Elon's Twitter may eventually be profitable, but it won't be from advertising. When he purchased the company, he raised money and had a pitch deck. His big plan is to get into the payments business. Subscriptions and data services are other revenue options. Ad revenues are projected (in the deck) to be around 40% of Twitter revenue in 5 years.
It's funny to watch Kurt and the right climb on board any and every conspiracy as another way for the government to manipulate people and maintain control. It's ultimately just a group of overpaid people sitting in a room trying to figure out what do to about things they never considered before. Corporate structures and mission statements bleed into decision-making, which quickly becomes much more about protection (of one's job and income) than it is about carrying out any master plan for governments or individuals. There is no conspiracy... it's just people trying to keep their jobs and do what's right (in that order).
Elon is without question a brilliant guy. Bad father/husband/boyfriend, a bad boss, a bad person...maybe, but he has an incredible ability to look at a problem and find an unconventional answer. "Why don't we re-use the booster rockets instead of throwing them away" is brilliant, if you can figure it out. Every time a SpaceX booster returns softly back to earth, you can't help but think "that's F@#$ing amazing".
Twitter is different. Twitter isn't his applying science to an issue, it's his applying ego. Because of that, I don't think Twitter is a solid bet. Other platforms (see TikTok... but likely someone else(s) soon), better existing payment platforms in an already crowded space, and his tinkering will prove fatal to Elon's egomaniacal pursuits on this one. I'm not betting, but if I were it would be against Twitter.
Just a quick question...How does it affect your life one way or the other? It certainly doesn't change mine one iota. What was it that buzz used to say about not sweating the small stuff and not petting the sweaty stuff or something like that. Life is way too short, D!
See edit. My thought is that he has accomplished what he's accomplished so who gives a flying fark if he has a piece of paper. What I initially wrote was his board of directors should force him to fire himself for lying about his education. Tongue firmly in cheek.
Hmmm. The conversation seems to be more about the messenger and pretty much ignoring what he is messaging about.
For me, the message is what is most important here; the stuff that is being brought out into bright daylight for all to see.
I'll take L8's side of his bet. I agree. Twitter can be expanded to be much more than just a bulletin board.
Regarding not being profitable ... there has been some mention that Twitter was more valuable as a propaganda outlet than needing to make money. Losses were somehow subsidized to keep the government sponsored real disinformation flowing, which seems to be its primary purpose as we are coming to find out. A financial political contribution in kind at the very least. Issues about this have mentioned involvement with the SEC over the possible breach of fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders to try and make a profit. Being unprofitable is also highly likely to discourage buyers from taking it over, which worked until Elon came along.
Because while I think managing a communications venture is fundamentally different from the manufacturing and R&D-intense businesses he has managed in the past, he has good instincts and a commitment to principles that will make a communication medium thrive.
I also like watching certain heads explode.
Interesting that you see Musk's work at Twitter that way. IMHO Musk has made rash decisions based on poor understanding of how Twitter worked as a company before his arrival. He also hasn't seemed prepared for the exodus of advertisers and members. He's not provided a vision of how he will improve Twitter's features and offerings.
Right now Twitter seems sustained largely by inertia. If past and current users can fix on one or two alternative platforms like Mastodon, Musk is screwed.
Comrade Lazy 8, This comes across as a whataboutism argument.
It suggests folks of Great Stature and Great Accomplishment should not be subject to the same degree of scrutiny as others.
Not at all, scrutinize away. Just pointing out that the criticism leveled isn't relevant to the man's work or accomplishments. Like pointing out that Itzhak Perlman can't run the 40 in under 4 seconds.
BTW, your support for the US welfare state has been noted Comrade Lazy8. Same for your support for lies and misinformation.
Not interested in taking the bet (because I honestly have no idea) but would be most interested in hearing why you believe Twitter will thrive under Musk's leadership.
Because while I think managing a communications venture is fundamentally different from the manufacturing and R&D-intense businesses he has managed in the past, he has good instincts and a commitment to principles that will make a communication medium thrive.
There are a half dozen private space ventures out there, not counting Spacex. What have they accomplished?
There are piles of electric car companies, mostly bankrupt or still in the final throes of defrauding investors. What have they accomplished?
If you stack his successes up against his failures he's still a net win for humanity. A big net win. Even if he got rich doing it. Even if you don't like him.
Elon Musk isn't as smart as he thinks he is, and the Twitter acquisition demonstrates that. But I'll take bets*: a hundred bucks says Twitter will still be solvent in a year, another hundred says it will be profitable in two**. History will have to judge if it was a net will for human flourishing, but there's ample evidenceâflawed as the platform is so farâthat that's the case.
*Up to a maximum of 3 takers. Loser writes a check to the charity of the winner's choice.
**Provided Twitter stays unregulated by any agency that can dictate content moderation and that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act stays intact. If it becomes a politically neutral free-speech platform I'm betting it will thrive.
I think you are misundestanding me here. I agree he has contributed a lot as well. I don't think the credit is ascribed properly - he knew where to throw money for result and return (not a trivial skill). He's not an engineer or coder or architect of any kind, but that doesn't diminish his accomplishments, just clarifying and being contrary to the din of him being a 'real life tony stark'. I don't dislike him because he's rich, I dislike him because he's dishonest, transphobic, narcissistic, arrogant, lacks empathy, is a lousy father, doesn't understand the role that luck has had in his success (would we know him if his father didn't have an emerald mine?), and any number of other reasons. Unfortunately, some of this comes with the territory of being a billionaire, but a lot of others either hide it or keep it down better. I don't dislike him because he's rich, I dislike him because he's a grade a asshole.
I don't get the cult of personality that surrounds him, but I don't get that same thing about many others. I am amazed that with all that he does (he seriously does haves a lot going on), that he still finds the time and energy to be such a douchebag. It makes me wonder if he actively works at it - which would make him an even bigger douchebag.
I'd pass on your first bet, but I'd probably take the second if we could agree on what 'profitable' is. I would only do that if you would bet me another hundred that it will not have a be worth anywhere near 44 billion dollars in five years (again we would have to somehow agree on valuations, but that's not really the point). I'm still not sure if it was a smart investment, but that's mostly because it's private, we don't know who's money it really is, and we don't know the end goal - it may not have been for profit.
Yes, obviously he should lose his professorship in the English department of the small liberal arts college he works at.
Oops, I thought for a moment he was in a position where credentials are everything and accomplishments mean nothing. Never mind.
And if someone who has created as much wealth as he has (not just for him, but for a huge number of people) and advanced useful technologies at such an astonishing pace was an illegal alien that says an awful lot about our immigration laws, doesn't it?
Comrade Lazy 8, This comes across as a whataboutism argument.
It suggests folks of Great Stature and Great Accomplishment should not be subject to the same degree of scrutiny as others.
BTW, your support for the US welfare state has been noted Comrade Lazy8. Same for your support for lies and misinformation.
Fauciâs resignation should not prevent a full-throated investigation into the origins of the pandemic. He must be required to testify under oath regarding any discussions he participated in concerning the Wuhan lab leak. His policies destroyed lives. https://t.co/DTYKc6nL8G
.....
Elon Musk isn't as smart as he thinks he is, and the Twitter acquisition demonstrates that. But I'll take bets*: a hundred bucks says Twitter will still be solvent in a year, another hundred says it will be profitable in two**. History will have to judge if it was a net will for human flourishing, but there's ample evidenceâflawed as the platform is so farâthat that's the case.
*Up to a maximum of 3 takers. Loser writes a check to the charity of the winner's choice.
**Provided Twitter stays unregulated by any agency that can dictate content moderation and that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act stays intact. If it becomes a politically neutral free-speech platform I'm betting it will thrive.
Not interested in taking the bet (because I honestly have no idea) but would be most interested in hearing why you believe Twitter will thrive under Musk's leadership.
For all the good he has done (mostly buying the right companies and financing the right technologies) I'm seriously surprised he has the time/energy/inclination to still be a giant douchebag. Creating a lot of wealth doesn't mean you are a good person. In fact there is some evidence to the contrary depending on the methods.
There are a half dozen private space ventures out there, not counting Spacex. What have they accomplished?
There are piles of electric car companies, mostly bankrupt or still in the final throes of defrauding investors. What have they accomplished?
If you stack his successes up against his failures he's still a net win for humanity. A big net win. Even if he got rich doing it. Even if you don't like him.
Elon Musk isn't as smart as he thinks he is, and the Twitter acquisition demonstrates that. But I'll take bets*: a hundred bucks says Twitter will still be solvent in a year, another hundred says it will be profitable in two**. History will have to judge if it was a net win for human flourishing, but there's ample evidenceâflawed as the platform is so farâthat that's the case.
*Up to a maximum of 3 takers. Loser writes a check to the charity of the winner's choice.
**Provided Twitter stays unregulated by any agency that can dictate content moderation and that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act stays intact. If it becomes a politically neutral free-speech platform I'm betting it will thrive.
Life is way too short, D!
