Fire Hydrant of Freedom
Politics, Religion, Science, Culture and Humanities => Politics & Religion => Topic started by: Crafty_Dog on April 29, 2022, 09:16:41 AM
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Seems like the man deserves his own thread :-)
https://nypost.com/2022/04/28/ukrainian-soldier-says-elon-musks-starlink-changed-the-war-with-russia/?fbclid=IwAR0urPT8Mri7L1NUCcGDKOXsDcJgO3IBdsH765-YEAEnVnzt4CkmtV-WeWQ
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I think the Right's celebration of Musk might have been premature
:|
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What are you seeing?
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well Elon calls himself a liberal
no fan of far LEFT or Right
going for the 80 % in the middle
just wary of him
too soon to celebrate but certainly could not have been worse for us
prior to him
+ the dem lawyers playing every trick they can think of to cancel this out........
would not be surprised for Garland to step in ......
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https://americanmilitarynews.com/2022/04/eu-threatens-banning-twitter-after-elon-musk-buys-it/?utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=alt&utm_source=amn&fbclid=IwAR1yeWW5yvL8xKbUmTh7xHePE_Y_SpCshRYFQK-_RCr4q_stvTv98ZscAtY
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what happens if Twitter responds and says we don't need Europe .......
who gets hurt more ?
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From my FB page on this:
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos
Misleading headline... It would have done that regardless of whether Elon purchased Twitter.
Reply1h
Marc Denny
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos As an American the EU bureaucracy is not a forte for me, but isn't the point here that prior to EM the EU was happy with the twits at Twitter censoring inconvenient posts?
Reply1h
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos
I think that's what the article wants you to think.
There's a new law. They expect any tech company to follow it. IMO, anything beyond that is adding political commentary.
Just like when gdpr came out, every company has to make sure the follow suit
Marc Denny
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos GDPR?
Reply1h
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos
Marc Denny there was a time before where you'd go to a website and you didn't see cookie consent banners. Adding user consent was part of gdpr to protect users data and privacy
Reply55m
Marc Denny
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos So THAT is why I am seeing that! Love it!
But I'm not getting how that is relevant to this:
" The legislation “sets out an unprecedented new standard for the accountability of online platforms regarding illegal and harmful content. It will provide better protection for internet users and their fundamental rights.”
"Although the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and European Convention on Human Rights spells out protections for free speech, it carves out harsh regulations for “hate speech” and how it’s defined."
What I am hearing with those words is censorship.
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos
Marc Denny the relation is that countries expect you to follow their legislation. It's not a hit job on Twitter because Elon bought it. They would have expected Twitter to follow suit regardless of who owns it.
I guess we'd both have to do some reading to learn how they define hate speech.
My perspective is more from a practitioner vs legal or political. I help companies with their marketing technology stack and make sure they follow applicable rules.
I have until 2024 to read up on how this changes things. Most companies wait last minute to make adjustments 🤣
Marc Denny
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos
"After Elon Musk’s offer to buy Twitter was officially accepted on Monday, the European Union threatened on Tuesday to sanction or even ban the platform if it doesn’t comply with a newly passed tech moderation law.
, , ,
"The EU reached a provisional agreement for the DSA over the weekend nearly a year-and-a-half after it was first proposed. The legislation “sets out an unprecedented new standard for the accountability of online platforms regarding illegal and harmful content. It will provide better protection for internet users and their fundamental rights.”
Understood that Euro legal theory on Free Speech is quite narrower than American (at least as American theory used to be!) and of course, countries "expect you to follow their legislation" but it sounds like what is happening here is a RESPONSE to EM buying Twitter. Thus, it precisely is what you call "political commentary" (i.e. an effort to politically intimidate).
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos
Marc Denny I guess that's fair. I'd have to look into the context of why that was stated in the first place. Was it an interview and they specifically asked about Elon? Or did he just bring it up on his own?
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second
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/elon-musk-aoc-stop-hitting-on-me-twitter-purchase?fbclid=IwAR2lhYaSNY2E7yvAaxrCwyJaXXQJZh4oFi6kDfE_DnmgvRoPsLlIfn_TJSs
https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/elon-musk-trump-truth-social-trumpet
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https://reclaimthenet.org/60-countries-sign-declaration-misinformation/
The creation of DHS-MiniTru is just a coincidence!
From my FB page on this:
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos
Misleading headline... It would have done that regardless of whether Elon purchased Twitter.
Reply1h
Marc Denny
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos As an American the EU bureaucracy is not a forte for me, but isn't the point here that prior to EM the EU was happy with the twits at Twitter censoring inconvenient posts?
Reply1h
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos
I think that's what the article wants you to think.
There's a new law. They expect any tech company to follow it. IMO, anything beyond that is adding political commentary.
Just like when gdpr came out, every company has to make sure the follow suit
Marc Denny
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos GDPR?
Reply1h
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos
Marc Denny there was a time before where you'd go to a website and you didn't see cookie consent banners. Adding user consent was part of gdpr to protect users data and privacy
Reply55m
Marc Denny
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos So THAT is why I am seeing that! Love it!
But I'm not getting how that is relevant to this:
" The legislation “sets out an unprecedented new standard for the accountability of online platforms regarding illegal and harmful content. It will provide better protection for internet users and their fundamental rights.”
"Although the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and European Convention on Human Rights spells out protections for free speech, it carves out harsh regulations for “hate speech” and how it’s defined."
What I am hearing with those words is censorship.
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos
Marc Denny the relation is that countries expect you to follow their legislation. It's not a hit job on Twitter because Elon bought it. They would have expected Twitter to follow suit regardless of who owns it.
I guess we'd both have to do some reading to learn how they define hate speech.
My perspective is more from a practitioner vs legal or political. I help companies with their marketing technology stack and make sure they follow applicable rules.
I have until 2024 to read up on how this changes things. Most companies wait last minute to make adjustments 🤣
Marc Denny
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos
"After Elon Musk’s offer to buy Twitter was officially accepted on Monday, the European Union threatened on Tuesday to sanction or even ban the platform if it doesn’t comply with a newly passed tech moderation law.
, , ,
"The EU reached a provisional agreement for the DSA over the weekend nearly a year-and-a-half after it was first proposed. The legislation “sets out an unprecedented new standard for the accountability of online platforms regarding illegal and harmful content. It will provide better protection for internet users and their fundamental rights.”
Understood that Euro legal theory on Free Speech is quite narrower than American (at least as American theory used to be!) and of course, countries "expect you to follow their legislation" but it sounds like what is happening here is a RESPONSE to EM buying Twitter. Thus, it precisely is what you call "political commentary" (i.e. an effort to politically intimidate).
Robert-Anthony Viernes Delos Santos
Marc Denny I guess that's fair. I'd have to look into the context of why that was stated in the first place. Was it an interview and they specifically asked about Elon? Or did he just bring it up on his own?
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https://time.com/6172259/elon-musk-twitter-india-tesla-free-speech/?fbclid=IwAR1RJrKyno0mIXwIrodq2TEth-vcSPD75G--OYgSZQKoXQAkJyMn9Lubs3g
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https://www.westernjournal.com/elon-musk-sets-sights-groups-backed-soros-clinton-operatives-investigate/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=conservativetribune&utm_content=2022-05-04&utm_campaign=manualpost&fbclid=IwAR3Ry1bE53XpcxDOJexnMLq8lVV1Q5ubo_xRTd6_kxG9MWWM1-XU9NmS_Zs
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https://www.zerohedge.com/political/musk-blasts-soros-dark-money-groups-pushing-advertiser-boycott-toxic-free-speech-twitter?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=646
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10796113/Elon-Musk-claims-hes-threatened-Russian-space-agency-head-providing-Ukraine-internet.html
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https://www.nationalreview.com/news/elon-musk-says-he-will-reverse-trump-twitter-ban/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=breaking&utm_campaign=newstrack&utm_term=27665617
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https://www.tweaktown.com/news/86135/elon-musk-drops-warning-says-russia-is-attacking-starlink-satellites/index.html?fbclid=IwAR3LBwa-r_xexeX3GTh3N9pcmedDZ1adu_pI0AgpsK7UxKvnyMC4f0Z4IcA
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second
https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-americans-avoid-going-to-work-unlike-chinese-workers-2022-5?fbclid=IwAR0KidT_yDXa_cYxJMejVyfmToJ0wcTmFojimWDjBUY4gH7P-x1s36PGQkU
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https://michaelyon.locals.com/upost/2138529/live-starlink-launch-today
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https://www.theepochtimes.com/elon-musk-calling-for-hardcore-legal-team-made-of-streetfighters_4481851.html?utm_source=News&utm_campaign=breaking-2022-05-22-3&utm_medium=email&est=StV%2BLO2MExsdnz9fbajEjKXoe2CXQHXFKuk%2F8qOsiD0uiG1LXNU7jACuRMmpts1%2FfKCk
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Elon Musk Has a Better Iran Idea
His Starlink service could help protesters communicate.
By The Editorial BoardFollow
Sept. 23, 2022 6:24 pm ET
People clash with police during a protest following the death of Mahsa Amini in Tehran, Sept. 21.
PHOTO: STR/SHUTTERSTOCK
Protests have erupted in Iran again, this time over the death of a woman in police custody. The regime is cracking down as usual, but the Biden Administration and American entrepreneurs may have some help to offer.
Mahsa Amini, 22, died after she was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s Islamic dress code. Iran’s morals police have become more oppressive, and women can be detained for even minor violations. Once a person is in custody, police can do more or less whatever they want without consequences.
Reuters says protests that began last weekend have spread to some 50 localities including Tehran. Demonstrators have yelled “we don’t want an Islamic Republic” and “Death to the Supreme Leader.” The government sent in riot police, and the human-rights group Hengaw said Thursday that at least 15 have been killed. Such demonstrations erupt periodically in Iran, and they may not jeopardize the regime. But they do reveal simmering unrest.
The protests also show the importance of getting information to Iranians about what is happening in their own country. Internet access abets resistance to the regime by allowing dissenters to coordinate and reassure each other that they aren’t alone. Iranian authorities know this is a vulnerability and have moved to control the internet.
Our contributor Hossein Ronaghi, who has criticized Iran’s pursuit of a “Chinese model of limited national intranet,” said in a video that he narrowly escaped an attempted violent arrest Thursday. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Iran “cut off access to the Internet for most of its 80 million citizens” amid the protests, and authorities also restricted access to WhatsApp and Instagram.
Enter Elon Musk, who said on Twitter this week that he would seek an exemption to sanctions to make his satellite-internet system Starlink available in Iran. Mr. Musk has already provided Starlink services to Ukraine that have helped soldiers and civilians maintain communication despite Russian jamming.
U.S. law gives the executive branch broad discretion over enforcing sanctions, and on Friday the Treasury Department issued a license to “expand the range of internet services available to Iranians” and help “the Iranian people be better equipped to counter the government’s efforts to surveil and censor them.”
Mr. Musk’s SpaceX didn’t respond to a query about whether any additional sanctions barriers remained. But the Treasury license also clears the way for other American companies to help the Iranian people get online.
The Obama Administration failed to support the Green Revolution in 2009 as it sought a nuclear deal. So far the Biden Administration is supporting the right to protest, but it can help Iranians the most by helping them know the truth about their leaders.
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https://www.theepochtimes.com/elon-musk-praised-by-beijing-draws-ire-from-taipei-for-his-taiwan-proposal_4785843.html?utm_source=China&src_src=China&utm_campaign=uschina-2022-10-11&src_cmp=uschina-2022-10-11&utm_medium=email&est=zLBfQ6p4Y%2BTVIIMGtISrbaHntLyReSq1L1Dc5TYj511C9Yx7OEy5N6PcZ8PwfAQmrHsg
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3uDjyXPzWs
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https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2022/10/why-pentagons-crush-elon-musk-dangerous-democracy/378666/
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https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2022/11/military-leaders-praise-musk-treasury-officials-eye-twitter-deal/379256/
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https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2022/11/how-elon-musks-twitter-buy-raises-cybersecurity-risks-rest-us/379213/
Ignore the defense of pre Musk Twitter. Some points worth considering in here.
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/elon-musk-declares-war-on-a-silicon-valley-giant/ar-AA13NMGs?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=b112f22e97d5402982da77711336569e
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https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/11/14/politico-journo-says-its-risky-for-elon-musk-to-attack-members-of-congress/?bcid=a1714aba6c197395707aecde9ada65a65090b7be5f45291f6611e9cf3bd6bace&utm_campaign=nl&utm_medium=email&utm_source=twtydaily
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Tucker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3XYc9Llc3c
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is intent on bringing Musk's twitter down
CNN's "reliable sources " on Drudge this am:
https://view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/166874088300551417e61c43c/raw?utm_term=166874088300551417e61c43c
from the shysters to MSM to H wood to DNC
to the genZ(zzzzz) employees
since Twitter can no longer function as a de facto arm of Democrat Party
it MUST be shut down
looks like Musk must clean it up top down
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Local paper front page today suggests Twitter is a troubled company with all these employees "leaving".
Seems to me they were fired and are being replaced by people who might want to work for a living, and not just censor non-narrative content.
Also, it will take time to replace all the bot and troll posters that made up old twitter.
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https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/elon-musk-skeptical-conservatives?utm_source=lwc-trending&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=LWC-Trending%202022-11-18
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https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-airs-twitters-woke-dirty-laundry-literally-and-exposes-fake-ferguson-narrative?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=benshapiro&fbclid=IwAR0bCSkNQfi9800L861o8nyfSswh1iX1wnXffOnmv7sG5R4J75NCFVDcnik
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https://www.theepochtimes.com/elon-musk-fires-twitters-general-counsel-and-ex-fbi-official-james-baker_4907660.html?utm_source=Morningbrief&src_src=Morningbrief&utm_campaign=mb-2022-12-07&src_cmp=mb-2022-12-07&utm_medium=email&est=YDJfdx9J37W6TXQKdXjdehYIa0N1JvgYasZz02xecxmS9jhCl0IHvudbXZ%2B9trxyhKdD
Twitter owner Elon Musk confirmed that one of its top officials, James Baker—a former FBI general counsel—was “exited” from the company on Tuesday amid concerns that were raised about his “possible role in suppression of information.”
“In light of concerns about Baker’s possible role in suppression of information important to the public dialogue, he was exited from Twitter today,” wrote Musk on Twitter. Musk did not offer any more details on Baker’s exit or what role he played at the firm.
Musk, the new owner of Twitter, was responding to an article penned by Jonathan Turley, the George Washington University law professor and political commentator, who noted that Baker was a former FBI general counsel. Baker has not issued a public comment about his apparent departure from the social media firm.
It came days after Musk provided internal Twitter information to journalist Matt Taibbi, who had published details about the social media platform’s decision to essentially censor the New York Post’s report about Hunter Biden’s laptop in October 2020.
Epoch Times Photo
Former FBI General Counsel James Baker testified before the House judiciary and oversight committees on Oct. 3 and Oct. 18, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
And minutes after Musk confirmed Baker’s departure on Tuesday, Taibbi wrote: “On Tuesday, Twitter Deputy General Counsel (and former FBI General Counsel) Jim Baker was fired. Among the reasons? Vetting the first batch of ‘Twitter Files’ – without knowledge of new management.”
Taibbi indicated that Baker was in charge of reviewing and releasing the “Twitter Files.”
“The news that Baker was reviewing the ‘Twitter files’ surprised everyone involved, to say the least. New Twitter chief Elon Musk acted quickly to ‘exit’ Baker Tuesday,” Taibbi also wrote on Tuesday evening. “Reporters resumed searches through Twitter Files material—a lot of it—today. The next installment of ‘The Twitter Files’ will appear” in the near future, he wrote.
Baker, notably, was referenced in special counsel John Durham’s court filings in a case targeting former Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann, who had met with Baker in 2016 and, according to Durham, allegedly lied to Baker about who he was working for when he relayed information about a secret communications channel between the Russian government and then-candidate Donald Trump. He was hired by Twitter in 2020 as the firm’s deputy general counsel and vice president after leaving the FBI.
Hours before Musk’s post on Twitter, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the likely incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, raised speculation about Baker’s role at Twitter.
“FBI Agent Timothy Thibault tried to shut down an avenue of the Hunter Biden investigation,” he wrote, referring to alleged whistleblower testimony about Thibault, which the former official categorically denied in a statement to The Epoch Times earlier this year. “Then, Twitter hires former FBI General Counsel James Baker who helps give the company an excuse to suppress the story,” added Jordan. “Coordination?”
Letter
Republicans on Tuesday also issued a letter (pdf) to Baker, which suggested that he still worked at Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco, and asked him to contact the House Oversight Committee and appear before the panel during the next Congress.
Citing new information released by Twitter, Baker allegedly “played a key advisory role in the decision to censor” the New York Post’s report about Hunter Biden’s overseas business deals ahead of the 2020 General Election.
It added that Baker “wrote in an email—after Twitter censored the laptop story—that ‘we need more facts to assess whether the materials were hacked'” and said Baker had “advised that the story should remain censored, nonetheless.”
The letter was referring to new information posted by Taibbi the past weekend, which showed Twitter managers moved to block the NY Post’s report about Hunter Biden’s laptop without then-CEO Jack Dorsey’s knowledge. Taibbi published alleged internal emails that were given to him by Musk showing Twitter executives debating on what to do with the NY Post’s report.
Ultimately, Twitter blocked sharing of the NY Post story amid allegations that it was part of a Russian disinformation plot, while the newspaper was blocked from accessing its account for more than two weeks. It was later determined that details of the story and information sourced from the laptop were authentic.
At the same time, Taibbi’s posts revealed that Twitter’s management was responding to requests from then-candidate Joe Biden’s campaign team, who appeared to be communicating with the social media company’s executives via back channels.
“I support the conclusion that we need more facts to assess whether the materials were hacked,” Baker wrote in October 2020, according to a screenshot posted by Taibbi last weekend. “At this stage, however, it is reasonable for us to assume that they may have been, and caution is warranted.”
Baker added that “there are some facts that indicate that materials may have been hacked,” according to the screenshot. He did not provide those facts.
The Epoch Times has contacted Baker for comment.
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https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2022/12/12/elon-musk-wrecks-john-brennan-with-just-four-words-n672659
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/elon-musk-posts-license-plate-calls-on-120-million-followers-to-track-down-man-after-banning-account-tracking-his-jet/ar-AA15jms1?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=03245ffb984249d5b14f86f849e22ead
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https://www.pcmag.com/news/elon-musk-buys-back-xcom-from-paypal?fbclid=IwAR1caxL-aXs2BNuGTmzxN9wr6PvGdyw56xgcN7b_eHAMK1ddP-ws7prppoY
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We see here a primal example of why our Founding Fathers gave us a Constitutional Republic and not a Democracy.
Elon's weakness here runs the risk of undoing all that he has accomplished here.
https://dailycaller.com/2022/12/19/twitter-vote-elon-musk-step-down/?utm_source=piano&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking&pnespid=67Y8UHlEPqYH3PvQqzSpSIucuwijT5tyK7Gm3PZspANmtKTq9M.U14O8zYECIrCa0JBTEpMh
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https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2022/12/musk-has-reduced-twitters-ability-spot-foreign-disinformation-former-data-scientist-says/381185/
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Elon Musk Announces Deletion of 1.5 Billion Twitter Accounts and New Feature
Elon Musk , Announces Deletion of 1.5 Billion Twitter Accounts , and New Feature for Users’ Tweets. In a series of tweets, Musk announced he will remove 1.5 billion accounts from Twitter in the coming weeks. . Fox News reports that Musk said the decision to delete these accounts was to free up usernames for current users. . According to Musk, the soon-to-be deleted accounts have not been logged into "for years." . These are obvious account deletions with no tweets & no log in for years, Elon Musk, via Twitter. The early December 9 tweets also included the promise of a new feature that will allow Twitter users to see how many people read or react to their tweets. . The early December 9 tweets also included the promise of a new feature that will allow Twitter users to see how many people read or react to their tweets. . Tweets will show view count in a few weeks, just like videos do. Twitter is much more alive than people think, Elon Musk, via Twitter. Fox News reports that the changes come as part of Musk's planned shift away from regulating the speech of its users. Musk also recently released internal documents revealing how Twitter execs had influenced the platform, suspended users and reduced visibility on accounts and posts. Musk also recently released internal documents revealing how Twitter execs had influenced the platform, suspended users and reduced visibility on accounts and posts. According to Musk, Twitter's pervasive content moderation was a decision made , "at the highest levels of the company,". ... but without the knowledge of CEO Jack Dorsey, with former head of legal, policy and trust Vijaya Gadde playing a key role, Elon Musk, via Twitter. ... but without the knowledge of CEO Jack Dorsey, with former head of legal, policy and trust Vijaya Gadde playing a key role, Elon Musk, via Twitte
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The Great Tesla Stock Repricing
It’s healthy for the car maker, but can Elon Musk’s finances handle it?
Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. hedcutBy Holman W. Jenkins, Jr.
Dec. 27, 2022 6:13 pm ET
A car connected to a charger at a Tesla dealership in Littleton, Colo. June 27, 2021.
PHOTO: DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/ASSOCIATED PRESS
How much money Elon Musk has in the bank suddenly has become a general societal concern. Fans, investors and employees of his non-Tesla businesses, including Twitter, realize that it’s Mr. Musk’s Tesla wealth that helps keep them afloat.
Tesla shareholders realize how much they have been supporting his other endeavors, which compete for his attention.
In the latest news about one of the strangest corporate acquisitions ever, Twitter’s bankers are reportedly trying to reduce calls on Twitter’s faltering cash flow. How? By having Mr. Musk personally take over some of the company’s corporate debt, using yet more of his Tesla shares as collateral.
This would be a brave stand if it were really needed to preserve Twitter from bankruptcy. But things get complicated for two reasons: his board’s requirement that he put up $100 of Tesla stock for every $25 of borrowing, and Tesla’s epoch-making plunge, down another $14 on Tuesday.
Mr. Musk gets blame from his most loyal investors for triggering the selloff because of his Twitter engagement, his Tesla stock sales, the potential for margin calls, and his off-color tweeting.
But an occasion for re-rating Tesla was coming anyway. The company has shed a monumental $900 billion in market cap and is still richly priced for a car maker with its growth prospects.
For years analysts justified its share price by saying Tesla wasn’t a car company, it was another Apple. Meaning what? Apple isn’t some free-spirited, uninhibited innovator spinning off new industries in all directions. It’s basically one thing, an iPhone company.
Tesla is one thing, a car company. For a lot of reasons, profit margins on cars will never be as attractive as profit margins on iPhones. And just as no reason exists to believe Apple could dream up another money-spinner equivalent to the iPhone, no reason exists to believe Tesla will invent a product or service to transcend the competitive predicament of a car company.
I made myself unpopular years ago by pointing out that the established, union-employing companies dearest to politicians’ hearts would also be lured into making electric vehicles by the same subsidies that lured Tesla. These companies operate under an additional political dispensation, thanks to our fuel-economy regime, which lets them lose money on EVs to preserve the inflated pickup-truck profits they earn behind a 25% pickup import tax in place since LBJ.
Political favoritism has shifted against Tesla. Small example: The subsidized charging network the Biden administration is building devalues the competitive advantage Tesla created for itself by building its own charging network.
Clearly now, Tesla won’t have the electric-vehicle market to itself. Whatever growth that market affords—and fans and skeptics remain divided—will be fought over fiercely with other companies.
These makers have learned from Tesla—electric vehicles, for most buyers, are indulgence cars, like GM’s giant, sold-out electric Hummer, or Ford’s $56,000 Lightning pickup, or its $70,000 Mustang Mach-E GT.
They aren’t the tiny runabout Nissan Leafs or Prius-like hybrids that Ohio State University guru Chris Atkinson preaches are the best use of a lithium-ion battery if the goal really is to displace CO2 emissions.
The job of stock analysts is to rationalize the stock prices the world hands us, on the reasonable assumption that prices convey meaningful information. To solve the mystery of Tesla’s share price they resorted to the presumption that Mr. Musk would conjure some unforeseen source of future profits.
Government policy also is rationalized. Joe Biden, it’s explained, is subsidizing electric vehicles to reduce emissions. But does this really describe either motive or effect? He and his aides may have merely identified a way voters will let him spend money and channel it to business and labor groups that support him.
In obvious ways, EV subsidies actually encourage emissions: to build the cars, to mine the minerals for their batteries, to charge them up. In the great lacuna that’s seldom mentioned, if EV drivers are subsidized to use less gas, it becomes cheaper for someone else to use more.
The policy bubble hasn’t popped yet even if the Tesla bubble has, revaluing the car maker in a manner that is healthier and more realistic in the long run. The biggest test for Mr. Musk was always going to be the company’s repricing in line with the opportunities of selling cars into a crowded and competitive car market.
The timing is bad, from a pending expected recession to China’s Covid chaos, spiking minerals prices and declining consumer confidence. It isn’t the best time for Mr. Musk to encumber his Tesla stake with forced sales and possible margin calls. He suddenly has a lot riding on the Cybertruck, Tesla’s bid to catch a share of the protected profits that other car makers have long milked from the closed U.S. pickup truck market.
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https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/i-would-not-buy-tesla-again-us-tesla-owners-fume-about-recent-price-cuts?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1186
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I had no idea Nader was even still alive :
https://www.thestreet.com/technology/elon-musk-attacked-by-an-old-and-powerful-enemy
seems to me Nader should. target the Dem party for pushing green
perhaps Obama Biden
but of course he would not.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqJKAnN0-gM&t=3s
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about Soros:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/elon-musk-compares-george-soros-to-jewish-supervillain-who-hates-humanity/ar-AA1bgaAl
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another hit piece :
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/05/28/elon-musk-texas-spacex-boring-bastrop/
all he does is try to get our side to be able to speak
but that is not allowed
how dare him ruffle the Left feathers
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https://www.oann.com/newsroom/musk-calls-the-esg-the-devil/
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https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65981876
I would pay to see this; not sure who to place the bet on:
lets see Zuckerberg is 39 Musk 52. +1 for Zuck
Zuckerberg is a trained killer ( :wink:) ; Musk apparently has maybe more experience - > While Musk described himself as a "bookish" kid, the billionaire said he studied karate, judo, and Brazilian jiu jitsu his youth. The billionaire also wrestles. Last year, Musk said on Twitter that he managed to "throw the world champion sumo wrestler" at a party..
thus maybe a draw ?
Musk I believe is larger than Zuck thus +1 to Musk
So tough to say who would win
I know who I would want to win..........
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I was just thinking I would rather see Zuckerberg go against Daniel Penny....
:evil:
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https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/futures-and-props/entertainment/zuckerberg-vs-musk-cage-fight
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65981876?fbclid=IwAR0ZXlEZ6w7XLLVR0OzYpZPAPgan01v4j5p3LOVQoyZmNzdRF1zK4Kan5AQ
https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/dana-white-elon-zuckerberg?fbclid=IwAR0RKL9XxAUPVsq_6BruH1egh15r9_sbVjHAOyGn0PoJFEjL--YMv40wdwM
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https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/elon-musks-absurd-socialist-pledge/?lctg=547fd5293b35d0210c8df7b9&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MJ_20230707&utm_term=Jolt-Smart
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https://patriotpost.us/articles/99462-musk-takes-on-a-new-fight-2023-08-07?mailing_id=7692&utm_medium=email&utm_source=pp.email.7692&utm_campaign=digest&utm_content=body
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Taiwan Rebukes Elon Musk for Describing Island Democracy as China’s Hawaii
Taipei implies that the American entrepreneur has sold out to Beijing and points to the country’s censorship of X
By Joyu Wang
Sept. 14, 2023 9:01 am ET
TAIPEI—Elon Musk drew scathing criticism from the government of Taiwan after he described the self-ruled island as China’s equivalent of Hawaii, with the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry implying the Tesla CEO had sold himself to Beijing.
Speaking remotely at a technology conference in Los Angeles this week, the billionaire doubled down on earlier comments backing the contention of Communist Party leaders in Beijing that Taiwan is a part of China.
“From their standpoint, maybe it is analogous to Hawaii,” he said while addressing an audience at the All-In Summit, describing the island’s de facto independence from China as an arbitrary state of affairs that continues “mostly because the U.S. Pacific Fleet has stopped any sort of reunification effort by force.”
Taiwanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu hit back in an unusually blunt response at a press briefing on Thursday, pointing to the entrepreneur’s extensive business ties in China.
“We can’t tell whether or not Musk’s free will is for sale. But Taiwan is not for sale, that’s for sure,” Liu said.
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said on Musk’s social-media platform X, ‘Mr. @ElonMusk other than money, there is something we call VALUES.’ PHOTO: SAM YEH/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
As other American executives rethink their relationship with China, Musk is pushing to deepen his ties with the world’s second-largest economy. Tesla has a sprawling factory in Shanghai and said in April that it plans to build a second one in the city to manufacture its Megapack energy-storage product. Top Chinese officials offered him a warm welcome when he visited China later in the spring.
Musk has repeatedly expressed views that align closely with Beijing’s position in recent months, including on Taiwan, despite his company’s complex relationship with China and declining market share in the country.
The Communist Party vows to take control of Taiwan—by force if necessary—despite never having ruled the island. Taipei has pursued closer ties with Washington in recent years, making its status a central flashpoint in relations between the U.S. and China.
After Musk said in a television interview in May that people should take China’s claims to Taiwan seriously, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu replied on the Musk-owned social-media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, “Mr. @ElonMusk other than money, there is something we call VALUES.”
Thursday marked the first time that Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry responded to Musk’s comments in a formal press briefing. Liu took a swipe at Musk’s willingness to do business with China’s authoritarian regime despite portraying himself as a free-speech advocate.
“Musk ignores that Chinese people have neither freedom of speech, nor internet freedom,” he said. “The fact remains that Chinese people still can’t access the social-media platform X today.”
Musk didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
For decades, Taiwan has looked to its east coast as a safe haven to survive a Chinese invasion until allies, particularly the U.S., can arrive to assist. But PLA activity around the island’s east has thrown that strategy into question. Illustration: Adam Adada
Wu weighed in directly on X late on Wednesday, likening Musk’s acceptance of Chinese censorship to “turning off @Starlink to thwart #Ukraine’s counterstrike against #Russia.” That is a reference to the disclosure in a coming book that Musk denied Ukraine access to his satellite-based internet service to disrupt a drone attack on Russian ships based in Crimea.
The verbal sparring came amid a flurry of military activity in the region.
On Saturday, the guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Ottawa sailed through the Taiwan Strait, according to the U.S. military, in a so-called freedom-of-navigation operation.
Two days later, the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong sailed toward the western Pacific Ocean to the southeast of Taiwan on Monday for training, according to Taiwan’s military. On Wednesday, Taiwan’s defense ministry tracked 68 Chinese warplanes flying sorties near the island, with 40 of them entering its air defense identification zone.
September is when China’s military typically carries out drills, though the recent Chinese activity was also likely a response to the U.S. exercises, according to Lin Ying-yu, a Taipei-based military expert.
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Walter Isaacson hawking his book on Musk on the lib stations
Saw Amanpour lament how he ruined Twitter from a fun media to this horrible black dark hateful "X"
:roll:
like a good neighbor. LEFTIST
I am sure most PBS money comes from elite Leftist self righteous types. Like her.
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Elizabeth Warren Owes Musk an Apology
His denial of Starlink service in Crimea was consistent with U.S. sanctions on Russia.
By Dennis Kneale
Sept. 17, 2023 2:48 pm ET
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren in Washington, Sept. 13. PHOTO: RON SACHS/ZUMA PRESS
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is demanding an investigation of Elon Musk and SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network. She wants to know why he refused the Ukrainian military’s demand that he turn on Starlink over a blacked-out portion of the Black Sea near Russian-controlled Crimea to guide a submarine drone attack on Russian ships.
“No one is supposed to make foreign policy for the United States other than the United States government,” Ms. Warren told CNN on Sept. 12. “It is not up to one billionaire to go off in secret and change our foreign policy.” In fact, Mr. Musk was following U.S. foreign policy.
In a new biography of Mr. Musk, Walter Isaacson writes: “Allowing the use of Starlink for the attack, [Mr. Musk] concluded, could be a disaster for the world. So he secretly told his engineers to turn off coverage within a hundred kilometers of the Crimean coast. As a result, when the Ukrainian drone subs got near the Russian fleet in Sevastopol, they lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly.”
But on Sept. 8 Mr. Isaacson had issued a clarification: Mr. Musk didn’t disable Starlink in the area; he declined a Ukrainian request to enable it.
At a fan summit for the “All In” podcast, released on Twitter Sept. 12, Mr. Musk said complying with the Ukrainian request would have violated American sanctions against Russia: “We’re not allowed to actually turn on connectivity to [Russian-controlled Crimea] without explicit government approval. So, we did not have the U.S. government . . . and then we basically figured out that this was kind of like a Pearl Harbor attack on the Russian fleet at Sevastopol. So what they’re really asking us for is to actually take part in a major act of war.”
He added: “And, you know, while we certainly have huge support for the Ukraine government, the Ukrainian government is not in charge of U.S. people or companies. That’s not how it works.”
The old cliché about no good deed going unpunished applies. Starlink, a privately owned network, has provided $100 million in free service to Ukraine since the war began, letting the country defend itself and re-establish communications destroyed by hundreds of Russian missiles.
What’s more, Mr. Musk says he would have complied if President Biden ordered him to turn on his privately owned network for Ukraine: “While I’m not President Biden’s biggest fan, if I had received a presidential directive to turn it on, I would have done so. Because I do regard the president as the chief executive officer of the country. Whether I want that person to be president or not, I still respect the office.”
That is a lot more respect than Ms. Warren has shown for Mr. Musk. She owes him an apology.
Mr. Kneale is a New York writer and host of “What’s Bugging Me” on Ricochet.
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https://americanwirenews.com/adam-schiff-shouldve-never-picked-a-fight-with-elon-musk-over-election-misinformation/?utm_campaign=james&utm_content=9%2F29%2F23%20SOE%20PM&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=Get%20response&utm_term=email
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https://www.the-sun.com/news/9705022/elon-musk-israel-gaza-netanyahu-anti-semitism/
I am guessing to counter the LEFTist mob claim he is anti semitic for speaking the truth about lib Jews in the US.
Funny how the libs go after him (ever since he bought twitter) more than they go after real Jew Haters .
Any connection from a political DNC point of view ? :wink: :roll:
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https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1729995954831470946
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Elon Musk Has Used Illegal Drugs, Worrying Leaders at Tesla and SpaceX
Some executives and board members fear the billionaire’s use of drugs—including LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, mushrooms and ketamine—could harm his companies
ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXANDRA CITRIN-SAFADI/WSJ, MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
By Emily GlazerFollow
and Kirsten GrindFollow
Jan. 6, 2024 9:00 pm ET
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Elon Musk and his supporters offer several explanations for his contrarian views, unfiltered speech and provocative antics. They’re an expression of his creativity. Or the result of his mental-health challenges. Or fallout from his stress, or sleep deprivation.
In recent years, some executives and board members at his companies and others close to the billionaire have developed a persistent concern that there is another component driving his behavior: his use of drugs.
And they fear the Tesla TSLA -0.18%decrease; red down pointing triangle and SpaceX chief executive’s drug use could have major consequences not just for his health, but also the six companies and billions in assets he oversees, according to people familiar with Musk and the companies.
The world’s wealthiest person has used LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms, often at private parties around the world, where attendees sign nondisclosure agreements or give up their phones to enter, according to people who have witnessed his drug use and others with knowledge of it. Musk has previously smoked marijuana in public and has said he has a prescription for the psychedelic-like ketamine.
In 2018, for example, he took multiple tabs of acid at a party he hosted in Los Angeles. The next year he partied on magic mushrooms at an event in Mexico. In 2021, he took ketamine recreationally with his brother, Kimbal Musk, in Miami at a house party during Art Basel. He has taken illegal drugs with current SpaceX and former Tesla board member Steve Jurvetson.
People close to Musk, who is now 52, said his drug use is ongoing, especially his consumption of ketamine, and that they are concerned it could cause a health crisis. Even if it doesn’t, it could damage his businesses.
Illegal drug use would likely be a violation of federal policies that could jeopardize SpaceX’s billions of dollars in government contracts. Musk is intrinsic to the value of his companies, potentially putting at risk around $1 trillion in assets held by investors, tens of thousands of jobs and big parts of the U.S. space program.
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SpaceX is the only U.S. company now approved to transport NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The Pentagon, meanwhile, has stepped up purchases of SpaceX rocket launches in recent years, and the company has also been looking to develop a large business selling satellite services to national-security agencies.
One former Tesla director, Linda Johnson Rice, grew so frustrated with Musk’s volatile behavior and her concerns about his drug consumption that she didn’t stand for re-election to the electric-car company’s board in 2019, according to people familiar with the matter.
Top, Linda Johnson Rice, a former Tesla director, in 2019. Below, Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX, in 2015. PHOTO: ALEXANDER TAMARGO/GETTY IMAGES FOR COLORCOMM, BRETT COOMER/HOUSTON CHRONICLE/GETTY IMAGES
Musk didn’t respond to requests for comment.
An attorney for Musk, Alex Spiro, said that Musk is “regularly and randomly drug tested at SpaceX and has never failed a test.” Spiro, who said he represents Tesla, added in response to detailed questions that “there are other false facts” in this article but didn’t detail them.
The people around Musk long ago became accustomed to his volatile behavior. Some SpaceX executives who had long worked with him, however, noticed a change at a company event in late 2017.
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Hundreds of SpaceX employees gathered around mission control at the rocket company’s headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., in anticipation of Musk, who was nearly an hour late to arrive at the all-hands meeting about the company’s latest rocket.
When he finally took the stage, Musk was strangely incomprehensible at times. He slurred his words and rambled for around 15 minutes, according to executives in attendance, and referred repeatedly to SpaceX’s Big Falcon Rocket prototype, which was known as BFR, as “Big F—ing Rocket.”
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell ultimately stepped in and took over the meeting.
It couldn’t be learned if Musk was under the influence that day. But after the meeting, the SpaceX executives privately talked about their worries Musk was on drugs. One described the event as “nonsensical,” “unhinged” and “cringeworthy.”
Spiro called the description of the SpaceX incident “false as has been confirmed by countless people who were present.” He declined to elaborate on what specifically was false or describe the countless people.
Then in 2018, people familiar with Musk’s behavior said, another incident seemed to mark a turning point for him—and showed that his drug use could have consequences for his businesses. That year, Musk got into trouble with NASA for smoking marijuana on the Joe Rogan show, raising red flags for some about the business impact of Musk’s conduct and causing employees at SpaceX to be randomly tested for drugs.
Worry by board members
In addition to violating federal contracts, any kind of illegal drug use would break company policies at both SpaceX and Tesla, and would raise questions about Musk’s executive role at the publicly traded Tesla, where the board has a duty to shareholders to oversee management.
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Some Tesla board members over the years have talked among themselves about their concerns over Musk’s alleged drug use but haven’t said anything formally that would end up as an official board agenda item or in meeting minutes, people familiar with the discussions said. Some directors, including current Tesla board chair Robyn Denholm, have gone to Kimbal Musk, who is a Tesla board member and was a SpaceX board member until early 2022, for help with Musk’s behavior, without using the word “drugs,” the people said.
Elon Musk spoke at an opening of a Tesla factory near Berlin in 2022. PHOTO: CHRISTIAN MARQUARDT/PRESS POOL
Some on the board and others close to Musk worried he was on drugs when he tweeted in 2018 about plans to take Tesla private, people familiar with the episode said. Kimbal Musk informally approached Musk about it on behalf of some board members, some of the people said. The tweet brought on an SEC investigation into whether the statement was misleading or false, and resulted in Musk’s agreement to step down as Tesla chairman for a time.
Some close to Musk said they learned he was under the influence during a media interview he gave soon after the tweet when he choked up describing how difficult his year had been.
Part of the issue directors have grappled with over the years is whether drug use by Musk is to blame for his unusual behavior, or if it is something else, such as his consistent lack of sleep, which he has talked about.
Musk oversees six companies, including social-media platform X, formerly Twitter; his tunneling venture, The Boring Co.; his brain implant startup, Neuralink; and a new artificial-intelligence company, xAI. His business life bleeds into his personal time in a way that is uncommon even for other chief executives.
At Tesla and X, he has said he regularly slept at the office. He often emails company lieutenants in the middle of the night, and hosts work meetings at midnight. He said he works almost nonstop. “Vacation is a strong word,” he said in 2022 court testimony. “For me, it is email with a view.”
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In a new authorized biography of Musk, author Walter Isaacson described Musk’s “demon mode”: Musk, Isaacson wrote, entered into a state of intense fury and would frequently lash out at employees and executives. In the Isaacson book, Musk is quoted as saying, “I really don’t like doing illegal drugs.”
Musk and others have attributed his erratic office behavior to his mental health. A Twitter user asked in 2017 if he had bipolar disorder, which can cause mood swings, to which Musk replied affirmatively, although he said he was undiagnosed.
Musk also said, when he hosted Saturday Night Live in 2021, that he had Asperger’s, a form of autism.
Top, Robyn Denholm, board chair of Tesla, in 2022. Below, Kimbal Musk, brother of Elon Musk and a Tesla board member, in 2022. PHOTO: HILARY WARDHAUGH/BLOOMBERG NEWS, CHET STRANGE/BLOOMBERG NEWS
Drug use has also been a thorny topic for directors at Musk’s companies because some of them are his close friends, and attend parties and travel with him, according to people familiar with the matter and court documents.
Musk has been known to attend parties and events at Burning Man, the Nevada arts and music festival where drugs are widely used, to blow off steam, according to people close to him.
He also throws his own private events, where drug use is common, according to people who have attended the parties.
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The executive’s whereabouts are often a closely guarded secret, and he is protected by private security. At his companies, executives and employees often have to sign nondisclosure agreements.
Kimbal Musk frequently attends the same parties and events as his brother, including an Art Basel party in Miami in late 2021 when both took ketamine recreationally, according to people with knowledge of their drug use. Kimbal Musk has talked to friends about the benefits of psychedelics, and tweeted in June in support of his wife when she spoke at the country’s largest psychedelic conference about the benefits of the drugs for mental health treatment.
In 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk microdoses ketamine for depression and also takes full doses at parties. Following publication of the article, Musk tweeted that ketamine is a better way to deal with depression compared with more widely prescribed antidepressants that are “zombifying” people.
In a separate tweet, Musk later said that he had a prescription for ketamine. The psychedelic-like drug can be prescribed “off label” for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and it is also a widely used party drug that can be purchased illegally through dealers.
A conference about the benefits of psychedelic drugs in Denver in June. PHOTO: KEVIN MOHATT FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Government contracts
As a general rule, board members and executives have long struggled with how to deal with substance abuse at their companies.
Some directors have wondered whether it is their role to police drug use outside the office, saying what executives do in their personal lives—especially with drugs that may be legal in certain instances or states—may not impact their business decisions.
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At most companies, board members aren’t required to investigate an executive for drug use, but they often do take action if they believe it is impacting the business.
That can include encouraging a leave of absence for treatment or opening an investigation, corporate governance experts say. Drug use is a more challenging issue than other substance problems, such as alcohol, because possessing certain drugs, such as cocaine, can bring felony charges.
In 2020, former Zappos chief executive Tony Hsieh’s abuse of ketamine ultimately caused executives at the shoe company’s parent, Amazon, to step in, according to people familiar with those events.
Amazon executives gave Hsieh a couple of months to clean up his act, and when he wasn’t able to do so, he resigned. Hsieh was trapped in a house fire while under the influence in late 2020 and later died from his injuries.
Elon Musk viewed part of a rocket engine at SpaceX in Hawthorne, Calif., in 2019. PHOTO: AUBREY GEMIGNANI/NASA/GETTY IMAGES
Tesla’s code of conduct described the electric-vehicle maker as a drug-free workplace and prohibits all employees, including executives, from using them, even out of the office.
Illegal drug use by employees is also in violation of the rules that govern the more than $14 billion in contracts that Musk’s private rocket company, SpaceX, has with the U.S. government for civilian and military space missions.
Federal contracts require that companies comply with the Drug-Free Workplace Act and foster a drug-free culture with programs and policies, regardless of any state laws that may legalize some usage. Contractors can also lose security clearances because of drug abuse, defined as the use of illegal drugs or prescription medications “in a manner that deviates from approved medical direction.”
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In his role as CEO and founder of SpaceX, Musk has a security clearance that gives him access to classified information.
Investors have often turned a blind eye to concerns about Musk, including his drug use, especially when Tesla is doing well, investors and people close to the board said. And in recent years, Tesla and SpaceX have both performed exceptionally. Tesla stock is up around 1,000% in the past five years, despite declines in 2022, compared with the S&P 500’s increase of around 86% in that time period. Revenue at SpaceX also has soared.
A SpaceX rocket took off in Texas in November. PHOTO: ABRAHAM PINEDA-JACOME/EPA/SHUTTERSTOCK
Tweet firestorm
In the summer of 2018, some people around the billionaire began getting concerned that he was losing control.
Several months after the all-hands meeting at SpaceX, Musk tweeted in August that he planned to take Tesla private at $420 a share—“420” is slang for smoking marijuana—and that he had “funding secured.”
The now-infamous tweet set off a firestorm among investors, who scrambled to understand the billionaire’s plans for the electric-car maker. Tesla shares increased more than 6% the day of the tweet. The SEC launched an investigation that resulted in a settlement that included fines of $40 million and Tesla adding two independent board members and overseeing the CEO’s communications. Musk didn’t admit or deny wrongdoing.
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Board members told regulators they didn’t know about Musk’s plans and were taken aback by his actions. Privately some on the board became concerned that Musk was on drugs when tweeting, and some directors briefly discussed among themselves the idea of him taking a leave of absence from Tesla, people familiar with the discussions said.
In an interview with the New York Times soon after, Musk choked up multiple times as he described the intense personal toll of leading Tesla, saying, “This past year has been the most difficult and painful year of my career.”
Behind the scenes, things were much more dire: Musk had been under the influence as he answered the reporters’ questions, according to people briefed on the episode. The CEO hadn’t informed Tesla’s communications team that he was giving the interview, people familiar with the episode said.
Soon after, Musk smoked marijuana on the comedian Rogan’s show, which can be streamed online. NASA demanded written assurances that SpaceX was complying with the federal drug-free workplace law and spent $5 million in taxpayer dollars on training for SpaceX employees, according to a letter NASA sent to the company and federal contracting records.
Elon Musk smoked marijuana on comedian Joe Rogan’s show in 2018.
Musk has said the agency required drug testing at SpaceX for a year.
Corporate contractors must follow standard NASA guidelines for drug tests that usually check for marijuana and cocaine and have the ability to also test for amphetamines, opiates and PCP.
Spiro didn’t respond to a question on what type of drug tests Musk has taken.
At SpaceX and some of Musk’s other companies, including the tunnel venture Boring Co., executives began warning employees to follow company rules at all times, including to not use illegal drugs, even out of the office, according to people familiar with the warnings.
SpaceX brought in drug-sniffing dogs on a random basis to make sure employees weren’t carrying illegal substances, according to the people.
At Tesla, Denholm, the current board chair, James Murdoch and other directors sometimes gathered around Kimbal Musk informally during board breaks or after meetings to ask how Elon Musk was doing or if he was getting enough sleep, people familiar with the conversations said. While the directors wouldn’t specifically ask about substance abuse, the people said they understood the questions to be about Elon Musk’s perceived drug use.
Rice, the director who didn’t stand for re-election in 2019, raised concerns about his drug consumption more than once in side conversations with board members about Musk’s increasingly erratic behavior during her two year tenure on the board, according to people familiar with her concerns. She informally asked whether the board should investigate and was brushed off, one of the people said.
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https://www.newsweek.com/chinese-retailer-caught-selling-starlink-terminals-russia-1874756
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MUSK SATELLITE BLITZ COULD 'WEAKEN ATMOSPHERE'
So it is Musk who will destroy the atmosphere and the Earth's magnetic field.
https://www.space.com/how-many-satellites-are-orbiting-earth
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https://www.theepochtimes.com/business/elon-musk-says-x-will-defy-court-order-from-brazils-supreme-court-principles-matter-more-than-profit-5623418?utm_source=News&src_src=News&utm_campaign=breaking-2024-04-07-2&src_cmp=breaking-2024-04-07-2&utm_medium=email&est=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYvAqcwcVzc7PzLYPrHFRB710wA0AIj31kx5JTWZu9FddhEg4S8RP