Elon Musk - The African Mirror

Feb

2024

Judge voids Elon Musk’s ‘unfathomable’ $56 billion Tesla pay package

A Delaware judge tossed out Elon Musk's record-breaking $56 billion Tesla pay package, calling the compensation granted by the EV maker's board "an unfathomable sum" that was unfair to shareholders. Shares of Tesla dropped about 2% in premarket trade, and some investors seized on the ruling in hopes it might prompt Tesla to overhaul its governance. The Tesla board has been criticized as failing to provide oversight of its combative, headline-making CEO, who has fought regulators and led several other companies at the same time. The ruling, which can be appealed, nullifies the largest pay package in corporate America. The judge found the…

Jul

2023

By KATIE PAUL

Meta takes aim at Twitter with Threads app, millions join

NEWS

META Platforms launched a direct challenge to Twitter with Threads, garnering millions of users in hours as it sought to take advantage of its rival's much-weakened state after a series of chaotic decisions from owner Elon Musk. Those quick to join the new platform included celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez as well as prominent politicians such as Democratic U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. "Let's do this. Welcome to Threads," Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in his first post on the app, along with a fire emoji. He said the app logged 10 million sign-ups in seven hours. He…

Jun

2023

By MARTIN QUIN POLLARD

Elon Musk greeted with flattery and feasts during China trip

WORLD

BILLIONAIRE Elon Musk was showered with praise during a trip to China this week, with people on social media calling him "a pioneer", "Brother Ma" and "a global idol" while the CEO of Tesla, Twitter, SpaceX and other companies also met in person with three government ministers. Since landing in Beijing on Tuesday, Musk has met with China's foreign, commerce and industry ministers and has dined with Zeng Yuqun, chairman of top battery supplier CATL. Little is known of those conversations. The industry ministry only said Musk and its head exchanged views about the development of electric vehicles and connected…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Only verified accounts can vote in Twitter polls from April 15, says Musk

WORLD

ELON Musk said only verified Twitter accounts would be eligible to vote in polls starting April 15, a move that the social media company's CEO believes will address advanced AI bot swarms. Starting April 15th, only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations.The is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle.Voting in polls will require verification for same reason.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 27, 2023 Musk also said only verified accounts will be eligible to be in Twitter's For You recommendations, which displays a…

Dec

2022

By The African Mirror

Twitter suspends several journalists, Musk cites ‘doxxing’ of his jet

WORLD

TWITTER suspended the accounts of several prominent journalists who recently wrote about its new owner Elon Musk, with the billionaire tweeting that rules banning the publishing of personal information applied to all, including journalists. Responding to a Tweet on the account suspensions, Musk, who has described himself as a free speech absolutist, tweeted: "Same doxxing rules apply to 'journalists' as to everyone else," a reference to Twitter rules banning the sharing of personal information, called doxxing. Musk's tweet referred to Twitter's Wednesday suspension of @elonjet, an account tracking his private jet in real time using data available in the public domain.…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

Musk warns of Twitter bankruptcy as more senior executives quit

WORLD

KATIE PAUL and PARESH DAVE TWITTER Inc's new owner Elon Musk raised the possibility of the social media platform going bankrupt, capping a chaotic day that included a warning from a U.S. privacy regulator and the exit of the company's trust and safety leader. The billionaire on his first mass call with employees said that he could not rule out bankruptcy, Bloomberg News reported, two weeks after buying it for $44 billion - a deal that credit experts say has left Twitter's finances in a precarious position. Earlier in the day, in his first company-wide email, Musk warned that Twitter…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

Biden says Twitter spews lies across the world

WORLD

U.S. President Joe Biden said that Elon Musk had purchased a social media platform in Twitter that spews lies across the world. Twitter laid off half its workforce on Friday but said cuts were smaller in the team responsible for preventing the spread of misinformation, as advertisers pulled spending amid concerns about content moderation. Biden said at a fundraiser: "And now what are we all worried about: Elon Musk goes out and buys an outfit that sends - that spews lies all across the world... There’s no editors anymore in America. There’s no editors. How do we expect kids to be…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

Twitter temporarily closes offices as layoffs begin

WORLD

SHEILA DANG, KATIE PAUL and MARTIN COULTER TWITTER Inc temporarily closed its offices and cut workers' access to internal systems after telling employees they would be informed by email about whether they were being laid off. The move follows a week of chaos and uncertainty about the company's future under new owner Elon Musk. The social media company said in an email to staff it would tell them by 9 a.m. Pacific time on Friday (12 p.m. EDT/1600 GMT) about staff cuts. "In an effort to place Twitter on a healthy path, we will go through the difficult process of…

Jul

2022

By The African Mirror

Twitter gets fast-tracked Elon Musk trial over $44 billion deal

WORLD

TOM HALS and SHEILA DANG TWITTER Inc will get an October trial in its legal fight to hold Elon Musk to his $44 billion takeover after a Delaware judge said on Tuesday the social media company deserved a quick resolution of the deal's uncertainty. The ruling is a blow to Musk, who pushed for a trial in February to allow for an extensive investigation into his claims that Twitter has misrepresented the number of fake or spam accounts. The question of whether Twitter's user numbers are inflated is core to his contention that he can walk away from the deal. The…

Apr

2022

By The African Mirror

Musk makes $43 billion offer for Twitter to build ‘arena for free speech’

WORLD

UDAY SAMPATH KUMAR and CHAVI MEHTA BILLIONAIRE entrepreneur Elon Musk took aim at Twitter Inc with a $43 billion cash takeover offer, with the Tesla CEO saying the social media company needs to be taken private to grow and become a platform for free speech. "I think it's very important for there to be an inclusive arena for free speech," Musk said at a TED Talk in Vancouver when asked about why he made the bid. Musk, already the San Francisco-based company's second-largest shareholder, made the bid in a letter to Twitter's board on Wednesday. The offer was made public…