Elon Musk Buys Twitter

[Kathranis]

Now he's claiming it's a DDoS and the Trump campaign is trying to spin it as "breaking the internet."

Nah, guys, it's not breaking the internet, just Twitter. Can't even handle 500k+ listeners for an audio broadcast.

Also, just because a lot of people tune in doesn't mean they're all supporters, and certainly not that they're even in the States. A lot of people are just there to gawk at the train wreck.

[Edge-]

Now he's claiming it's a DDoS and the Trump campaign is trying to spin it as "breaking the internet."

Just like Ron DeSantis broke Twitter when he launched his campaign.

Really, it's hilarious that over a year after that the platform is still so fucking brittle and busted.

[Kathranis]

Okay, 15 minutes in and it's just fucking boring. Going on and on explaining the shooting while Elon Musk alternates between "umm erm umm" and "glog-glog-glog."

[DarkTZeratul]

Now he's claiming it's a DDoS and the Trump campaign is trying to spin it as "breaking the internet."

As one person put it, "The entire point of Twitter is to be able to handle huge distributed loads of data. Calling it a DDOS still means it can’t do what it’s supposed to."

- - - Updated - - -

This went largely unreported outside industry circles but Elon actually succeeded to some extent.

https://wfanet.org/knowledge/item/20...continues-garm

The GARM was a small non-profit that was set up to basically flag the places advertisers should avoid.

GARM was target Numero uno of Musk's legal harassment campaign. Days after he announced his lawsuit the Worldwide Federation of Advertisers that was behind GARM dissolved it.

Unfortunately, he filed the lawsuit in Texas, where there are no protections against frivolous or harassing lawsuits. In most states, if you win a lawsuit you can force the other party to pay your legal expenses. Here, GARM would have been forced to pay an enormous amount of money purely fighting this lawsuit (made even greater by the fact that Musk's discovery request included personal information on every single employee that they would have had to obtain), regardless of the outcome - which was heavily in question anyway since the judge has substantial shares in Tesla and decided that it doesn't constitute a conflict of interest because he doesn't have a state in X.

Basically, there was no realistic outcome in which they weren't completely fucked from the start.

[Elder Millennial]

Just like Ron DeSantis broke Twitter when he launched his campaign.

Really, it's hilarious that over a year after that the platform is still so fucking brittle and busted.

Twitter spaces have been consistently fucking sketchy. I don't know how the Trump campaign agreed to this. The thing has audio issues and stream stability issues with a couple of hundred people watching something, what did they expect is going to happen?

Unironically using Discord would have been better :P

[Attackrabbit]

Unfortunately, he filed the lawsuit in Texas, where there are no protections against frivolous or harassing lawsuits. In most states, if you win a lawsuit you can force the other party to pay your legal expenses. Here, GARM would have been forced to pay an enormous amount of money purely fighting this lawsuit

I hear they will probably reform once the case gets thrown out.

[Edge-]

I don't know how the Trump campaign agreed to this.

Donald spent an hour talking with Aiden Ross or whatever, including doing the double-handjob dance to the YMCA with the guy who is 55 years younger than he is.

We know nobody is going to contradict or try to overrule Donald. Donald probably though this was a great idea, egged on by Jr. fresh off a few bumps and extremely animated in how much he agreed it was a great idea.

The thing has audio issues and stream stability issues with a couple of hundred people watching something, what did they expect is going to happen?

That it would break and they could claim it was so popular that's why it broke.

There are dozens of better platforms than this. None of them are run by right wing nubjobs, though.

[Woodtable]

Elon claims 1 billion views The lie is never too big these days. Also someone pointed this out.

All views on Twitter are inflated because Elon changed the criteria for what is considered a view. On YouTube you actually have to click on the video for it to be counted as a view. For Twitter Elon changed it to just scrolling over something even if you didn't actually click on it or engage with it.

The interview popped up automatically at the top and front of Twitter when you opened the app so anyone that opened Twitter yesterday would count as a view regardless of who watched. Elon basically counted everyone that was logged in on Twitter during the interview as a viewer.

Elon changed this model by trying to make it appear that Twitter videos were getting massive views compared to other social media companies.

Only 2.1 million people actually clicked on the interview Twitter Space and were in the actual virtual interview room, so in reality there were 2.1 million viewers at most.

[Paranoid Android]

Why not 8 billion????? Why not 30000000000 kagillionvillionschmillion viewers? I mean if you going to lie then effin lie.

People invest in his company and why its so inflated was based on this guy is a genius. I just can't.

Oh and another part is the media who is feeding the narrative of Musk "It was DDOS attack" with media somewhat corroborating "it might have been a ddos". Wtf?!? Don't help Elon's lie.

[Belize]

Elon claims 1 billion views The lie is never too big these days. Also someone pointed this out.

All views on Twitter are inflated because Elon changed the criteria for what is considered a view. On YouTube you actually have to click on the video for it to be counted as a view. For Twitter Elon changed it to just scrolling over something even if you didn't actually click on it or engage with it.

The interview popped up automatically at the top and front of Twitter when you opened the app so anyone that opened Twitter yesterday would count as a view regardless of who watched. Elon basically counted everyone that was logged in on Twitter during the interview as a viewer.

Elon changed this model by trying to make it appear that Twitter videos were getting massive views compared to other social media companies.

Only 2.1 million people actually clicked on the interview Twitter Space and were in the actual virtual interview room, so in reality there were 2.1 million viewers at most.

Realistically, even if every single person who uses twitter daily had been counted as having seen the stream, it has about ~200 million MAU, so we're short of the 1 billion mark by a couple of numbers here

[Edge-]

The UAW says it has filed federal labor charges against Donald Trump and Elon Musk, referring to them as disgraced billionaires and accusing them of illegally attempting to threaten and intimidate workers engaged in protected concerted activity.

The union said the two on Monday held a "rambling, disorganized conversation" following significant technical delays on X, the Musk-owned social media platform formerly known as Twitter, in front of more than 1 million listeners in which they advocated for the illegal firing of striking workers.

According to the UAW, Trump, the Republican nominee for president, told Musk, “I mean, I look at what you do. You walk in, you say, 'You want to quit?' They go on strike, I won’t mention the name of the company, but they go on strike and you say, 'That’s OK, you’re all gone. You’re all gone. So, every one of you is gone.' ”

The union, in a news release, noted that under federal law, workers cannot be fired for going on strike, and threatening to do so is illegal under the National Labor Relations Act.

The UAW has long sought to organize nonunion Tesla, where Musk is CEO, and the union has endorsed Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in this year's presidential contest.

UAW President Shawn Fain blasted both Trump and Musk. Fain and Trump have traded jabs in their public comments on numerous occasions.

“When we say Donald Trump is a scab, this is what we mean. When we say Trump stands against everything our union stands for, this is what we mean,” Fain said in the release. “Donald Trump will always side against workers standing up for themselves, and he will always side with billionaires like Elon Musk, who is contributing $45 million a month to a Super PAC to get him elected. Both Trump and Musk want working-class people to sit down and shut up, and they laugh about it openly. It’s disgusting, illegal and totally predictable from these two clowns.”

A message seeking comment was sent to a spokesperson for the National Labor Relations Board.

The Free Press attempted to reach Musk through a post on X and sent a request for comment to a spokesperson for the Trump campaign in Michigan.

https://www.freep.com/story/money/ca...s/74780338007/

rofl

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/12/2...witter-crashes

There remains no evidence of a ddos attack on Twitter, between the fact that the site continued to work just fine outside of "Spaces" being an ongoing dumpster fire that can't scale, and the fact that Twitter staffers are saying that it sure seems like a lie, too.

[Woodtable]

Realistically, even if every single person who uses twitter daily had been counted as having seen the stream, it has about ~200 million MAU, so we're short of the 1 billion mark by a couple of numbers here

I also read that every time you refresh that is a view as well.

[DarkTZeratul]

There remains no evidence of a ddos attack on Twitter, between the fact that the site continued to work just fine outside of "Spaces" being an ongoing dumpster fire that can't scale, and the fact that Twitter staffers are saying that it sure seems like a lie, too.

"A massive DDOS attack? At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the internet, localized ENTIRELY within this Space?"
"Yes."
"...May I see it?"
"No."

[Bwgmon]

I also read that every time you refresh that is a view as well.

Knowing how twitter is and how a lot of people use it, I'd imagine anyone doing their usual routine while the interview was going probably contributed 30-40 views.

[Edge-]

https://newrepublic.com/post/184860/...w-election-law

Donald Trump’s lengthy interview with Elon Musk earlier this week may have violated federal campaign regulations, at least according to one Democratic-aligned political action committee that has already filed an FEC complaint over the issue.

The complaint, filed Tuesday by End Citizens United, argued that the unfettered “conversation” on X, Musk’s $12.5 billion company, amounted to a “virtual campaign event” financed by the social media platform. Per the FEC’s website, a contribution is “anything of value given, loaned or advanced to influence a federal election.”

End Citizens United also claimed that the event did not fall under press exemptions set forth by the election commission on the basis that X is not a traditional news outlet; that the company devoted “considerable resources” to host the interview, including dedicating “real time staff” to fix numerous technical glitches; and (perhaps most significantly) that Musk has repeatedly voiced his support for Trump in the 2024 race, and launched the talk with the intention to platform Trump’s personal beliefs.

“Because X spent considerable resources to host an event to expressly advocate for Trump and was not entitled to the press exemption for that event, Respondents have violated the ban on giving and receiving corporation contributions,” the complaint alleged.

The group called for the FEC to “immediately investigate” the violations and to take “appropriate remedial action” against the “brazen corporate contribution.”

Elon isn't press so yeah, this would be a functional free gifted event by Twitter/Elon.

I can't wait for the Elon temper tantrum/meltdown that regulatory agencies still exist and that's just unfair because he's rich and should be able to do what he wants.

A very stable genius indeed!

[Mekh]

X, Musk’s $12.5 billion company

That's the most elegant, subtle jab I have ever seen in an article I think.

[Breccia]

How much help did Musk's interview give Trump?

Negative help.

End Citizens United filed a FEC complaint, and could sue, because this was a giant campaign contribution.

“The Donald Trump-Elon Musk campaign rally hosted on X wasn’t just an incoherent diatribe of lies marred by technical difficulties, it was a blatantly illegal corporate contribution to Donald Trump’s campaign,” End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller said in a statement.

“This brazen corporate contribution undermines campaign finance laws and would set a dangerous precedent for unfettered, direct corporate engagement in campaigns. The FEC must investigate this corporate-funded campaign event and hold Trump, his campaign, and X Corp. accountable,” she added.

The complaint notes that federal campaign finance law prohibits corporations from making contributions to federal candidates, who cannot accept the contributions. It said that the “conversation” between the former president and Musk “amounted to a virtual campaign event for Donald J. Trump financed by X.”

The two men discussed a wide range of topics on the livestream, including the attempted assassination on Trump and his views on immigration and the economy. Musk has endorsed Trump in the 2024 campaign.

It also said while there is a media exemption under the law, the resources used by X “to support Trump’s campaign event is not protected by the media exemption.”

“Here—the considerable resources of X to host Trump’s campaign event, including dedicating real-time staff to address technical difficulties specifically for the campaign event and the time of its owner to participate in the event—are of significant value to the Trump Campaign,” the complaint reads.

In other words, step right up Elon Mush, you're Trump's latest $130,000 whore.

[Doctor Amadeus]

Weekly or monthly interviews with Trump on Twitter. Let the people and his base connect with him.

[Sorshen]

https://x.com/consciousphilos/status...39305807429838



Why won't advertisers come back? We should sue them all!

[Karreck]

"A massive DDOS attack? At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the internet, localized ENTIRELY within this Space?"
"Yes."
"...May I see it?"
"No."

It's comments like this that make me wish MMO-C had a Like button.