this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2023
806 points (91.7% liked)

Technology

59658 readers
3035 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Buffalox 171 points 1 year ago (8 children)

No, you don't throw away $44 billion just for shit and giggles, not even if you are as rich as Musk. Musk is (probably) a narcissist who thought he could make it work in his delusional mind.

He wanted a mouthpiece for the MAGA crowd, and he probably thought the desire in the population for it, would make it succeed, if he made the platform embrace that. He probably envisioned himself as a great liberator, who would be celebrated for bringing free speech back to America.

Musk has been losing it for a long time, and it seems to only get worse.

[–] Astroturfed 35 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Who could of forseen brands not wanting to advertise over hate speech that would turn off half their customer base? I'd love screenshots of my companies products floating around next to seasticas and racism.

[–] Buffalox 9 points 1 year ago

Yes that's so strange, think of all the extra attention the controversies create!! I bet he planned to double the prices for advertising.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Also, I don't think a narcissist would intentionally and publicly humiliate themselves the way Musk has done (Not a psychologist).

[–] Buffalox 10 points 1 year ago

Absolutely true, being humiliated is just about the worst thing for a narcissist.

An example of that, was when Elon Musk called the diver who actually rescued 13 children in Thailand a pedophile. Imagine that, calling the hero of the day a pedophile because you are butthurt!!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

No they definitely don't like to be humiliated, they probably feel that a lot more deeply that non-narcissists. But at the same time, they lack the self-awareness that would help them avoid getting into situations that would lead to humiliation.

[–] reddig33 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

He’s being bankrolled to keep it up and running for the next election. It will be interesting to see if the money runs out.

[–] Jimmycakes 5 points 1 year ago

Nah Saudi money goes deep

[–] ShittyBeatlesFCPres 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think a lot of “hardware” people underestimate software. Historically, hardware was way more complex but the hardware problems have kind of been solved. There’s only so many ways to design a phone or laptop. Software, meanwhile, has only become more complex and challenging.

[–] Buffalox 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I agree, but I don't see the point in this context?

The software to build and run Twitter, is probably not worth much besides for running Twitter. No Twitter means no value in the software for it either.

[–] Intralexical 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I agree, but I don’t see the point in this context?

I think they meant Musk thought managing development of the Twitter software would be easier than it was, given his prior… Involvement with Tesla and SpaceX.

I think a lot of “hardware” people underestimate software.

[–] Buffalox 3 points 1 year ago

Ah yes, I can see that could make sense. But I think Musk considers himself as much a software guy as hardware, because he works with AI for Tesla. Putting him somewhat on the cutting edge of software too. Twitter should be child's play by comparison.

Of course Musk has managed to bring Tesla from a competitive position to be way behind the main field, with just a few very stupid decisions. Mercedes, GM and Waymo are now way ahead of Tesla, and Nvidia and MobilEye are probably ahead too.

Of course Musk is now attempting to slow AI development overall, because he is way behind. With suggestions like preventing AI development until we have better regulation and understanding. He is trying to repeat how he stopped investments in public transport with hyperloop. Only this time with AI, because he is losing that battle badly.

[–] dragontamer 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

No, you don’t throw away $44 billion just for shit and giggles

Why not? Elon Musk is famously on ketamine, ambien, and a whole slew of mind-altering substances.

Given how the contract was written, and given how much Elon Musk fought against the contract, it was obvious that he made a short-term decision (likely while high on some substance), and then quickly regretted buying Twitter. Within a week or two, he started a court case to NOT BUY TWITTER, despite signing an ironclad contract.

In my mind, its really fucking obvious what happened. Elon Musk partied a little bit too hard with some mixture of ketamine+ambien+alcohol, it mixed weirdly in his brain and he made a bad decision. A few days later, when he sobered up a bit, he realized how shitty of a decision he made but it was too late to roll things back.


Everything else Elon Musk has done is just... shitty reputation management. He's trying to convince the world he's still got it, despite making a bad (possibly drug-induced) decision

[–] Buffalox 2 points 1 year ago

He made a huge mistake, either because he was under the influence, or because he is delusional. That doesn't mean he actually intended to throw out $44B just for shit an giggles. Obviously he didn't when he sobered up.

[–] CharlesDarwin 2 points 9 months ago

I wonder if he ever had it.

[–] MajorHavoc 2 points 1 year ago

"He cannot be that self deluded."

Narrator: He was.