Elon Musk admits his $44 billion X takeover 'may fail, as so many have predicted'

Published

10 months ago

August 22, 2023

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Elon Musk has acknowledged that his $44 billion takeover of X may fail — a stark admission that came as he faced fresh public outrage over a decision to eliminate the social media sites block feature.

Musk commented on Xs uncertain future came even as Threads, the rival text-based social media platform launched by Mark Zuckerbergs Meta last month, prepared to roll out a web version in its latest effort to lure users.

The sad truth is that there are no great social networks right now, Musk said. We may fail, as so many have predicted, but we will try our best to make there be at least one.

The X owner, who is worth an estimated $225.5 billion, infuriated users last Friday by revealing they would no longer be allowed to block accounts, except in the case of direct messages.

Musk argued that the block feature makes no sense and said users would have to make do with simply muting accounts from appearing on their timeline.

The move triggered immediate pushback, with Monica Lewinsky among those who urged Musk and X CEO Linda Yaccarino to reconsider nixing the feature.

The sad truth is that there are no great social networks right now.

We may fail, as so many have predicted, but we will try our best to make there be at least one.

Please rethink removing the block feature. as an anti-bullying activist (and target of harassment) i can assure you its a critical tool to keep people safe online, Lewinsky said.

Despite his apparent doubts about Xs future success, Musk poked fun at users who had raised a stink about his decision to get rid of the block function.

Pretty fun blocking people who complain that blocking is going away. How does the medicine taste? Musk wrote on Sunday.

The criticism was one of the multiple headaches that emerged for X over the weekend.

On Saturday, a glitch on Xs platform caused pictures and videos that were uploaded to Twitter prior to 2015 to disappear from the site.

One of the pictures to be temporarily erased was comedians Ellen DeGeneres famous selfie from the 2014 Oscars alongside Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Meryl Steep. That image was later restored, though the glitch appeared to persist for other media.

“More vandalism from @elonmusk,” said user Tom Coates, who was among the first to flag the issue. “Twitter has now removed all media posted before 2014. Thats – so far – almost a decade of pictures and videos from the early 2000s removed from the service.”

Separately, a report from Mashable revealed that 42% of Musks roughly 153 million followers had zero followers of their own. More than 100 million accounts that follow Musk have tweeted fewer than 10 times.

More vandalism from @elonmusk. Twitter has now removed all media posted before 2014. Thats – so far – almost a decade of pictures and videos from the early 2000s removed from the service.

For example, heres a search of my media tweets from before 2014. https://t.co/FU6K34oqmA

The data suggests that many of Musks followers have inactive accounts — and raised the possibility that some could be bots. The billionaire famously vowed to eliminate all bots from Twitter as part of his plans to rejuvenate the site.

Meanwhile, Zuckerbergs plan to roll out a web version of Threads added additional pressure on X. While Threads has lost more than half of its user base since its debut, it is still considered the most significant challenge to date for Musks platform.

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri confirmed on Friday that Threads web version was close to a debut.

Its a little bit buggy right now, you dont want it just yet, Mosseri said. As soon as it is ready, we will share it with everybody else.

If X were to fail at some point, it would mark one of the costliest business disasters in history. Musk was forced to sell off a significant chunk of Tesla stock to fund the $44 billion deal.

Earlier this month, Yaccarino claimed that X is close to breaking even from a revenue perspective following Musks extensive cost-cutting measures, including mass layoffs.

Politics

Reform candidate resigns over ‘unacceptable’ social media comments

Published

39 mins ago

June 17, 2024

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Reform candidate resigns over 'unacceptable' social media comments

The Reform Party has accepted the resignation of one of its election candidates after “unacceptable” historical social media comments came to light.

Grant StClair-Armstrong, who was standing in Saffron Walden, the Essex constituency where Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch was the most recent MP, tendered his resignation following reports in The Times that he had previously called on people to vote for the British National Party (BNP).

The newspaper reported that StClair-Armstrong posted a blog in 2010 in which he said: “I could weep now, every time I pick up a British newspaper and read the latest about the state of the UK. No doubt, Enoch Powell would be doing the same if he was alive. My solution … vote BNP!”

When The Times contacted Mr StClair-Armstrong about the comments, he said he had “no excuses”.

“I’ve got no excuses for that,” he said. “I think they’re a disgusting party. I don’t like the English Defence League. I don’t like them.”

Election latest: Pub registered as political party; Farage to launch Reform manifesto in Wales

The former candidate also said he would hand in his resignation, adding: “I don’t really see any alternative.”

A spokesperson for Reform told Sky News: “Mr StClair-Armstrong has tendered his resignation as a member of Reform UK due to the revelation of unacceptable historic social media comments and we have accepted his resignation.”

His resignation comes just a day before Nigel Farage is due to launch the party’s policies in South Wales on Monday afternoon.

Last week another Reform candidate apologised for an old internet post which said Britain should have “taken Hitler up on his offer of neutrality” instead of fighting the Nazis in the Second World War.

Ian Gribbin, who is standing in the East Sussex seat of Bexhill and Battle, told Sky News that he apologised and withdrew the comments “unreservedly”.

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He added that he was “upset” at how they had been “taken out of context”, saying his mother was the daughter of Russian Jewish people who fled persecution.

Rishi Sunak surprised his opponents when he called an election for 4 July, having previously hinted it would take place later in the autumn.

Responding to Mr Gribbin’s case at the time, Mr Farage said his party “ran out of time” to properly vet candidates.

The Reform leader claimed all parties “will suffer” from selection controversies because of the speed at which they had to pick people after the election was called.

The candidates standing in Saffron Walden are:

Conservatives – Kemi Badenoch
Independent – Erik Bonino
Green Party – Edward Gildea
Independent – Andrew David Green
Independent – Niko Omilana
Liberal Democrats – Smita Rajesh
Labour Party – Issy Waite
Reform – TBC

The candidates standing in Bexhill and Battle are:

Independent – Abul Azad
Labour – Christine Bayliss
Reform UK – Ian Gribbin
Independent Network – Nigel Jacklin
Liberal Democrat – Becky Jones
Green Party – Jonathan Kent
Party of Women – Julia Long
Conservative – Kieran Mullan
Independent – Jeff Newman
UK Independence Party – Colin Sullivan

UK

Euro 2024: A new-look England and another moment for Jude Bellingham to shine

Published

39 mins ago

June 17, 2024

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Euro 2024: A new-look England and another moment for Jude Bellingham to shine

No Euros game on record has had as few shots as England’s clash with Serbia.

But one of those 11 shots was enough for Jude Bellingham to seize on – heading in Bukayo Saka’s cross after 13 minutes. And it was just enough for England.

Whatever the second-half anxiety, a 1-0 win put England in control of their group thanks to Slovenia and Denmark drawing 1-1 in their opener.

A win and two-point cushion seems more important for Bellingham than any grumbling about the display.

“The first half shows why we can score goals against any team, and the second half shows why we can keep a clean sheet against any team,” Bellingham said.

“I think obviously commonly with the team, there’s a negative theme around all our games – sometimes rightly so.

“But I think in this case, you take the positives from the fact that, OK, maybe we had to hold on at times and suffer a little bit, but we kept a clean sheet.

“And when you keep a clean sheet, all you have to do is go one goal to win the game.”

It was anxious as Serbia regained the initiative in the second half and left England scrambling to protect the slender lead.

But Gareth Southgate has now won all four opening tournament matches as England manager while still waiting to end a tournament with a win – and a trophy.

This is a new-look England – with only half of the squad retained from the last tournament and the run to the World Cup quarterfinals in 2022.

Bellingham said: “This team is still so new, gelling together with every game.

“So, I think inside the changing room we will be happy with that of course.

“There will be negatives that we want to kind of rub out. But overall, I’m pleased with that performance.”

For Bellingham individually, this was another moment to shine being named player of the match after making an immediate impact on another major football stage.

More renditions of “Hey Jude” from the England fans in Gelsenkirchen, affection he tries to reciprocate by putting everything into energetic displays.

And the big reveal from Bellingham?

“I listen to the Beatles a lot,” he said. “My style of music is a bit old. So that’s right up my street.”

A wise head on a young body, it is easy to forget he is still only 20 – and already a Champions League and LaLiga winner with Real Madrid.

What will it take to give the England men their first trophy since the 1966 World Cup?

“I realise that in every game I feel like I can make an impact,” he said after collecting the player of the match award.

“I feel like I can decide games… and the truth is that I really enjoy playing football. So when I go out there, I play with a fearlessness because I love doing it so much. It’s a release for me.

“And it’s my favourite thing to do in the world. So when I play out, it’s not much of a job. It feels like a pleasure.”

UK

‘Brazen and fearless’: Handguns hidden in children’s underwear drawer among hundreds of firearms seized in London

Published

39 mins ago

June 17, 2024

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Three handguns hidden in a children’s underwear drawer were among 386 illegal firearms seized across London last year.

The Metropolitan Police says its blitz has led to a record drop in gun crime, which is at its lowest level in 15 years.

Firearms offences have been cut from 196 to 145 since March 2023, while shooting murders are down from 12 in 2021/22 to eight in 2023/24.

But despite the highest detection rate for 11 years – some 52% of criminals responsible for shootings were prosecuted last year – the force is still failing to solve almost half.

No arrests have been made after a drive-by shooting in Dalston, east London, last month left four people injured, including a nine-year-old girl, who remains in critical condition in hospital.

Commander Paul Brogden said the majority of shootings in the capital involve gangs but “wholly innocent victims” like her can “be caught in the crossfire”.

Tyrese Miller, 22, was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity on 4 April last year while he was on his way home after a night out with friends in Croydon, south London. Three men were later convicted in connection with the shooting.

“I worry that if this can happen to Tyrese, it can happen to anyone,” his mother, Jackie Taylor, said.

“No mother should have to bury their son like I have. What happened to Tyrese has changed all of us. None of us will ever really come to terms with what has happened.”

Police say that while “not as easy as ordering a pizza”, those involved in criminal networks are able to readily access firearms to control drugs markets and territory or enforce debts.

Some of the weapons are smuggled into the country by ferry or the mail system, but gang members are increasingly relying on converted blank-firing guns.

They are sold for legitimate pursuits such as drama and farming for as little as £100 but sold on for thousands of pounds once converted to fire real bullets.

A total of 386 illegal firearms were seized by the Met last year, with 46% of the pistols converted from blank-firing guns, while 3D-printed weapons are yet to make a real impact on London’s streets.

Police say the “brazen and fearless” possession of lethal weapons was demonstrated by Danny Butler, the 44-year-old armourer to a south London gang.

He was jailed for 18 years after officers found six guns, as well as a large amount of ammunition and Class A and B drugs, at the home he shared with his wife and three daughters – including an 18-month-old.

Three handguns, one of which was loaded, were among the weapons discovered in his children’s underwear drawer.

Another pistol and a pump action sawn-off shotgun were found in his wardrobe, while a second sawn-off shotgun was discovered in the coat cupboard.

The Met says victims of gang shootings are often reluctant to engage with police, looking to take their own retribution, and that “today’s victim could be tomorrow’s suspect”.

“Guns destroy lives and communities. The recent shootings in parts of London are a sad reminder that there is still work for us to do when it comes to cracking down on illegal firearms,” said Commander Brogden.

“Our progress should serve as a message to criminals and gang members using firearms – we will come after you, and we will bring you to justice.”