Gert BachmannAug 24, 2024
Dan Gillmor

Important story from @MotherJones --

Musk is grossly abusing the legal system to punish public-interest organizations that dare to advise advertisers to avoid his toxic platform.

There are some left-leaning billionaires who (unlike the hypocritical Musk) believe in free speech. One of them needs to pay these orgs' legal fees and help them go on the offensive.

And journalists, why the hell are you still actively supporting someone who is your avowed enemy?

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/08/twitter-x-subpoenas-elon-musk/?utm_source=press.coop

Elon Musk’s lawyers quietly subpoena public interest groups

The billionaire's legal war over lost X advertisers takes a "really cynical" turn.

Mother Jones
Aug 23, 2024 at 6:57pmWeb
Show threadLexiGirlAug 23, 2024

@dangillmor @MotherJones “The company filed in the Northern District of Texas, where it will appear before Judge Reed O’Connor, who holds $15,000 of stock in Tesla, Musk’s other company. (Earlier this week, Media Matters lost its bid to have O’Connor recuse himself.)’”

I’m sorry, what??!?

Show threadTHIS ACCOUNT HAS MOVEDAug 23, 2024
@LexiGirl @dangillmor @MotherJones don't worry, the judge is a Republican
Show threadLexiGirlAug 23, 2024
@noplasticshower @dangillmor @MotherJones oh, that’s totally fine then….🙄
Show threadJanisAug 24, 2024

@LexiGirl @dangillmor @MotherJones

he recused himself, voluntariy. https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/13/24219740/texas-judge-reed-oconnor-tesla-stock-x-antitrust-lawsuit

Texas judge who owns Tesla stock recuses from X’s advertiser lawsuit

Judge Reed O’Connor recused himself from X’s antitrust lawsuit against advertisers after NPR reported on his Tesla stock holdings. But it seems he’s still on another X suit.

The Verge
Show threadPeteAug 23, 2024
@dangillmor @MotherJones journalists are addicted to the endorphin hit of twitter likes. They live in fear of Musk cutting them off twitter.
Show threadTimo GrünAug 23, 2024
@dangillmor @MotherJones
When Musk rants about a “mind virus” perhaps we should take him seriously, but as a projection referring in reality to himself and his ilk rather than as a statement about his opponents. There is something unwell and strangely similar in the mental symptoms of Musk and the whole toxic right he now represents so well.
Show threadsmxiAug 23, 2024
@khoji @dangillmor @MotherJones timo, I've started thinking the same thing. It seems to be a defining characteristic of the modern reactionary right to see themselves in others. We saw it with Trump, the very embodiment of the corrupt swamp, Putin basically defining what his kleptocratic state is when talking about the West and Ukraine. Given Musk actually seems to be being actively consumed by a mind virus this is not far fetched. He's gone from great engineering to bad: cybertruck, twitter.
Show threadxs4me2Aug 23, 2024

@dangillmor @MotherJones

Musk needs to be prosecuted for abuse, because that is what it is…

Show threadTC Won't Give In To LiesAug 23, 2024

@dangillmor @MotherJones
Good god, yes!

How any journalist stays on Twitter is beyond me.

Show threadMr. Bruno Aug 23, 2024
@dangillmor @MotherJones Sounds like #BigMassiveDumps
Show threadmyrmepropagandistAug 23, 2024

@dangillmor @MotherJones

"And journalists, why the hell are you still actively supporting someone who is your avowed enemy?"

I don't think most journalists understand just how much their presence on the platform and their propensity for quoting from it in their writings is a form of MATERIAL support of Elon and X.

They don't know their own power.

Show threadmyrmepropagandistAug 23, 2024

@dangillmor @MotherJones

Journalists, and content creators with moderate following make X the place where people cross paths and "things happen" -- if you start posting in a new place, talking about what's happening in a new place ... then that place becomes the new town square. FOMO and the tendency to act like 5th graders playing soccer(football) keeps this from happening.

Show threadKaelef Aug 23, 2024
@futurebird @dangillmor @MotherJones They're also afraid to miss stories or interesting posts since Twitter still has large numbers. It's a classic chicken-vs-egg situation. A practical choice would be to jump between the different social networks and start engaging with the newer ones, but many don't take this option seriously.
Show threadᴚ uɐᗡAug 24, 2024
@futurebird @dangillmor @MotherJones at this point I'm afraid I have to conclude they just don't care
Show threadChris WellsAug 24, 2024
@dangillmor @MotherJones
I wonder if anyone has told Elon that choosing where and how to spend money is a form of speech. What happened to freedom of speech?