NYT TECHNOLOGY: ‘The Last Straw’: Twitter Users Rage Over Elon Musk’s Latest Actions
By Kate Conger and Ryan Mac
Section: Technology
Source: New York Times
Published Date: December 18, 2022 at 02:00AM
A new policy to prevent users from sharing links and user names from other social platforms was rolled out, then apparently curtailed.
And Elon Musk, Twitter’s new owner, posted a flurry of messages to his 122 million followers asking them if he should step down as the head of the social media service while lamenting that no one else wanted the job.
It was another chaotic 48 hours on Twitter, which has been mired in turmoil since Mr. Musk completed a $44 billion buyout of the company in late October. His tenure has already been marked by mass layoffs, executive resignations and unpaid bills at the company. Advertisers have balked, rival services have pounced and many of Twitter’s users have feared that the service would simply cease to work.
But over the weekend, a string of actions on the platform by Mr. Musk that seemed random and capricious roiled Twitter’s users so much that outrage mounted — and then edged into disgust. The backlash became so intense that even Mr. Musk’s most strident supporters seemed to turn tail.
Among the critics were Silicon Valley technologists and entrepreneurs who previously supported Mr. Musk, such as Paul Graham, a founder of the start-up accelerator Y Combinator, and the investor Balaji Srinivasan. Mr. Musk’s latest actions with Twitter were “the last straw,” Mr. Graham tweeted on Sunday.
The outrage from even among Mr. Musk’s Silicon Valley cohort provoked what appeared to be a crisis of confidence from the 51-year-old billionaire, who was photographed earlier in the day attending the World Cup final in Qatar with Jared Kushner.
technolog News and Tweets
By Kate Conger and Ryan Mac
Section: Technology
Source: New York Times
Published Date: December 18, 2022 at 02:00AM
Fury mounted over Mr. Musk’s moves to prevent Twitter users from sharing links to other social media platforms. The billionaire also asked whether he should remain as head of the service.
SAN FRANCISCO — High-profile Twitter users were suspended without warning or explanation, then abruptly reinstated.A new policy to prevent users from sharing links and user names from other social platforms was rolled out, then apparently curtailed.
And Elon Musk, Twitter’s new owner, posted a flurry of messages to his 122 million followers asking them if he should step down as the head of the social media service while lamenting that no one else wanted the job.
It was another chaotic 48 hours on Twitter, which has been mired in turmoil since Mr. Musk completed a $44 billion buyout of the company in late October. His tenure has already been marked by mass layoffs, executive resignations and unpaid bills at the company. Advertisers have balked, rival services have pounced and many of Twitter’s users have feared that the service would simply cease to work.
But over the weekend, a string of actions on the platform by Mr. Musk that seemed random and capricious roiled Twitter’s users so much that outrage mounted — and then edged into disgust. The backlash became so intense that even Mr. Musk’s most strident supporters seemed to turn tail.
Among the critics were Silicon Valley technologists and entrepreneurs who previously supported Mr. Musk, such as Paul Graham, a founder of the start-up accelerator Y Combinator, and the investor Balaji Srinivasan. Mr. Musk’s latest actions with Twitter were “the last straw,” Mr. Graham tweeted on Sunday.
The outrage from even among Mr. Musk’s Silicon Valley cohort provoked what appeared to be a crisis of confidence from the 51-year-old billionaire, who was photographed earlier in the day attending the World Cup final in Qatar with Jared Kushner.
Read More at: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/18/technology/elon-musk-twitter-policies-chaos.html
technolog News and Tweets
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