# Now that Musk bought Twitter -- Breaking News only **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** breaking-news, elon-musk\ **Created:** [November 29, 2022, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737 "2022-11-29T13:10:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/421 "2023-10-31T22:15:18Z")
No. DJT would have valued it at $80 billion. _Then_ fleeced his employees some other way. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/422 "2023-11-06T04:39:39Z")
Would anyone here have thought of doing the following? This is one reason why Elon is rich, but those of here aren’t: > **[X Is Reportedly Selling Inactive Usernames For $50,000](https://www.pcmag.com/news/x-is-reportedly-selling-inactive-usernames-for-50000)** > > The move is the platform's latest attempt to raise revenue > Shortly after, in January [_The New York Times_ reported](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/11/technology/twitter-user-names-elon-musk.html)that X was considering selling usernames as a way to generate revenue. At the time, engineers had started discussing the possibility of such sales, but nothing had officially gone into place, **noting that only certain usernames, such as those of well-known people and brands, might have value**. ---
**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:** [November 6, 2023, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/423 "2023-11-06T08:52:29Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > > Shortly after, in January [_The New York Times_ reported](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/11/technology/twitter-user-names-elon-musk.html)that X was considering selling usernames as a way to generate revenue. At the time, engineers had started discussing the possibility of such sales, but nothing had officially gone into place, **noting that only certain usernames, such as those of well-known people and brands, might have value**. ⁢ Those are exactly the ones I would think wouldn’t have value. Brands and celebrity names would only be valuable to that particular brand or celebrity. Anyone else would be infringing their copyright. And that would require them to actually want to be on Twitter–the site where they’ve abandoned their account. I could much more easily see value in having generic names. If you’re a dogfood business, and you get `@dogfood`, I could see how that could be great. But getting, say, `@purina` would be useless if you’re not Purina. Edit: you might think: but what if the impersonator was from Russia or something. Sure, maybe they wouldn’t get in legal trouble. But Twitter would, since they’d be part of the trademark infringement. ---
**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:** [November 6, 2023, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/424 "2023-11-06T09:24:51Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Anyone else would be infringing their copyright. _Trademark._ Otherwise I agree. Any hypothetical “value” of someone assuming control of an identity not their own would be in shenanigans and mischief, if not outright sabotage. ---
**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:** [November 6, 2023, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/425 "2023-11-06T09:30:48Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Any hypothetical “value” of someone assuming control of an identity not their own would be in shenanigans and mischief, if not outright sabotage. Right up Elmo’s alley. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/426 "2023-11-06T13:25:41Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Would anyone here have thought of doing the following? I doubt we have any extortionists in our midst. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/427 "2023-11-06T14:53:12Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > I doubt we have any extortionists in our midst. Speak for yourself! So, Mr Gnoitall, that’s 3,000 pounds, please, to stop us from revealing: your name, the name of the three other people involved, the youth organization to which they belonged, and the shop where you bought the equipment! ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/428 "2023-11-06T15:01:11Z")
It’s a fair cop. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7xlNc5inymo/maxresdefault.jpg "Monty Python - Blackmail") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xlNc5inymo) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/429 "2023-11-06T15:07:02Z")
Elmo is picking a fight with Wikipedia. Why? Who knows what _thought du minute_ flittered through his brain. > **[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2023-11-06/In the media](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2023-11-06/In_the_media)** > > The Financial Times, in "New book from UK shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves lifts from Wikipedia", accuses Rachel Reeves of wholesale plagiarizing from Wikipedia in The Women Who Made Modern Economics. There were lesser amounts of unattributed copying from The Guardian and several other sources. The Guardian reported that > Basic Books, the publisher, said some sentences should have been "rewritten and properly referenced" and pledged to review all sources in the book, but added that “at no point di... > **[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2023-11-06/Opinion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2023-11-06/Opinion)** > > Dear Elon, > Try as I might to assume good faith, it's impossible to do so for your tweets of October 22: "I will give them a billion dollars if they (Wikipedia) change their name to Dickipedia" which was followed up by two tweets "(Please add that to the 🐄💩 on my wiki page)" and "In the interests of accuracy". > The only way to interpret those tweets is that they are intentional insults to all Wikipedians. You are effectively calling me and all Wikipedia editors "dicks" on a platform that you cont... ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/430 "2023-11-06T17:23:51Z")
The Guardian featured an article just about that: “Why does Musk hate Wikipedia?” A good read, with the conclusion: “The sight of something created socially that works is an insult to him.” ---
**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:** [November 6, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/431 "2023-11-06T17:56:16Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > “Why does Musk hate Wikipedia [Link to article](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/23/why-is-elon-musk-attacking-wikipedia-because-its-very-existence-offends-him) I don’t disagree with anything in that article, but I do think it missed an aspect of it. The alt-right and other right wingers Musk seems to be identifying with and/or courting have long had a hatred of Wikipedia because its factual information often disagrees with their narrative. Remember Conservapedia? They created it to be a version of Wikipedia without the “liberal bias.” Musk in part felt comfortable attacking Wikipedia because he knows his fans don’t like it. And those are the only people he seems to be listening to anymore. ---
**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:** [November 6, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/432 "2023-11-06T18:44:16Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And those are the only people he seems to be listening to anymore. Or maybe that’s “playing to”. Kinda like with trump, there’s a symbiotic relationship between the adoring fans seeking validation from their “leader”, and the “leader” seeking validation from the adoring fans. It’s a pitiful kind of symbiosis, but IMO it _is_ a symbiosis. The problem comes in when they spin themselves too far off into toxic land, and each group becomes slowly inured to their respective drug and needs larger and larger “hits” to get the same high. Eventually one side or the other tips over into operational insanity. Whether that’s blathering at imaginary enemies in the sky or rampaging through the streets. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/433 "2023-11-06T22:25:57Z")
> **[100+ researchers say they stopped studying X, fearing Elon Musk might sue them](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/11/100-researchers-say-they-stopped-studying-x-fearing-elon-musk-might-sue-them/)** > > Affected studies were tracking hate speech, child safety, and misinformation. But didn’t Elon explain that a major reason he bought Twitter was because he believed in free speech–and that the previous management was suppressing it? ---
**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:** [November 6, 2023, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/434 "2023-11-06T22:43:57Z")
Yes, he did say that, but the important thing to remember is that he is full of shit. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2023, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/435 "2023-11-07T00:19:00Z")
Can you say “anti-SLAPP” penalties? Plus maybe RICO? I can. So can the Feds. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/436 "2023-11-07T07:06:50Z")
If Elon Musk sues these researchers, isn’t Elon Musk duty bound to fund their defense? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/437 "2023-11-18T18:18:08Z")
> It comes after X owner Elon Musk amplified an antisemitic trope on the platform formerly known as Twitter. > > The boycott has also been picking up steam in the wake of an investigation by a US group which flagged ads appearing next to pro-Nazi posts on X. > > Mr Musk has denied his post was antisemitic and has threatened to sue over the advertising investigation. > > Left-leaning pressure group Media Matters for America said it had identified ads bought by high-profile firms next to posts including Hitler quotes, praise of Nazis and Holocaust denial. > **[X ad boycott gathers pace amid antisemitism storm](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67460386)** > > US firms, including Apple and Disney, are reportedly suspending ads on the Elon Musk-owned site. > **[White House criticises Elon Musk over 'hideous' antisemitic lie](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67446800)** > > Controversies over antisemitism have engulfed the billionaire and his social network, X. ---
**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:** [November 18, 2023, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/438 "2023-11-18T18:21:55Z")
Are we allowed to kick him out? This is not a real question, unless the answer is yes. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/439 "2023-11-21T04:39:48Z")
> **[X sues Media Matters to silence moderation criticism](https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/20/23970274/x-elon-musk-media-matters-lawsuit-nazi-ads-filed)** > > The lawsuit claims Media Matters manipulated X’s algorithm. There is a copy of the lawsuit in the article. ---
**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:** [November 21, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/440 "2023-11-21T15:38:56Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > Are we allowed to kick him out? It’s a private company. The best you can do is not visit the site, drive the value of the company down, and hope that someone else buys it from Musk and regrows it back to its former glory faster than one of its competitors (Threads, Bluesky, etc.) can replace it. Of course, while the company is in free fall, most of the good employees are liable to go to one of those other companies. Putting back in all the technology that’s necessary to admin the website, without any good workers, would be hard. So anyone who wants to grab the company and fix it again will need to also invest in a large quantity of human capital. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737.md?page=23)