# 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:** 9
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2023, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/161 "2023-01-25T01:54:23Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > Guess they’ll have to make do with tiny frozen pizzas cooked in Black & Decker toaster ovens Toaster ovens? I’ve been working in offices since 1989. I’ve never seen a toaster oven, only microwave ovens. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2023, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/162 "2023-01-25T02:11:14Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > microwave ovens Yep! In the main break room we have two microwaves, an air fryer, and I think there’s still a small toaster oven. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2023, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/163 "2023-02-02T17:46:55Z")
> **[Cash-strapped Twitter to start charging developers for API access next week](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/02/cash-strapped-twitter-to-start-charging-developers-for-api-access-next-week/)** > > Twitter cutting off free access to its API will block research, kill fun bots. This could well cost Twitter more in user loss (and corresponding advertising loss) than what it gains in additional income. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/164 "2023-02-02T17:54:33Z")
Yeah, that seems short sighted ---
**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:** [February 2, 2023, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/165 "2023-02-02T18:03:07Z")
If you start from the idea that any revenue made by others in your “ecosystem” is revenue that you should be capturing for yourself, then raiding that ecosystem for successful ideas followed killing / starving what’s left makes eminent sense. In essence it’s what YouTube did to small content creators. The minnows aren’t worth the cost to service them. They may have been essential to carry you from start-up to behemoth, but now they can be jettisoned just like tycoons jettison their college-era wife for their _I’m rich now_ trophy wife. it’s all about monopolist behavior and the closely related ego-centrism. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2023, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/166 "2023-02-02T18:07:56Z")
The establishment of a captive user pool through attractive service which is then bled for money has been labeled “enshittification” in this excellent article. It’s specifically about TikTok but the premise is eminently portable. > **[The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok](https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-platforms-cory-doctorow/)** > > Or how, exactly, platforms die. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2023, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/167 "2023-02-02T18:43:39Z")
It’s the old vulture-capitalist playbook adapted for the service economy. The vulture extracts maximum profit from every valuable asset. A user base is just another asset to exploit until it’s valueless. The Chief Twit has made the calculation that there’s no getting back the initial investment, so extracting maximum value is the goal. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2023, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/168 "2023-02-02T20:04:53Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > The establishment of a captive user pool through attractive service which is then bled for money has been labeled “enshittification” in this excellent article. It’s specifically about TikTok but the premise is eminently portable. > > [The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok | WIRED](https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-platforms-cory-doctorow/) Pure genius in every sentence. Thank you; you’ve made my day in terms of learning. Now to figure out how to avoid killing myself (j/k) over the evident enshittification of US politics via a very similar bi-directional co-dependent mechanism where the middleman/men are cleaning up monetarily while rapidly filling the stables with shit piled to the rafters. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/169 "2023-02-02T22:34:44Z")
That is indeed an excellent article: I learned a lot, enjoyed it, and want to cry all at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/170 "2023-02-02T23:04:12Z")
I had the same reaction. I was surprised to see it was by Cory Doctorow, a futurist I respect. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/171 "2023-02-03T00:11:41Z")
+1 on the article … very insightful and entertaining read. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2023, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/172 "2023-02-03T03:07:24Z")
Here’s a link to the original [https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys](https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys) Wired is reprinting it under a creative Commons license, but wired says I’ve read too many articles this month, and wine let me read this one. If anyone else is having that problem, this link ought to work. ---
**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:** [February 3, 2023, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/173 "2023-02-03T14:22:36Z")
In an interesting coincidence, Doctorow’s blog post for today is also on enshittification: **[Netflix wants to chop down your family tree (02 Feb 2023) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow](https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/02/nonbinary-families/#red-envelopes)** Well worth a read even though it has nothing directly to do with Musk / Twitter. Except to discuss where all tech entrepreneurs / businesses currently want to go: Walled gardens where they can be the price-gouging toll booth for anyone or anything that goes in or out. And where they can prevent other walled gardens from springing up in the same product space. Musk might be failing / flailing right now in his attempt to turn Twitter into one such walled garden. But I have little doubt he’s imagining some variation on that theme. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/174 "2023-02-09T07:12:36Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > In an interesting coincidence, Doctorow’s blog post for today is also on enshittification: **[Netflix wants to chop down your family tree (02 Feb 2023) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow](https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/02/nonbinary-families/#red-envelopes)** > > Well worth a read even though it has nothing directly to do with Musk / Twitter. > > Except to discuss where all tech entrepreneurs / businesses currently want to go: Walled gardens where they can be the price-gouging toll booth for anyone or anything that goes in or out. And where they can prevent other walled gardens from springing up in the same product space. Excellent article, as was the original one. One example is how Netflix has hundreds of millions to buy and make content, but not $20 to replace broken DVDs in their increasingly laughable collection. I like old movies that don’t stream, not on Netflix at least, but my queue got to be 100% movies that were on their list but would obviously never be available. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2023, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/175 "2023-02-09T14:48:21Z")
Hundreds of millions is a bit low: > **[Netflix’s Ted Sarandos Is Feeling ‘Better and Better’ About $17 Billion...](https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/netflix-content-spend-17-billion-subscriber-growth-1235407818/)** > > Following a quarter that saw Netflix release several of its most popular titles of all time — per the streamer’s self-reported internal measurements — and a return to subscriber g… ---
**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:** [February 10, 2023, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/176 "2023-02-10T20:18:14Z")
> Bringing together engineers and advisers, Musk asked his team why his account, which has “more than 100 million followers,” would only be getting “tens of thousands of impressions.” “This is ridiculous,” Musk said, according to multiple sources. A principal engineer stepped forward to explain that the decline may be due to easily chartable waning public interest in Musk…None of this seemed to satisfy Musk, whose immediate response was to remove the employee who suggested that since Musk’s move to purchase Twitter last April, people have been increasingly uninterested in following all of Musk’s moves online…“You’re fired,” Musk told the engineer… > **[Musk fired top engineer for explaining why his tweet views are down](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/02/musk-fired-top-engineer-for-explaining-why-his-tweets-views-are-down/)** > > Twitter employees shared data showing Musk's engagement declining. Obviously that engineer didn’t understand the concept of “shooting the messenger” ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/177 "2023-02-10T21:02:36Z")
The emperor was clearly not interested in hearing he was buck-nekked. But in an interesting take on the fairy tale, the emperor had fleeced himself. There were no mendacious tailors to blame. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2023, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/178 "2023-02-10T21:32:33Z")
Apparently if you give a man enough ~~rope~~ dollars, he’ll hang himself. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2023, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/179 "2023-02-11T00:40:42Z")
The fired engineer is just part of it. That Ars Technica story reports that Twitter went down for a while on Wednesday, and that there is an upcoming audit from the FTC, and it’s an issue whether Musk will comply. ---
**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:** [February 15, 2023, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737/180 "2023-02-15T19:05:33Z")
Well Elon has fixed the problem: > **[Report: Musk had Twitter engineers boost his tweets after Biden got more views](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/02/report-musk-had-twitter-engineers-boost-his-tweets-after-biden-got-more-views/)** > > Musk reportedly gets "power user multiplier" to rank his tweets above others. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-musk-bought-twitter-breaking-news-only/975737.md?page=10)