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☆ After Twitter users voted to oust Elon Musk as CEO, he wants to change how polls work
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —When Elon Musk polled Twitter users about whether to reinstate former President Donald Trump’s account, he quickly followed through on the majority’s wish to do so. But since a clear majority of Twitter users voted for Musk to step down as Twitter CEO in another poll on Sunday, Musk has remained conspicuously (and uncharacteristically) silent. After one Twitter user said, “Blue subscribers should be the only ones that can vote in policy related polls,” Musk responded, “Good point. There is no successor.”CNBC reported Tuesday that Musk is “actively searching” for a new Twitter CEO, citing anonymous sources. The most obvious potential candidates for a new Twitter CEO are the Musk lieutenants who have been helping to run the company since his takeover.

☆ Main Street is buying stocks while Wall Street sells: What gives?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But not all traders are on the same ride — the large, institutional investors on Wall Street have shuffled away from markets while Main Street’s retail investors are still strapped in. But despite this year’s lackluster market, investors bought $800 billion of Exchange Traded Funds which are baskets of stocks typically purchased by retail investors. However, Main Street is holding on to its stocks while Wall Street is running for the hills. One simple explanation is that institutional investors are responsible for vast amounts of money that belong to other people. “Respect, for retail investors, is in short supply,” wrote Azalea Micottis at Informa Financial Intelligence, in a recent note.

☆ Here’s who Elon Musk could pick to be Twitter’s next CEO
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Elon Musk may soon be on the lookout for a new chief executive to run Twitter. There is no successor.”If Musk were to look for a new Twitter CEO, he’d likely have many willing takers. Jack Dorsey, Twitter founder, CEO of Block and friend to Musk, has previously said he would not return to run the social network. The most obvious potential candidates for a new Twitter CEO are the Musk lieutenants who have been helping to run the company since his takeover. Who is insane enough to run twitter?!?

☆ Elon Musk voted out as CEO of Twitter by poll he created
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —A Twitter poll created by Elon Musk asking whether he should “step down as head of Twitter” ended early Monday morning with most respondents voting in the affirmative. But Tesla shares were up 5% in premarket trading after the poll results were revealed. After taking over Twitter, Musk dissolved the company’s board and its C-Suite emptied out. As the sole board director and owner of the company, Musk can appoint the next CEO – and also tell that person what to do in the role. Shortly after Musk posted his latest poll, Calacanis posted a poll of his own asking who should take over as Twitter’s next CEO: himself, Sacks, or Calacanis and Sacks together as co-CEOs.

☆ Chamath Palihapitiya says he's faced privacy concerns over jet-tracking like Elon Musk, and would consider ditching flying private for something 'more anonymous'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chamath Palihapitiya said he's dealt with privacy concerns similar to Elon Musk's jet-tracking. Palihapitiya said the question for him was whether or not to switch to "more anonymous" transportation. Thousands of commercial and private flights around the world are public and can be found on online tracker ADS-B Exchange. In a Twitter Space Thursday night with suspended journalists and Sweeney, Musk reiterated his point that accounts who "dox" people will be suspended. The journalists pushed back on the characterization that they had participated in any doxing, and Musk eventually left the conversation.

☆ Elon Musk's allies slam jet tracking as more accounts are suspended and Twitter's privacy policy is updated
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk's mother and a friend have weighed in on his fight against jet tracking. Twitter has suspended an account that tracks Musk's private jet along with similar tracking accounts. Twitter has updated its private information policy to ban users from sharing someone's live location. Sweeney, who runs more than 30 jet tracking accounts, watched as @ElonJet along with his personal Twitter handle was suspended from Twitter on Wednesday. Twitter users can still share their own live location and someone else's historical location as long as it is "not same-day" data.

☆ Elon Musk brought his mom to a meeting with advertisers where he tweeted about Trump. He later fired an exec who didn't find the tweet funny, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk went to New York on Halloween to meet with advertisers and visit the Twitter office. He brought his mom, Maye Musk, along to the meeting where execs asked about un-banning Trump. The billionaire then tweeted a joke about Trump during the meeting. Two advertising executives from Twitter also came along, as well as Musk's friend Jason Calacanis, and Maye Musk. Horizon Media CEO, Bill Koenigsberg, told Musk that some of his clients had heard about the meeting, according to Bloomberg.

☆ SpaceX, Tesla, and Boring Company execs are helping Elon Musk at Twitter, records reveal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Ever since, he has enlisted high-ranking executives and engineers from his other businesses, including SpaceX, Tesla and The Boring Company, to help out at the social media company, according to internal records obtained by CNBC and conversations with recent Twitter employees. Musk has also enabled partners from investment firms who participated in the Twitter buyout access to work within the social media company. In his testimony, Musk characterized Tesla employees' work for him at Twitter as "just a voluntary thing." He also said: "This was sort of an after-hours, just if you're interested in evaluating the -- helping me evaluate Twitter engineering, that would be nice. In addition to Tesla employees, Musk has also enlisted execs and employees from SpaceX, the reusable rocket and satellite internet services company he founded in 2002, to help him at Twitter.

☆ Elon Musk's 2-year-old son ran around Twitter's office and played with toys while his dad talked to advisors about moderation, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk's son X Æ a-Xii was present during Twitter meetings after the purchase went through, WaPo reported. Two-year-old X Æ a-Xii, Musk's first child with Grimes, ran round while he met with Yoel Roth, per WaPo. The Post reported that toys were scattered round the room and X Æ a-Xii ran around. X Æ a-Xii may have been at Twitter's HQ to attend the office Halloween party that day, where some staff brought their children. X Æ a-Xii, who he had with his musician and ex-partner Grimes, was Musk's seventh child.

☆ After Elon Musk fired Twitter staff for criticizing him, some remaining employees are hurriedly deleting Slack messages they fear he won't like
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Twitter staff are removing Slack messages they fear Elon Musk won't like, Platformer reported. This comes after the tech mogul fired some Twitter staff for criticizing him online. Engineers Eric Frohnhoefer, Sasha Solomon, and Ben Leib all appeared to be fired on Sunday and Monday for criticizing Musk. Platformer also reported that some of the fired employees had simply expressed sympathy with Frohnhoefer, Solomon, and Leib. Sources told The Times that some fired staff had shared news of Frohnhoefer's termination in internal chats.

The public termination came after Frohnhoefer tweeted evidence suggesting that Musk was “wrong” about his claims that Twitter was running, in the billionaire’s words, “super slow” in various countries. Sources have indicated to CNN that employees in recent days had been very candid in criticism of Musk in the company’s Slack. (CNN has attempted to contact fired employees to confirm.) In addition to the public pushback from employees, some Twitter staff appear to have tried to appeal to Musk and his inner circle privately as they weigh numerous disruptive changes to the platform. The paid subscription service was suspended on Friday with little warning.

☆ Chamath Palihapitiya said Sam Bankman-Fried once pitched him, but after the investor suggested changes like forming a board, FTX told him to get lost
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sam Bankman-Fried once pitched Social Capital, but Chamath Palihapitiya said he "didn't make much sense." After the Zoom meeting, the firm sent FTX recommendations if things were to proceed, including the formation of a board. Palihapitiya said that FTX then told his firm to "go fuck yourself" for suggesting changes. He said Bankman-Fried pitched Social Capital while raising a $17 billion round. Palihapitiya said he still thought Bankman-Fried and FTX were in "the bucket of these guys are unbelievably arrogant and smug."

☆ Meet the members of Elon Musk's inner circle said to be helping him fix Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Picked from Musk's inner circle of allies, friends, and ex-colleagues, these are the people reportedly helping him fix Twitter. Three days after Musk's acquisition, Krishnan tweeted that he was temporarily "helping out" Musk after the takeover. Sources told Insider he was listed on Twitter's company directory as a staff software engineer and was assigned a company email address. Bloomberg reported that Birchall played a key part in securing the financing for Musk's Twitter purchase. Over the past week, Musk's right-hand man has also been among the team strategizing inside Twitter, per The Washington Post.

☆ An early Twitter investor says Elon Musk is 'straight-up alone' and 'winging' his rapid changes to the social media giant
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sacca, an early Twitter investor, referred to Musk's approach to Twitter as "move fast and alone." Speaking about Musk, Sacca said: "I've recently watched those around him become increasingly sycophantic and opportunistic. Sacca said that Twitter would only succeed if Musk added some "desperately needed nuance." Sacca, who was once one of Twitter's biggest shareholders, has been an outspoken critic of the company over the years. He joked on Monday that he was worried he'd get kicked off the platform for posting the thread about Musk.

☆ Some Twitter staff were told to listen to a podcast hosted by 2 of Elon Musk's advisers for 'insights' into mass layoffs, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter's health team was instructed to listen to tech podcast "All In," Platformer reports. In the podcast, Musk advisers David Sacks and Jason Calacanis discussed Silicon Valley layoffs. Staff were told the podcast "provides some insight into why this is happening/necessary," Platformer reported. The hosts celebrated Musk's decision to layoff 50% of Twitter's staff, despite criticism and lawsuits brought against the company. On the podcast, Sacks explained that he and Calacanis don't have official roles at Twitter, but "are just pitching in and helping out while Elon establishes his permanent team."

☆ The 6 most interesting quotes from the podcast hosted by Elon Musk's friends that Twitter staff were reportedly told to listen to amid layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Some Twitter staff were told to listen to a podcast hosted by Elon Musk's associates, Platformer reported. A Twitter VP reportedly told staff it would provide insight into why layoffs were necessary. David Sacks and Jason Calacanis — two of Musk's close associates who have stepped in to help him at Twitter — also cohost the show. 'Just helping a friend'During the podcast, Sacks and Calacanis attempted to clarify their new roles at Twitter. It later emerged that they were likely practical jokers pretending to be laid off Twitter staff.

Elon Musk seems determined to remake Twitter in his own image — with some help from the men in his trusted inner circle. They are joined in Musk’s orbit by Alex Spiro, a trial attorney with a roster of celebrity clients who reportedly led the first round of Twitter layoffs. Bloomberg reported Wednesday night that Twitter is preparing to eliminate about 3,700 jobs, or roughly half its workforce. Musk's personnel decisions suggest a possible road map for the future of Twitter, one in which policies and internal rules are drawn at least in part from the views of Musk’s consiglieres. Sacks, Calacanis, Spiro and Birchall did not immediately respond to questions about the company’s future and the nature of their roles there.

☆ 'I don't want to work with these clowns.' Inside the culture war that Elon Musk has unleashed at Twitter.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

With a project, you could see who initiated the work, who was the assignee, who was in the chain of command. They wanted to make Twitter a place to exchange ideas and observations that were funny, factual and engaging. Whenever I'm on Twitter, I always find something that makes me laugh, or learn something. It feels like that's what's happening. What's even more frightening is that I don't see any viable alternatives to Twitter right now.

CNN —Elon Musk said Friday that Twitter has seen a “massive drop in revenue,” as a growing number of advertisers pause spending on the platform in the wake of his $44 billion acquisition. On Friday, organizations including the Anti-Defamation League, Free Press and GLAAD, upped their pressure campaign for more brands to rethink advertising on Twitter. Musk, known as both an innovative entrepreneur and an erratic figure, has promised to rethink Twitter’s content moderation policies and undo permanent bans of controversial figures, including former President Donald Trump. Most marketers bristle at the thought of having their ads run alongside toxic content such as hate speech, pornography or misinformation. Ad buying giant Interpublic Group, which works with consumer brands such as Unilever and Coca Cola, earlier this week also recommended its clients pause advertising on the platform.

☆ Advertisers begin to grill Elon Musk over Twitter 'free-for-all'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Sheila Dang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 2 (Reuters) - Elon Musk promised advertisers he would keep Twitter from turning into a "free-for-all hellscape." This week, advertisers are beginning to demand details on how he plans to uphold the commitment. The agency's top clients are expected to join the meeting, the media buyer said. Even as Musk took meetings with major agencies and advertisers this week, he took to Twitter on Wednesday night with a poll asking users whether advertisers should support freedom of speech or "political correctness." "Those type of provocations are not helping to calm the waters," the media buyer said.

Originally reported Sunday by The Verge, a plan to charge verified users to get or keep their blue checks was expected to cost $20 a month. By Tuesday afternoon, Musk had posted a thread on the platform outlining his plan to charge $8 a month instead — part of an overhaul of Twitter’s existing Blue service. Along with the coveted blue check, Twitter Blue subscribers will be able to post longer video and audio clips. Right now, Twitter’s verification system has no cost and is designed to ensure users can identify legitimate accounts and know they’re trustworthy. The blue check makes it harder for verified users to be impersonated and provides them with some additional tools to manage their notifications since many have a lot of followers.

☆ Twitter’s C-suite clears out as Musk cements power over the company
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In less than a week since Musk acquired Twitter, the company’s C-suite appears to have almost entirely cleared out, through a mix of firings and resignations. Musk has also dissolved Twitter’s former board of directors. At the same time, Musk is also running several other companies, including as CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Musk immediately fired four of Twitter’s top executives — CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, General Counsel Sean Edgett and Policy Head Vijaya Gadde. It’s unclear whether VP of Operations Lindsey Iannucci, the other two members of Twitter’s top leadership team, will remain with the company.

Personette, who was chief customer officer, follows executives including former Twitter Chief Executive Parag Agrawal and Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal, whom Musk fired last week. Chief People and Diversity Officer Dalana Brand announced on Tuesday in a LinkedIn post that she had resigned last week as well. General manager for core technologies Nick Caldwell confirmed his departure on Twitter, changing his profile bio to "former Twitter exec" by Monday night. Jason Calacanis, an angel investor and Musk confidant working on Twitter, on Monday said Twitter was having "a very productive day" meeting with marketers and advertisers. Experts have said hateful content has skyrocketed since Musk closed his acquisition of Twitter last week.

☆ Elon Musk idea to charge for Twitter verification draws critics
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Eli M. Rosenberg | Eli Rosenberg Is An Investigative Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Critics of Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover say any plan to charge users for identity verification could make information on the site less trustworthy and more vulnerable to manipulation — devaluing the company. The idea of a monthly fee for the blue verification checkmark by users' names was reported Sunday by Casey Newton’s tech-focused newsletter Platformer. Musk hasn't confirmed a charge will be added but on Sunday tweeted, “The whole verification process is being revamped right now,” on his own verified account. Jeff Jarvis, a prolific Twitter user and journalism professor who studies how information travels in the digital age, worries such a plan could backfire. “Twitter has had many, many people working on issues like user interface design and innovation, testing it with user groups, and people who specialize in working with VITs — very important Twitter users,” she said.

☆ Some Twitter workers are calling Elon Musk's advisers 'Elon's goons,' a report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk has been outlining plans to overhaul Twitter, assisted by his inner circle. Some Twitter workers have been calling his advisers "Elon's goons," the New York Times reported. Musk's plans include overhauling Twitter's verification process and potentially rebooting Vine. Current and former Twitter workers have been sending each other private messages in the midst of mounting uncertainty at the company, with some staff calling Musk's advisors "Elon's goons," The New York Times reported. Many Twitter staff are concerned about their job security and are scrambling to complete tasks assigned by Musk's team so they can keep hold of their jobs.

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