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Celerity
Celerity's Journal
Celerity's Journal
April 13, 2022
In his third bid for the legislature, John Boyd switched parties; lawsuit claims right to not be associated with him.
https://www.thepitchkc.com/democrats-file-suit-to-keep-two-time-republican-candidate-off-ballot-for-missouri-house-seat/
Democrats want to kick a candidate off the ballot in the race for a Kansas City-area Missouri House seat, claiming the Grandview man who filed in the 36th District contest is actually “a longtime Republican and vocal opponent of the Democratic Party.”
John D. Boyd Jr. filed for the seat on Feb. 22 after paying the $100 fee to Democratic Party. He has run twice in the district as a Republican, taking 40.9% against an incumbent in 2018 and 42.9% in the general election for an open seat in 2020. Boyd was also a candidate for mayor of Grandview in the April 2021 election, taking 23.7% of the vote in the nonpartisan election.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Cole County, claims the party has First Amendment and 14th Amendment rights of association and that the 36th Democratic House District Committee voted unanimously not to be associated with Boyd.
Along with a history of running as a Republican and making minor contributions to Republican committees, Boyd also “has at least twice had full orders of protection entered against him (and) has a history of not paying his taxes…”
snip
MAGAt dirty tricks: fake Dem disruptor alert (a 2 time Rethug candidate, running as a Dem)
Democrats file suit to keep two-time Republican candidate off ballot for Missouri House seatIn his third bid for the legislature, John Boyd switched parties; lawsuit claims right to not be associated with him.
https://www.thepitchkc.com/democrats-file-suit-to-keep-two-time-republican-candidate-off-ballot-for-missouri-house-seat/
Democrats want to kick a candidate off the ballot in the race for a Kansas City-area Missouri House seat, claiming the Grandview man who filed in the 36th District contest is actually “a longtime Republican and vocal opponent of the Democratic Party.”
John D. Boyd Jr. filed for the seat on Feb. 22 after paying the $100 fee to Democratic Party. He has run twice in the district as a Republican, taking 40.9% against an incumbent in 2018 and 42.9% in the general election for an open seat in 2020. Boyd was also a candidate for mayor of Grandview in the April 2021 election, taking 23.7% of the vote in the nonpartisan election.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Cole County, claims the party has First Amendment and 14th Amendment rights of association and that the 36th Democratic House District Committee voted unanimously not to be associated with Boyd.
Along with a history of running as a Republican and making minor contributions to Republican committees, Boyd also “has at least twice had full orders of protection entered against him (and) has a history of not paying his taxes…”
snip
April 13, 2022
https://www.ft.com/content/b075001b-5cab-4641-a483-f3e470953166
https://archive.ph/96zKD
US consumer price growth surpassed 8 per cent in March, its fastest pace since 1981 following a surge in the cost of energy and food, maintaining pressure on the Federal Reserve to take aggressive action to tackle inflation.
The consumer price index increased 8.5 per cent last month compared with a year ago, marginally above Wall Street’s expectations, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Tuesday. The monthly rise was 1.2 per cent, the fastest jump since September 2005 and a sharp acceleration from the 0.8 per cent increase recorded in February.
Once volatile items such as food and energy are stripped out, “core” CPI advanced 0.3 per cent in March. That was the slowest rise since September, but still translated to a 6.5 per cent annual increase.
Lael Brainard, a Fed governor awaiting Senate confirmation to be the next vice-chair, warned of “upside” risks to inflation, citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — which is fuelling energy and food costs — and new Covid-19 lockdowns in China that could worsen supply chain constraints. “The economy has sustained now a number of these kinds of inflationary shocks from external events,” she said at a Wall Street Journal event. “We’ve seen a lot of resilience but we’ve also seen very high inflation.”
snip
US inflation hits 8.5% after surge in energy and food prices
Top Fed official warns of ‘upside’ risk to price growth due to war in Ukraine and Chinese lockdownshttps://www.ft.com/content/b075001b-5cab-4641-a483-f3e470953166
https://archive.ph/96zKD
US consumer price growth surpassed 8 per cent in March, its fastest pace since 1981 following a surge in the cost of energy and food, maintaining pressure on the Federal Reserve to take aggressive action to tackle inflation.
The consumer price index increased 8.5 per cent last month compared with a year ago, marginally above Wall Street’s expectations, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Tuesday. The monthly rise was 1.2 per cent, the fastest jump since September 2005 and a sharp acceleration from the 0.8 per cent increase recorded in February.
Once volatile items such as food and energy are stripped out, “core” CPI advanced 0.3 per cent in March. That was the slowest rise since September, but still translated to a 6.5 per cent annual increase.
Lael Brainard, a Fed governor awaiting Senate confirmation to be the next vice-chair, warned of “upside” risks to inflation, citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — which is fuelling energy and food costs — and new Covid-19 lockdowns in China that could worsen supply chain constraints. “The economy has sustained now a number of these kinds of inflationary shocks from external events,” she said at a Wall Street Journal event. “We’ve seen a lot of resilience but we’ve also seen very high inflation.”
snip
April 13, 2022
Columbia University is again requiring its students to mask up in classrooms, with public health experts urging caution as COVID-19 case numbers climb across the U.S.
The university's head of COVID-19 protocols over the weekend announced the change, citing increased infections in the local area. The disease's resurgence in New York City after cases had fallen sharply earlier this year was punctuated on Sunday when Mayor Eric Adams tested positive for the virus.
The virus is also flaring elsewhere around the U.S. More than two dozen states across the country reported a jump in cases over the last eight days, although hospitalizations and deaths have not seen a commensurate rise. Nearly 1 million Americans have died of COVID-19, with an average of 500 people succumbing to the disease every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Philadelphia revives mask mandate as COVID-19 cases surge
As of Monday, Columbia is requiring that students wear non-cloth masks in classrooms, according to a student-run news site. The mask mandate, which will remain in place through the remainder of the spring semester, applies to all students, but not to professors, for whom masks are optional.
snip
Mask mandates return as COVID-19 cases rise across U.S.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mask-mandate-ba2-omicron-covid-19-cases-rise/Columbia University is again requiring its students to mask up in classrooms, with public health experts urging caution as COVID-19 case numbers climb across the U.S.
The university's head of COVID-19 protocols over the weekend announced the change, citing increased infections in the local area. The disease's resurgence in New York City after cases had fallen sharply earlier this year was punctuated on Sunday when Mayor Eric Adams tested positive for the virus.
The virus is also flaring elsewhere around the U.S. More than two dozen states across the country reported a jump in cases over the last eight days, although hospitalizations and deaths have not seen a commensurate rise. Nearly 1 million Americans have died of COVID-19, with an average of 500 people succumbing to the disease every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Philadelphia revives mask mandate as COVID-19 cases surge
As of Monday, Columbia is requiring that students wear non-cloth masks in classrooms, according to a student-run news site. The mask mandate, which will remain in place through the remainder of the spring semester, applies to all students, but not to professors, for whom masks are optional.
snip
April 12, 2022
https://archive.ph/exMna
snip
It’s been clear for quite a while now that red America and blue America are becoming like two different countries claiming the same territory, with two different versions of the Constitution, economics, and American history. But Babel is not a story about tribalism; it’s a story about the fragmentation of everything. It’s about the shattering of all that had seemed solid, the scattering of people who had been a community. It’s a metaphor for what is happening not only between red and blue, but within the left and within the right, as well as within universities, companies, professional associations, museums, and even families. Babel is a metaphor for what some forms of social media have done to nearly all of the groups and institutions most important to the country’s future—and to us as a people. How did this happen? And what does it portend for American life?
The Rise of the Modern Tower
There is a direction to history and it is toward cooperation at larger scales. We see this trend in biological evolution, in the series of “major transitions” through which multicellular organisms first appeared and then developed new symbiotic relationships. We see it in cultural evolution too, as Robert Wright explained in his 1999 book, Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny. Wright showed that history involves a series of transitions, driven by rising population density plus new technologies (writing, roads, the printing press) that created new possibilities for mutually beneficial trade and learning. Zero-sum conflicts—such as the wars of religion that arose as the printing press spread heretical ideas across Europe—were better thought of as temporary setbacks, and sometimes even integral to progress. (Those wars of religion, he argued, made possible the transition to modern nation-states with better-informed citizens.) President Bill Clinton praised Nonzero’s optimistic portrayal of a more cooperative future thanks to continued technological advance.
The early internet of the 1990s, with its chat rooms, message boards, and email, exemplified the Nonzero thesis, as did the first wave of social-media platforms, which launched around 2003. Myspace, Friendster, and Facebook made it easy to connect with friends and strangers to talk about common interests, for free, and at a scale never before imaginable. By 2008, Facebook had emerged as the dominant platform, with more than 100 million monthly users, on its way to roughly 3 billion today. In the first decade of the new century, social media was widely believed to be a boon to democracy. What dictator could impose his will on an interconnected citizenry? What regime could build a wall to keep out the internet?
The high point of techno-democratic optimism was arguably 2011, a year that began with the Arab Spring and ended with the global Occupy movement. That is also when Google Translate became available on virtually all smartphones, so you could say that 2011 was the year that humanity rebuilt the Tower of Babel. We were closer than we had ever been to being “one people,” and we had effectively overcome the curse of division by language. For techno-democratic optimists, it seemed to be only the beginning of what humanity could do.
snip
Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid: It's not just a phase.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/social-media-democracy-trust-babel/629369/https://archive.ph/exMna
snip
It’s been clear for quite a while now that red America and blue America are becoming like two different countries claiming the same territory, with two different versions of the Constitution, economics, and American history. But Babel is not a story about tribalism; it’s a story about the fragmentation of everything. It’s about the shattering of all that had seemed solid, the scattering of people who had been a community. It’s a metaphor for what is happening not only between red and blue, but within the left and within the right, as well as within universities, companies, professional associations, museums, and even families. Babel is a metaphor for what some forms of social media have done to nearly all of the groups and institutions most important to the country’s future—and to us as a people. How did this happen? And what does it portend for American life?
The Rise of the Modern Tower
There is a direction to history and it is toward cooperation at larger scales. We see this trend in biological evolution, in the series of “major transitions” through which multicellular organisms first appeared and then developed new symbiotic relationships. We see it in cultural evolution too, as Robert Wright explained in his 1999 book, Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny. Wright showed that history involves a series of transitions, driven by rising population density plus new technologies (writing, roads, the printing press) that created new possibilities for mutually beneficial trade and learning. Zero-sum conflicts—such as the wars of religion that arose as the printing press spread heretical ideas across Europe—were better thought of as temporary setbacks, and sometimes even integral to progress. (Those wars of religion, he argued, made possible the transition to modern nation-states with better-informed citizens.) President Bill Clinton praised Nonzero’s optimistic portrayal of a more cooperative future thanks to continued technological advance.
The early internet of the 1990s, with its chat rooms, message boards, and email, exemplified the Nonzero thesis, as did the first wave of social-media platforms, which launched around 2003. Myspace, Friendster, and Facebook made it easy to connect with friends and strangers to talk about common interests, for free, and at a scale never before imaginable. By 2008, Facebook had emerged as the dominant platform, with more than 100 million monthly users, on its way to roughly 3 billion today. In the first decade of the new century, social media was widely believed to be a boon to democracy. What dictator could impose his will on an interconnected citizenry? What regime could build a wall to keep out the internet?
The high point of techno-democratic optimism was arguably 2011, a year that began with the Arab Spring and ended with the global Occupy movement. That is also when Google Translate became available on virtually all smartphones, so you could say that 2011 was the year that humanity rebuilt the Tower of Babel. We were closer than we had ever been to being “one people,” and we had effectively overcome the curse of division by language. For techno-democratic optimists, it seemed to be only the beginning of what humanity could do.
snip
April 11, 2022
Russian go-kart champion Artem Severiukhin performed a Nazi salute on the podium after winning a race in Portugal over the weekend. The 15-year-old finished first in the opening race of the European Karting Championship in Portimao on Sunday.
But as he stood on the podium during the post-race ceremony, Severiukhin tapped his chest and held out his right arm while the Italian national anthem was being played.
Severiukhin then laughed moments after performing the gesture, which was also used during the reign of Italy’s fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the FIA, motorsport’s governing body, allows Russian drivers to still compete at events but Russia’s flag cannot be displayed, while the national anthem cannot be played during the post-race ceremonies. As a result, Severiukhin raced under Italy’s flag during Sunday’s event in Portugal.
snip
Russian go-karting champion does Nazi salute on podium then giggles like a child
https://metro.co.uk/2022/04/11/russian-go-karting-champion-laughs-after-doing-a-nazi-salute-on-podium-16443528/Russian go-kart champion Artem Severiukhin performed a Nazi salute on the podium after winning a race in Portugal over the weekend. The 15-year-old finished first in the opening race of the European Karting Championship in Portimao on Sunday.
But as he stood on the podium during the post-race ceremony, Severiukhin tapped his chest and held out his right arm while the Italian national anthem was being played.
Severiukhin then laughed moments after performing the gesture, which was also used during the reign of Italy’s fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the FIA, motorsport’s governing body, allows Russian drivers to still compete at events but Russia’s flag cannot be displayed, while the national anthem cannot be played during the post-race ceremonies. As a result, Severiukhin raced under Italy’s flag during Sunday’s event in Portugal.
snip
April 11, 2022
https://www.thedailybeast.com/buffalo-police-officers-caught-shoving-75-year-old-george-floyd-protester-martin-gugino-cleared-of-wrongdoing
A pair of Buffalo police officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing over a June 2020 incident in which they were filmed pushing a 75-year-old man to the ground during a racial justice protest.
The septuagenarian, Martin Gugino, hit his head on the concrete and spent roughly a month in the hospital recovering from skull and brain injuries.
On Sunday, local outlets the Buffalo News and Nexstar affiliate WIVB reported that Buffalo Police Department officers Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe wouldn’t be facing any excessive-force charges over the incident. “Upon review,” arbitrator Jeffrey Selchick wrote in a Friday ruling, “there is no evidence to sustain any claim that Respondents (police officers) had any other viable options other than to move Gugino out of the way of their forward movement.”
The arbitrator maintained that Gugino had been acting erratically and refusing to obey the officers, who were clearing the area of demonstrators, according to the Associated Press. The city’s police commissioner said that Torgalski and McCabe, who were suspended without pay and arrested shortly after a video of the incident surfaced online, would be reinstated to duty on Monday.
Read it at Associated Press
fucking coppers skate again
Buffalo Cops Caught Shoving 75-Year-Old BLM Protester Cleared of Wrongdoing
https://www.thedailybeast.com/buffalo-police-officers-caught-shoving-75-year-old-george-floyd-protester-martin-gugino-cleared-of-wrongdoing
A pair of Buffalo police officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing over a June 2020 incident in which they were filmed pushing a 75-year-old man to the ground during a racial justice protest.
The septuagenarian, Martin Gugino, hit his head on the concrete and spent roughly a month in the hospital recovering from skull and brain injuries.
On Sunday, local outlets the Buffalo News and Nexstar affiliate WIVB reported that Buffalo Police Department officers Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe wouldn’t be facing any excessive-force charges over the incident. “Upon review,” arbitrator Jeffrey Selchick wrote in a Friday ruling, “there is no evidence to sustain any claim that Respondents (police officers) had any other viable options other than to move Gugino out of the way of their forward movement.”
The arbitrator maintained that Gugino had been acting erratically and refusing to obey the officers, who were clearing the area of demonstrators, according to the Associated Press. The city’s police commissioner said that Torgalski and McCabe, who were suspended without pay and arrested shortly after a video of the incident surfaced online, would be reinstated to duty on Monday.
Read it at Associated Press
fucking coppers skate again
April 11, 2022
BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON - April 11 (Reuters) - Senior officials at the European Commission were targeted last year with spy software designed by an Israeli surveillance firm, according to two EU officials and documentation reviewed by Reuters.
Among them was Didier Reynders, a senior Belgian statesman who has served as the European Justice Commissioner since 2019, according to one of the documents. At least four other commission staffers were also targeted, according to the document and another person familiar with the matter. The two EU officials confirmed that staffers at the commission had been targeted but did not provide details.
The commission became aware of the targeting following messages issued by Apple to thousands of iPhone owners in November telling them they were "targeted by state-sponsored attackers," the two EU officials said. It was the first time Apple had sent a mass alert to users that they were in government hackers' crosshairs.
The warnings triggered immediate concern at the commission, the two officials said. In a Nov. 26 email reviewed by Reuters, a senior tech staffer sent a message to colleagues with background about Israeli hacking tools and a request to be on the lookout for additional warnings from Apple.
snip
Exclusive: Senior EU officials were targeted with Israeli spyware
https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-senior-eu-officials-were-targeted-with-israeli-spyware-sources-2022-04-11/BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON - April 11 (Reuters) - Senior officials at the European Commission were targeted last year with spy software designed by an Israeli surveillance firm, according to two EU officials and documentation reviewed by Reuters.
Among them was Didier Reynders, a senior Belgian statesman who has served as the European Justice Commissioner since 2019, according to one of the documents. At least four other commission staffers were also targeted, according to the document and another person familiar with the matter. The two EU officials confirmed that staffers at the commission had been targeted but did not provide details.
The commission became aware of the targeting following messages issued by Apple to thousands of iPhone owners in November telling them they were "targeted by state-sponsored attackers," the two EU officials said. It was the first time Apple had sent a mass alert to users that they were in government hackers' crosshairs.
The warnings triggered immediate concern at the commission, the two officials said. In a Nov. 26 email reviewed by Reuters, a senior tech staffer sent a message to colleagues with background about Israeli hacking tools and a request to be on the lookout for additional warnings from Apple.
snip
April 11, 2022
https://www.thelocal.se/20220411/explained-how-soon-could-sweden-join-nato/
Sweden's prime minister, Magdalena Andersson visits a Swedish air force base on April 9th. Photo. Johan Nilsson/TT
The decision on whether to submit an application to join Nato is for Sweden’s government to take, not its parliament. This means that until a new government is formed after the September 11th election, the decision lies solely in the hands of the Social Democrats.
A Swedish security policy review is due to be completed “by the end of May”, which some observers predict could act as a trigger for Sweden to join. Parallel to this, the Social Democrats on Monday launched an internal party debate on its security policy, which is due to be completed “by the summer”, which some see as preparing the ground for a membership application.
Historically, there’s been a consensus that a decision on Nato membership must be taken by Sweden and Finland together. Finnish President, Sauli Niinistö, reiterated last week he still believed that the two countries should try to act in concert. “I believe it is important to try and reach the same opinion,” he said. “It is very important that we discuss continually with the Swedish government and Swedish lawmakers.”
However, Finland’s debate has moved faster than Sweden’s, and if it decides to join in the coming weeks, this could accelerate Sweden’s decision. On Monday, The Times newspaper cited unnamed US officials saying that Washington expected Finland’s application in June, with Sweden to follow shortly afterwards.
snip
The far right Sweden Democrats give leader green light to back Nato membership
The leader of the populist Sweden Democrats party has been given a mandate by his party to push for Nato membership, meaning there is now a majority in parliament in favour of joining.
https://www.thelocal.se/20220411/sweden-democrats-empower-leader-to-push-for-nato-membership/
The party called a special meeting of its decision-making committee on Monday morning and shortly after midday, the committee gave Jimmie Åkesson, the party’s leader, a mandate to seek Nato membership for Sweden.
“We are not making this shift in our position without due consideration, but we have been in contact with The Finns, our sister party in Finland, who have also come to the same conclusion,” Aron Emilsson, the party’s foreign policy spokesperson told the Expressen newspaper. “Our assessment is that the timetable presented by the Social Democrats is far too slow.”
Åkesson told the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper’s new political podcast on Sunday that he now believed Sweden should join Nato if Finland decided to do so, something which he predicted could happen within weeks.
“If Finland were to push forward very rapidly — some people are talking about June — that really brings the issue to a crunch,” he said. “Then, in my judgement, we need to start this process as soon as possible.” If Åkesson uses his new mandate to push for Nato membership, it will mean a majority in the Swedish parliament in favour of joining the security organisation for the first time.
snip
Explained: How soon could Sweden apply to join Nato?
With Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin saying on Saturday that her country should make a decision on Nato “this spring", the pressure is on Sweden to do likewise. How likely is it to happen?https://www.thelocal.se/20220411/explained-how-soon-could-sweden-join-nato/
Sweden's prime minister, Magdalena Andersson visits a Swedish air force base on April 9th. Photo. Johan Nilsson/TT
The decision on whether to submit an application to join Nato is for Sweden’s government to take, not its parliament. This means that until a new government is formed after the September 11th election, the decision lies solely in the hands of the Social Democrats.
A Swedish security policy review is due to be completed “by the end of May”, which some observers predict could act as a trigger for Sweden to join. Parallel to this, the Social Democrats on Monday launched an internal party debate on its security policy, which is due to be completed “by the summer”, which some see as preparing the ground for a membership application.
Historically, there’s been a consensus that a decision on Nato membership must be taken by Sweden and Finland together. Finnish President, Sauli Niinistö, reiterated last week he still believed that the two countries should try to act in concert. “I believe it is important to try and reach the same opinion,” he said. “It is very important that we discuss continually with the Swedish government and Swedish lawmakers.”
However, Finland’s debate has moved faster than Sweden’s, and if it decides to join in the coming weeks, this could accelerate Sweden’s decision. On Monday, The Times newspaper cited unnamed US officials saying that Washington expected Finland’s application in June, with Sweden to follow shortly afterwards.
snip
The far right Sweden Democrats give leader green light to back Nato membership
The leader of the populist Sweden Democrats party has been given a mandate by his party to push for Nato membership, meaning there is now a majority in parliament in favour of joining.
https://www.thelocal.se/20220411/sweden-democrats-empower-leader-to-push-for-nato-membership/
The party called a special meeting of its decision-making committee on Monday morning and shortly after midday, the committee gave Jimmie Åkesson, the party’s leader, a mandate to seek Nato membership for Sweden.
“We are not making this shift in our position without due consideration, but we have been in contact with The Finns, our sister party in Finland, who have also come to the same conclusion,” Aron Emilsson, the party’s foreign policy spokesperson told the Expressen newspaper. “Our assessment is that the timetable presented by the Social Democrats is far too slow.”
Åkesson told the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper’s new political podcast on Sunday that he now believed Sweden should join Nato if Finland decided to do so, something which he predicted could happen within weeks.
“If Finland were to push forward very rapidly — some people are talking about June — that really brings the issue to a crunch,” he said. “Then, in my judgement, we need to start this process as soon as possible.” If Åkesson uses his new mandate to push for Nato membership, it will mean a majority in the Swedish parliament in favour of joining the security organisation for the first time.
snip
April 11, 2022
An incredibly wealthy person quietly accumulated shares in a company some deem undervalued. That investor has gone public with concerns about the firm, questioning everything from its basic revenue model to employee culture, and rejected an offer from the business to join its inner circle and call off the attack.
We’ve seen where such a scenario ends dozens of times over the past decades: The rich shareholder is perfectly positioned to initiate a hostile takeover of a company. And now that’s the reality confronting Twitter TWTR +1.9% after Elon Musk has decided not to take a board seat, a role for him announced with some fanfare last week by CEO Parag Agrawal and founder Jack Dorsey. A day earlier, Musk, the world’s richest person, revealed he’d amassed a 9.2% stake in the company, making him its largest shareholder.
“This now goes from a Cinderella story with Musk joining the Twitter board to likely a Game of Thrones battle between Musk and Twitter,” says Dan Ives, a Wedbush analyst who covers Tesla TSLA -3.8%, one of two companies Musk runs. (SpaceX is the other.)
What happened? Over the weekend, Musk took to Twitter to throw out a number of suggestions for changing Twitter. Musk suggested Twitter could change nascent plans around its subscription product, Twitter Blue, and seemed to advocate for eliminating ads, which account for nearly all of Twitter’s $3.7 billion in annual revenue. Further, Musk threw out ideas for Twitter’s headquarters (convert it to a homeless shelter) and even the company name (drop the “w” to turn it into a sophomoric joke). When Musk talks, he reaches an incredibly wide audience: He has over 81 million followers on Twitter, making one of the most closely watched people on the app.
snip
Elon Musk Is Poised For A Hostile Takeover Against Twitter
https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2022/04/11/elon-musk-is-poised-for-a-hostile-takeover-against-twitter/?sh=f93287974bedAn incredibly wealthy person quietly accumulated shares in a company some deem undervalued. That investor has gone public with concerns about the firm, questioning everything from its basic revenue model to employee culture, and rejected an offer from the business to join its inner circle and call off the attack.
We’ve seen where such a scenario ends dozens of times over the past decades: The rich shareholder is perfectly positioned to initiate a hostile takeover of a company. And now that’s the reality confronting Twitter TWTR +1.9% after Elon Musk has decided not to take a board seat, a role for him announced with some fanfare last week by CEO Parag Agrawal and founder Jack Dorsey. A day earlier, Musk, the world’s richest person, revealed he’d amassed a 9.2% stake in the company, making him its largest shareholder.
“This now goes from a Cinderella story with Musk joining the Twitter board to likely a Game of Thrones battle between Musk and Twitter,” says Dan Ives, a Wedbush analyst who covers Tesla TSLA -3.8%, one of two companies Musk runs. (SpaceX is the other.)
What happened? Over the weekend, Musk took to Twitter to throw out a number of suggestions for changing Twitter. Musk suggested Twitter could change nascent plans around its subscription product, Twitter Blue, and seemed to advocate for eliminating ads, which account for nearly all of Twitter’s $3.7 billion in annual revenue. Further, Musk threw out ideas for Twitter’s headquarters (convert it to a homeless shelter) and even the company name (drop the “w” to turn it into a sophomoric joke). When Musk talks, he reaches an incredibly wide audience: He has over 81 million followers on Twitter, making one of the most closely watched people on the app.
snip
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: London
Home country: US/UK/Sweden
Current location: Stockholm, Sweden
Member since: Sun Jul 1, 2018, 07:25 PM
Number of posts: 43,771
