quarter of creation. You’d think a self-described brilliant guy would learn from experience. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3326 "2026-05-09T16:46:02Z")
Obviously the claims he was making in this case were self serving but it’s weird that he didn’t recognize his own role in creating the possible Terminator nightmare future. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2026, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3327 "2026-05-09T17:59:23Z")
Only he, World President and Benefactor, can save the planet. Give me a break. How about designing an interior rear door handle that’s usable without having to perform a safety briefing to passengers seated back there. It would be a start!? ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2026, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3328 "2026-05-09T18:05:33Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > I don’t see how that’s possible given the vastly inflated valuation of xAI is $250B and the most recent funding round before the acquisition was $20B Not my figures nor do I have insight to Musk’s shenanigans as he folds SpaceX, Tezla, iAx, and other entities he controls into a financial abyss. ---
**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:** [May 10, 2026, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3329 "2026-05-10T01:53:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Musk is trying to make the case that a “Terminator” future lies ahead. Tech companies are often used to arguing cases before judges, who largely focus on the evidence and how closely the arguments hew to established case law. > > But in a jury trial, narrative matters. And the story line Musk is spinning is that he, not OpenAI, is primarily concerned with the future of the human race, which can be saved only if OpenAI is stopped. > > “We want to be in a Gene Roddenberry outcome like ‘Star Trek,’” Musk testified last week, “not so much a James Cameron movie like ‘Terminator.’” Do Musk’s lawyers know Musk is going for a diminished capacity defense? Also, are Musk’s lawyer on a 24h suicide watch – if only for their carreers. ---
**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 16, 2026, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3330 "2026-05-16T19:59:01Z")
Elon has now spent an entire week having a racist Twitter tantrum because supernaturally beautiful demigods HAVE to be Caucasian, donchaknow. > **[Elon Musk sparks racism accusations after questioning Lupita Nyong’o’s beauty](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/news/elon-musk-the-odyssey-lupita-nyongo-racism-b2976294.html)** > > Nyong’o will play Helen of Troy and her sister Clytemnestra in Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated film ---
**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 16, 2026, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3331 "2026-05-16T20:38:29Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Elon has now spent an entire week having a racist Twitter tantrum because supernaturally beautiful demigods HAVE to be Caucasian, donchaknow. Troy is in Turkey. Turkish people don’t all look Swedish. They _can_ be light-skinned but many aren’t. (Hell, even in places with predominantly light-skinned people there are going to be variations; that’s just how the world is.) And Helen is a fictional character from a Greek myth. She can look like whatever, as long as she’s beautiful, and objectively speaking Nyong’o fits that profile. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3332 "2026-05-16T20:42:01Z")
To be honest, would any real woman be believable as the “face that launched a thousand ships?” Whoever they cast, some people would think, “She’s not that beautiful.” ---
**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 16, 2026, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3333 "2026-05-16T20:47:16Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Whoever they cast, some people would think, “She’s not that beautiful.” 100% true. There are some things you just can’t possibly recreate, you just try to get close enough to be plausible. Of course, with Musk there’s no nuance to it, it’s just racism. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3334 "2026-05-16T20:52:37Z")
Variety reported that Musk’s complaints include the suggestion that the motion picture academy’s representation and inclusion standards are the reason she was cast, not that she’s a beautiful woman who happens to be black. > The Academy’s Representation and Inclusion Standards for Best Picture eligibility were announced in 2020 and put into practice in 2024, requiring films to meet two out of the four standards for equitable representation on and off screen, including casting, subject matter, leadership and department heads, crew, apprenticeships and/or audience development. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3335 "2026-05-16T21:01:40Z")
Quick rule of thumb. Anyone who complains that X would be called a racist if he did Y is probably a racist. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2026, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3336 "2026-05-16T21:42:39Z")
It’s a special case of every accusation being a confession. Golly these frothing RW sorts are one-trick ponies. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2026, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3337 "2026-05-16T22:07:14Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Variety reported that Musk’s complaints include the suggestion that the motion picture academy’s representation and inclusion standards are the reason she was cast, not that she’s a beautiful woman who happens to be black. That’s objectively bullshit because Charlize Theron – beautiful, white, and South African to boot, is also in the movie. If he had wanted to, Nolan could have switched roles and put Theron – a first-rate A-list actress – in the lead role without affecting the AMPAS inclusion standards in the slightest. But he didn’t. We don’t need more evidence that Musk is a raving racist. It’s like demanding proof that water is wet. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3338 "2026-05-16T22:22:33Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Troy is in Turkey. Turkish people don’t all look Swedish. Helen was Greek(ish - daughter of Zeus, etc, etc) call ‘of Troy’ because she was kidnapped by/ran off with Paris. Not that the Greeks were/are light-skinned. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3339 "2026-05-16T22:28:39Z")
It’s also highly debatable just what the ethnicity was of the people on the Anatolian side of the Aegean Sea in the late Bronze Age. ---
**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 16, 2026, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3340 "2026-05-16T22:40:47Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > Not that the Greeks were/are light-skinned. All good points. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@bmoak1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak1)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/3341 "2026-05-16T22:56:55Z")
Don’t forget that Helen was hatched from an egg her mother laid after Zeus turned himself into a swan and banged her. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634.md?page=165) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634.md?page=167)