Elon Musk has become to business what Donald Trump is to politics. And, from the day he launched his bid to buy Twitter, Musk has been hellbent on making that antic analogy a reality.
Musk threatens to sue Zuckerberg
Rash and reckless decisions have defined Trump’s political activities. They have defined Musk’s business activities too. So it was no surprise earlier this month when Musk aped Trump by making a hollow threat to sue Mark Zuckerberg.
Twitter has threatened to sue Meta over its new Threads app, which Mark Zuckerberg has openly billed as a rival, claiming the company has violated Twitter’s “intellectual property rights”. …
Twitter claims in the cease-and-desist that Meta has poached dozens of former employees in the past year, some of whom ‘had and continue to have access to Twitter’s trade secrets and other highly confidential information’ and ‘many’ of whom have ‘improperly’ kept Twitter documents or electronic devices.
(The Guardian, July 6, 2023)
Musk’s threat is as hollow as it was predictable
If Trump sued everyone he threatened to sue, he’d be spending more on lawyers than he makes from his resorts. That’s why Musk threatening to sue Zuckerberg is so hollow. He has no case.
But it was so predictable too. After all, Musk telegraphed his intent to hollow out Twitter and make it rudderless.
That was bound to lead a desperate Musk to threaten any credible rival with a lawsuit. Because even I could see back then that he practically invited a viable rival. One that would provide a refuge not just for disaffected Twitter users but hollowed-out Twitter employees too.
On October 8, CNN reported on Musk celebrating Twitter’s decision to welcome Kanye back. That is after Instagram booted Kanye for posting antisemitic bile. I commented on that report as follows:
__________
Sure, Musk will celebrate anything that smacks of Uncle Tomfoolery or White supremacy. That’s why Black employees are continually suing him for racial discrimination and harassment.
However, after trifling with executives and staff so much, Musk is bound to find Twitter a poisoned chalice – staffed by homebodies lying in wait to mutiny against him. It would not surprise me if there’s a conspiracy already afoot. One that calls for key personnel to quit en masse within weeks of Musk taking over to launch a rival platform.
That way, sensible people will have a Twitter-like platform to continue posting on. Except it will have all the sensible social media safeguards and community standards Musk seems hellbent on abandoning.
__________
Threads to the rescue
With all due respect to other rivals, like Bluesky, Threads poses a real threat. And it speaks volumes that it’s the only rival to scare Musk sh*tless. That’s why he’s threatening to sue to stop its growth. But it’s too late.
But if Twitter is such a quicksand of hate and disinformation, why keep wallowing in it? After all, Threads is throwing them a lifeline to get out. That’s why I’ve been publicly pleading with Biden to make a show of quitting Twitter – as a matter of civic duty and national security.
Of course, I fully appreciate that many people are staying on Twitter because “hellscape” is more interesting and entertaining than any escape from it. It’s the same reason so many Republicans and media outlets can’t quit Trump.
Still, to be fair, Zuckerberg might have launched Threads before it was ready for prime time. That is the only possible explanation for his ‘threading’ on Sunday”:
Lots of basic functionality coming soo…
Hurry the f*ck up, Mark! Because too many people are dividing time between Twitter and Threads. And their divided interest can be attributed to Threads not having “lots of basic functionality.”
Even more dismaying is that many Threads-curious Twitter users are returning to Twitter full-time. The question is: Will they try Threads again after it’s fully functional?
Twitter rebranded ‘X’ is still the same
But the fact that Musk is rebranding Twitter is as sensible as his threats to sue Zuckerberg. Given all he has already done to sink his platform, this is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
This rebranding smacks of the proverbial act of an idiot in a deep hole who just keeps digging. Then again, this X could be the X factor. That is Elon’s way of unwittingly admitting that he constantly introduces insane variables to Twitter management and functionality without a clue or care about their impact.
The bottom line is that, like Trump, Musk can’t help himself. After all, he’s throwing away a decade and billions worth of Twitter branding. That makes no sense. But nothing he has done with Twitter has made any sense – beginning with paying $44 billion for it in the first place.
The only thing that explains his actions is that Musk is a narcissist and a congenital troll. He’s toxic. But he thrives on knowing that his unprecedented wealth inoculates him from his own toxicity. And he couldn’t care less about who or what he poisons. Again, Musk has become to business what Trump is to politics.