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That plan quickly falls through — and Twitter decides to adopt a poison-pill strategy to fend off a hostile takeover from Musk. At this point, shares in Musk's automotive company, Tesla, began to decline; by mid-November, they will have lost close to half their value. “Musk’s conduct simply confirms that he wants to escape the binding contract he freely signed, and to damage Twitter in the process,” Twitter says. In the meantime, Musk and Twitter jockey for position ahead of the October trial — with Judge Kathaleen McCormick increasingly siding with Twitter in key pre-trial motions. Within 48 hours, the site was flooded with users who bought blue checkmarks only to turn around and impersonate official accounts, including Musk's.

☆ Taylor Swift public ticket sale on Friday is canceled, Ticketmaster says. But the secondary market can be 'buyer beware'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Kevin Mazur | Wireimage | Getty ImagesDeals for hot tickets, you're virtually not going to find one. Why concert tickets are a 'buyer beware' marketSome Taylor Swift fans who bought seemingly legitimate tickets have already discovered they were duped. Buying tickets on the "secondary market" poses an elevated risk of fraud and/or exorbitant prices for consumers, entertainment-industry experts warned. "There are almost so many [secondary sellers] that you just can't keep up," Cobb said. Of course, this isn't to say secondary sellers are grifters in all circumstances.

☆ Ticketmaster expected 1.5 million 'verified' Taylor Swift fans on the site but 14 million people were trying to get tickets, Live Nation chairman says: 'We could have filled 900 stadiums'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ticketmaster was only supposed to be opened to 1.5 million "verified" Taylor Swift fans for presale. Live Nation's chairman said 14 million people tried to get tickets, and could've filled 900 stadiums. "Despite all the challenges and the breakdowns, we did sell over 2 million tickets that day," Live Nation's Greg Maffei said. However, among the 14 million fans were bots, "which are not supposed to be there," Maffei said. Maffei said Ticketmaster attempted to build "capacity for peak demand," but Swift's ticket sales "exceeded every expectation."

☆ Elon Musk is planning a subtle change to Twitter that could make it harder to stop the bots
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Rachel Metz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN Business —Elon Musk has been saying for months that he wants to stamp out spam and fake accounts on Twitter, but a subtle change he’s planning to make to the platform could complicate that goal. In a tweet this week, Musk said Twitter will stop showing notations such as “Twitter for iPhone” and “Twitter Web App” at the bottom of tweets, which are intended to indicate where users’ messages originate. He said researchers can consider it along with other factors, such as the specific tweets accounts post, the time frames in which the posts went up, and the sources they quote. Many academic researchers use Twitter’s API to study bots and misinformation on the social network. If a tweet was marked “Mastodon-Twitter Crossposter”, for instance, it would be clear that the post had been published both on Twitter and social network Mastodon.

☆ Nike is about to face its biggest test as sneakerheads pounce on the new 'Lost and Found' Jordan 1, and the brand tries to rebuild trust with fans
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Nike will release the Air Jordan 1 Chicago "Lost and Found" on November 19. The Air Jordan 1 Chicago "Lost and Found," which will be released November 19, is the latest and biggest test of Nike's work to make drops more fair. "We continue to see Exclusive Access serve as a defining marketing mechanism to connect with consumers," Donahoe said. This weekend's launch of the Air Jordan 1 Chicago "Lost and Found" comes with the latest iteration of Exclusive Access. The company said customers who had lost 20 previous raffles for Jordan 1s on its SNKRS app were eligible for Exclusive Access.

☆ Ticketmaster's largest shareholder blames massive demand − including from bots − for Taylor Swift ticket fiasco
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Live Nation is sympathetic to fans who couldn't get tickets, Greg Maffei said on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" Thursday. "It's a function of Taylor Swift. Liberty also said it would create a new stock called Liberty Live, which will include its stake in Live Nation. People amplified their complaints this week when tickets for Taylor Swift upcoming Eras tour went on presale on Ticketmaster's website. Maffei also defended Live Nation against lawmaker and activist concerns that Ticketmaster and Live Nation are abusing their market power.

☆ Over a decade after founding Grindr, Joel Simkhai wants a do-over
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Zachary Schermele | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

When Joel Simkhai left Grindr five years ago, he had a lot of time to think. Simkhai, a gay man and tech entrepreneur, helped launch the groundbreaking gay hookup and dating app in 2009. As recently as this year, the average daily time spent on Grindr per user was about an hour, according to The Guardian. The results of an online survey of nearly 100 Grindr users published in 2017 in the peer-reviewed journal Behavioral Medicine showed obese users reported significantly greater feelings of body dissatisfaction. But racist, discriminatory and exclusionist tropes — or euphemisms for them — continue to pervade a number of LGBTQ hookup and dating apps.

☆ Twitter insiders are calling Elon Musk by a new nickname, Elmo. It's spreading on the platform.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter employees have taken to calling him Elmo, and it's catching on more broadly on the platform. Part of the reason for the nickname is Twitter turning into "a dictatorship" under Musk, a former employee said. Thousands of recent Tweets and comments clearly discussing Musk only mention the Muppet by name. Discussing Musk under his new nickname keeps the CEO from trending and it keeps critics out of his mentions. Are you a Twitter employee or someone else with insight to share?

☆ 5 former Amazon managers tell us what they loved about the company — and what they were glad to leave behind
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | Katie Malone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Many other leaders do the same, the former Amazon leader said. the current Microsoft employee said. For instance, Microsoft gets the whole company together to do activities and donate to causes they like, which Amazon doesn't do, the current Microsoft employee said. Malte Mueller/Getty ImagesDrive for excellence, with burnoutBeyond teaching its own leadership tenets, Amazon isn't big on manager training, one of the current Google employees said. Without proper institutional support, constantly operating at such a high level can lead Amazon employees to burnout, a former Amazon leader who now works at Google said.

☆ Elon Musk just unfollowed ex-Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, the latest escalation in a lengthy feud that has included blunt texts, clashes over bots, and lawsuits
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Musk & Agrawal appeared to first talk in MarchElon Musk. Susan Walsh/APTesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk started buying Twitter stock on an almost-daily basis in January. Messages between Musk and Agrawal were released in September as part of a lawsuit Twitter filed against Musk. Musk, Agrawal, and Twitter chair Bret Taylor met for a meal near San Jose on March 31. "Memorable for multiple reasons," Agrawal texted.

#TaylorSwiftTix” one fan wrote, echoing the frustration of thousands of “Swifties,” the nickname for diehard Swift fans, vying to see their favorite artist in her first concert tour since before the pandemic. Backlash against the ticketing companies has also grown: When a major artist announces a tour, fans inevitably complain on social media about Ticketmaster’s high fees and unchecked scalping. Users shared screenshots of emails from Ticketmaster that said “Your invitation to TaylorSwiftTix Presale powered by Verified Fan.” “You’ve been selected!” the email reads. As for the Swift ticket sales chaos on Tuesday, Ticketmaster urged fans on Twitter to avoid going through its homepage to get tickets. "If you received a code to the TaylorSwiftTix Presale, please login and access the queue through the link you received via text rather than entering through the Ticketmaster homepage," Ticketmaster tweeted.

☆ Chaos unchecked: A comprehensive timeline of Elon Musk's Twitter verification saga - for now
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Elon Musk's revamped Twitter Blue launch has hit some major snags in the past week. The shenanigans surrounding the blue check (and subsequent gray check) has heads spinning among average Twitter users, major advertisers and big-name celebrities. Here's a look at everything that's happened with Twitter Blue in the past week and the murky state of verification on the platform. Musk's new verification model was designed to become part of Twitter's existing Twitter Blue feature, a $4.99 monthly subscription offering premium services. He also said that Twitter is adding a "parody subscript," because "tricking people is not ok."It is unclear when and how Twitter Blue may be reinstated.

Twitter appears to have suspended sign-ups for its Blue subscription service after the initial rollout was marred by users who received a verification badge and then impersonated celebrities, politicians and brands. Twitter users first began noticing the change late Thursday night when the Blue subscription option was no longer in the sidebar menu of the app. The sign-up page for Twitter Blue appears to still direct to a page with information about the service but without an option to sign up. Twitter also re-introduced a newer "Official" badge to some accounts. The company confirmed that news on one of its Twitter accounts.

☆ This startup just hired a former DoorDash exec to bring robotic restaurant delivery to the masses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

When it comes to amassing a large food-delivery footprint, the startup has hired a ringer in the delivery sector — the former DoorDash executive Prahar Shah. Serve's robots have the potential to be ubiquitous in our everyday lives, he said. This is "very similar to part of the playbook that we ran at DoorDash," Shah said. Most of Serve's restaurant partnerships have been with local restaurants in Los Angeles, such as Bossa Nova and Lala's Grill. As he approaches restaurant chains in his new role, he said most understand the necessity of automation.

☆ Elon Musk reportedly demanded a payroll audit to confirm Twitter employees were 'real humans' before giving them regularly scheduled bonuses and laying them off
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The New York Times reports Musk initially wanted layoffs before employees would receive scheduled bonuses but delayed them after finding out how expensive that would be. Musk then ordered a payroll audit, in which managers were asked to confirm employees were human, because he worried "ghost employees" would receive money, per NYT. It turns out he's also suspicious that some of Twitter's employees, not just its users, aren't actual people. The New York Times reported Friday that, during the process, Musk wanted confirmation that Twitter employees were "real humans" and ordered a payroll audit to confirm that was the case before giving staff regularly scheduled bonuses. When Musk learned how much pricier this course of action would be, he agreed to delay, four people told the Times.

☆ Twitter is reportedly suspending the ability to purchase $8 verified checkmarks as it grapples with a wave of accounts trolling brands and famous people
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

After launching early this week, some verified accounts started impersonating famous people and companies. Early Friday, iOS Twitter users noticed Twitter Blue sign-ups were no longer available on the app. Early on Friday, Twitter users were saying the sign-up for Twitter Blue was no longer available on the iOS app. Security researcher Jane Manchun Wong tweeted at 1:53AM Friday morning that the social media app "seems to have unlaunched" Twitter Blue. "Checked with Twitter's API and the in-app purchase for Twitter Blue Verified is no longer listed for production," she tweeted.

Twitter on Wednesday updated the rules around its new paid verification feature, a move that comes as users began impersonating celebrities, athletes and politicians alongside their new check marks. "Twitter accounts created on or after November 9, 2022 will be unable to subscribe to Twitter Blue at this time," the note states. Users impersonating former President George W. Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair have also been suspended. Some users recently began impersonating Musk seemingly in an effort to show him how easily the platform can be abused. "Please note that Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months," he tweeted.

☆ Saving The World One Botnet Fight At A Time
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSaving The World One Botnet Fight At A TimeHuman Security co-founder and CEO Tamer Hassan has said that "the bot problem is one of the most important cybersecurity problems of modern times," and as bad actors become more sophisticated, the technology to combat bots must keep pace. Hassan, a former combat helicopter pilot who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, shares his thoughts on what companies need to know about the botnet threat, and how to stay safe in an increasingly dangerous world.

At Elon Musk's Twitter, users will soon need to pay $7.99 per month for its Twitter Blue subscription service to gain a blue checkmark — long recognized as a sign of "verification" on the platform. But will any currently verified users actually pay? To find out, CNBC Make It reached out to two dozen verified and active Twitter users, mostly influencers and journalists across the political spectrum. Other users are simply balking at the idea of paying to be "verified" on Twitter, after years of it being free. On Monday, Musk promised permanent bans for users who impersonate others without labeling their accounts as parody — after several high-profile Twitter users edited their accounts to mimic Musk's own.

☆ Elon Musk said charging $8 a month for Twitter verification might be 'a dumb decision, but we'll see'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk hosted a Twitter Space "town hall" with advertisers where he shared his plans for Twitter. Musk talked about making users pay $8 for a blue checkmark, and said it might be "a dumb decision." He said charging users for verification will make it too expensive for trolls to make fake accounts. Musk announced in a November 1 tweet about "Twitter's current lords & peasants system" that the revamped Twitter Blue subscription, which will give subscribers a blue checkmark, would be $8 a month. Creating a fake account on Twitter is cheap, Musk said, and "hundreds of millions" of them are made every year.

☆ 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.

☆ Analysis: Midterm elections present a big test for newsrooms in the era of election lies and misinformation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN Business —The first major test of the election denialism era has arrived. Tuesday’s midterms will be the first significant contest since conspiracy theories and lies about the US election process swallowed one of its two major parties whole. It’s difficult to put into words how dominant election lies are in the information universe in which Republicans almost exclusively get their news. There are different machines to cast and count ballots, there are different local election laws and procedures. Bad-faith media organizations and personalities, however, will exploit such situations to draw sweeping and incorrect conclusions that serve to benefit their political worldview.

☆ 'Twitter as we know it is dead': Why Elon Musk's plans risk more scams and misinformation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He has announced plans to make verified users pay $8 a month for blue checks. Social media experts warned the plans could risk allowing more scams and misinformation on Twitter. But his push to improve Twitter's finances has prompted social media experts to warn he risks allowing more scams and disinformation on the platform. There is no other example of a mainstream social media company that's owned and controlled by one person." "Social media is rife with coded language, false accounts set up to spread disinformation, and cunning use of free-speech to misdirect and derail honest debate."

☆ The wild life of billionaire Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, who has apologized for Elon Musk's layoffs and is known for eccentricities like eating one meal a day, and taking ice baths
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Isobel Asher Hamilton | Katie Canales | Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Jack Dorsey cofounded Twitter in 2006 and the company made him a billionaire. He's famous for his unusual life of luxury, including a daily fasting routine and regular ice baths. He stepped down as Twitter CEO in November 2021 but continues to lead Block as its "Block Head." From fighting armies of bots to quashing rumors about sending his beard hair to rapper Azealia Banks, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey leads an unusual life of luxury. Scroll on to read more about the fabulous life of Jack Dorsey.

☆ Elon Musk ruthlessly fired Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal. He's the latest in a long line of Silicon Valley giants to face Musk's wrath, from Jeff Bezos to Mark Zuckerberg.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Parag AgrawalKevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesMusk and Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal met for a meal in March. But eight months later, Musk took ownership of Twitter and one of his first moves was firing Agrawal and a number of other top execs. Musk had been set to join Twitter's board in the spring after becoming the company's biggest shareholder. Agrawal understandably didn't like the tweet and told Musk that "it's not helping me make Twitter better in the current context." Within days of Musk terminating the deal, Twitter sued him to force him to complete the deal, accusing him of "refusing to honor his obligations."

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