Elon Musk Twitter

[GMDino]

https://www.reuters.com/legal/elon-musk-is-accused-insider-trading-by-investors-dogecoin-lawsuit-2023-06-01/

Quote:Elon Musk is accused of insider trading by investors in Dogecoin lawsuit
By Jonathan Stempel
June 1, 202311:58 AM EDTUpdated an hour ago

A photo of Elon Musk is displayed on a smartphone placed on representations of cryptocurrency Dogecoin in this illustration taken June 16, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/


NEW YORK, June 1 (Reuters) - Elon Musk is being accused of insider trading in a proposed class action by investors accusing the Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) CEO of manipulating the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, costing them billions of dollars.


In a Wednesday night filing in Manhattan federal court, investors said Musk used Twitter posts, paid online influencers, his 2021 appearance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and other "publicity stunts" to trade profitably at their expense through several Dogecoin wallets that he or Tesla controls.

Investors said this included when Musk sold about $124 million of Dogecoin in April after he replaced Twitter's blue bird logo with Dogecoin's Shiba Inu dog logo, leading to a 30% jump in Dogecoin's price. Musk bought Twitter last October.


A "deliberate course of carnival barking, market manipulation and insider trading" enabled Musk to defraud investors, promote himself and his companies, the filing said.


Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Musk, declined to comment on Thursday. A lawyer for Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The investors' lawyer did not immediately respond to a separate request.


Investors have accused Musk, the world's second-richest person according to Forbes magazine, of deliberately driving up 
Dogecoin's price more than 36,000% over two years and then letting it crash.


They included their latest accusations in a proposed third amended complaint, in a lawsuit that began last June.


Musk and Tesla had in March sought a dismissal of the second amended complaint, calling it a "fanciful work of fiction," and on May 26 said another amendment was unjustified.

In a Wednesday order, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein said he would "likely" allow the third amended complaint, saying the defendants would not likely be prejudiced.


The case is Johnson et al v. Musk et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 22-05037.


Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York Editing by Marguerita Choy

You don't get to be the worlds richest person by playing by the rules...lol.

[GMDino]

Parody is legal.  Musk's encouraging it is legal.  

Musk's version of "free speech" is whatever HE likes.  Which, as owner, is entirely fine.  HOWEVER it stands in stark contrast to the fanboys who believe he wants "true" free speech.

The following is just one example.  

Quote:A verified AOC parody account got a boost from Elon Musk’s Twitter

The account impersonating the congresswoman was suspended in 2019. Musk brought it back and helped it go viral.


Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

• [/url]
• [url=https://www.twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=A%20verified%20AOC%20parody%20account%20got%20a%20boost%20from%20Elon%20Musk%E2%80%99s%20Twitter%20&via=nbcnews&url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/aoc-twitter-parody-account-elon-musk-twitter-rcna87047&original_referer=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/aoc-twitter-parody-account-elon-musk-twitter-rcna87047&cid=article_social_share_twitter]
• SAVE
  Create your free profile or log in to save this article
  

May 31, 2023, 5:26 PM EDT
By Kat Tenbarge and Ben Goggin


A verified Twitter account mocking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has skyrocketed in followers and engagement over the last two days, with some help from Elon Musk. Twitter appeared to reinstate the once-banned account in May, with Musk soon interacting with it and boosting its following.


Twitter has promoted the parody account in other ways, too, including ranking it first in search results for “AOC,” above Ocasio-Cortez’s official account.

On Tuesday, the account garnered wide attention on the platform after the real Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, “FYI there’s a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral. The Twitter CEO has engaged it, boosting visibility. It is releasing false policy statements and gaining spread. I am assessing with my team how to move forward. In the meantime, be careful of what you see.”

Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., appeared to be referencing @AOCPress, which is marked as a parody account but looks close to identical to the congresswoman’s real account when users scroll through their feeds. Parody accounts are required to mark themselves as impersonators on their profiles, but that marking gets cut off when viewing the @AOCPress account’s tweets in the feeds of the mobile application.

The account is fooling some of the people who read its tweets — bringing to life some of the fears about Musk’s paid verification system that stripped legacy verified users of their blue check marks. In the replies, there is a mix of responses from people taking the tweets at face value and attributing them to the real Ocasio-Cortez, while others point out that it’s a parody account. 

The account’s most viral tweet plays into a sexist trope that Musk and other conservatives have embraced since his Twitter takeover — that Ocasio-Cortez is secretly attracted to him.

“This might be the wine talking, but I’ve got a crush on @elonmusk,” the parody account tweeted on May 28. The next day, Musk replied with a fire emoji. The tweet has been viewed more than 26 million times, according to Twitter’s metrics, and has more than 60,000 likes.

Among other viral tweets Ocasio-Cortez may have been referencing is one that pledged $3 trillion in reparations to the transgender community and another that suggested sending 10 million Americans to Ukraine. 

The parody account actually has existed since November 2018 but the following year, under Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s leadership, it was permanently suspended for its “misleading” parody content. When Musk took over the company in 2022, the account was reinstated and some of the new policies have appeared to amplify it.

According to Social Blade, a social media analytics tracker, the Ocasio-Cortez parody account had 85,000 followers in May 2019, the month it was suspended for impersonating the congresswoman. 

After the account’s restoration in May 2023, it immediately lost over 16,000 followers. Then, the account shot back up to over 80,000 followers on May 29, after Musk replied to it. On May 30, the day Ocasio-Cortez responded to the account, it gained over 100,000 followers. It has continued to climb, reaching over 292,000 followers as of publication. 

The @AOCPress account was first started by Michael Morrison, whose Twitter profile identifies him as a member of the New York Young Republicans Club. In May 2019, Morrison’s personal account and the parody account were both permanently suspended. 

Morrison posted about the suspensions on his account on the conservative social media platform Gab, where he also posted from a parody of Ocasio-Cortez’s official account between April 2019 and July 2019. The posts shared on Gab were more sexually explicit and the account reshared posts from other users that contained racist slurs. 

In November 2022, Morrison tweeted about his personal account being restored under Musk’s new leadership. The @AOCPress account wasn’t restored until May 2023. 

When reached for comment over Twitter direct messages, Morrison told NBC News he no longer runs the @AOCPress account and that it’s run by what he believes to be “a team of people.” The parody account didn’t respond to a request for comment. 

Another popular conservative tweeter, “@catturd2,” has played into rumors that he is behind the account, tweeting “I can’t confirm or deny that, but hey, you might want to follow” on May 22, the day the account was restored.

Kat Tenbarge

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(06-01-2023, 01:11 PM)Nately120 Wrote: Well, Musk sort of discovered a soft way to deplatform AOC by allowing an obvious identity thief portray her, though I don't know if it was in a manner of parody and/or if there are a bunch of fake Trumps and DeSantis clones on there making them look bad.  For all I know there are a hundred fake DeSantis clones on there talking about how much they love dressing in drag.

The rule is that a parody account must list itself as a parody in the account name.  The AOC parody account in question does exactly that.  It's unfortunate that their tweets sound too much like something AOC would actually say for some people to not notice a difference.

Quote:I agree with you in the sense that people should be able to say what they want, but I also feel like Elon Musk is very much wearing a mask by retooling a private organization to promote himself and the ideas and people he wants to promote under the guise of it being an altruistic gesture of protecting or promoting freedom.

I can see how you get there, even though I don't wholly agree.

Quote:It's not what he's doing, but the narrative he's trying to spin which is very much a typical sociopolitical facade, or at least a case of misdirection.  And I could be wrong, but I'm free to say Musk is more Caesar Romero than Cesar Chavez in my book.  Keep in mind, I've never had a twitter account and I don't like Ron DeSantis so I'm not Elon's target market, so what I think is even more inconsequential than usual. 

I think Elon's target audience is those wanting to have free discourse.  At least that's what he's stated publicly.

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(06-01-2023, 02:31 PM)GMDino Wrote: Parody is legal.  Musk's encouraging it is legal.  

Musk's version of "free speech" is whatever HE likes.  Which, as owner, is entirely fine.  HOWEVER it stands in stark contrast to the fanboys who believe he wants "true" free speech.

The following is just one example.  

One example of what?  An obvious parody account, named as a parody account parodying a public figure?  What exactly is this post supposed to prove?

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(06-01-2023, 01:29 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: I agree, but what we've seen is an even mercurial state of censorship at Twitter. Hopefully, with Musk stepping away from the hands on management that will resolve itself, but he proved he has no real interest in free speech with how quickly he was willing to censor is critics.

I've heard this accusation before, but I've not been witness to it.  I did a google search and found some stories in this regard.  However, they don't come off as very definitive.  And you'll please excuse me if I don't take the word of publications like The Atlantic and Vice that have been railing against Musk since the takeover.  Left wing media has an obvious bias against him now that he's dared to espouse non-leftist points of view.  While you may disagree, and that would be fine, I don't trust their reporting on him or Twitter unless corroborated by less biased sources.

[*Nately120*]

(06-01-2023, 05:13 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: The rule is that a parody account must list itself as a parody in the account name.  The AOC parody account in question does exactly that.  It's unfortunate that their tweets sound too much like something AOC would actually say for some people to not notice a difference.



I can see how you get there, even though I don't wholly agree.


I think Elon's target audience is those wanting to have free discourse.  At least that's what he's stated publicly.

Ehh as Bels pointed out, musk has done a lot of censoring for someone who lives and suffers to promote free discourse.  

He can do as he wishes, im free to find him self serving and superficial as much as the next guy who constantly elbows you in the ribs and reminds you how much he loves freedom ever 3 seconds.  

Freedom and 1a are right up there with Jesus and God as overused marketing buzz words now.  And no im not typing this on my Freedom Phone ™.

[Belsnickel]

(06-01-2023, 05:21 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: I've heard this accusation before, but I've not been witness to it.  I did a google search and found some stories in this regard.  However, they don't come off as very definitive.  And you'll please excuse me if I don't take the word of publications like The Atlantic and Vice that have been railing against Musk since the takeover.  Left wing media has an obvious bias against him now that he's dared to espouse non-leftist points of view.  While you may disagree, and that would be fine, I don't trust their reporting on him or Twitter unless corroborated by less biased sources.

Recent stories are about his caving to censorship demands of authoritarian governments, which when you click on the Google search you will see also reported on by Business Insider and Reason. Now, I could be in either camp of that debate because I can see both sides of that argument. Back in December, Musk suspended several journalists for reporting on an account that shared public data about Elon's private jet. Now, to be fair, they were reinstated but this was quite the controversy for a while as the journalists suspended were those that generally wrote about Musk and had been critical of him. 

Now, after he took over and he had this first incident, he calmed down with this. But Musk has always displayed a desire to silence his critics in a way that was very contrary to the "free speech absolutist" cape he likes to wear. Even before he took over Twitter there were things he had said and done that really highlighted that to me. 

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(06-01-2023, 09:46 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: Recent stories are about his caving to censorship demands of authoritarian governments, which when you click on the Google search you will see also reported on by Business Insider and Reason. Now, I could be in either camp of that debate because I can see both sides of that argument. Back in December, Musk suspended several journalists for reporting on an account that shared public data about Elon's private jet. Now, to be fair, they were reinstated but this was quite the controversy for a while as the journalists suspended were those that generally wrote about Musk and had been critical of him. 

Now, after he took over and he had this first incident, he calmed down with this. But Musk has always displayed a desire to silence his critics in a way that was very contrary to the "free speech absolutist" cape he likes to wear. Even before he took over Twitter there were things he had said and done that really highlighted that to me. 

I was aware of the censorship demands from Turkey, for example.  Musk's response was essentially either agree to them or have Twitter be unavailable in Turkey entirely.  Not exactly an easy decision.  Free speech laws vary around the globe, as I've pointed out, the EU and UK are quite comfortable with laws against speech that I find absolutely abhorrent, so this is not confined to more authoritarian regimes by any means.  As to the private jet incident(s), yes that was definitely a moment of hypocrisy, but, as you pointed out, he later reversed course.  

I would respond though, with this question; is it better to have a person who believes in free speech, but sometimes doesn't fully live up to those ideals, or is it better to have a company that is obviously partisan in it's censorship?  I'll take the former.

[*Nately120*]

(06-02-2023, 10:52 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: I would respond though, with this question; is it better to have a person who believes in free speech, but sometimes doesn't fully live up to those ideals, or is it better to have a company that is obviously partisan in it's censorship?  I'll take the former.

I'd agree with this, but you and I clearly have different perceptions of Elon Musk's motives.  I think the guy is promoting his own views and his own ego and those who agree with him.  He can do as he wishes, but I'm still filing this under yet another ultra rich elite using freedom as a cynical marketing concept in order to push his own agenda.  His view of free speech involves a lot of his own fire-stoking and misinformation promotion flying to the top of the queue and feeds of everyone.  Is that freedom?  I guess.  The speech is more free for some than others, but that's standard stuff, internet or not.

But that goes back to what Nick Fuentes was saying about the good ol' days of the internet where everyone was free to threaten and insult and use the n word and promote Hitler and all that jazz.  Good or ill doesn't matter, but this isn't new and this doesn't scream $45 billion worth of brand recognition of Twitter being worth buying, either.  Dude shoulda bought Kiwi Farms, in my opinion.

But, I guess we could argue if a person with ulterior motives can still do good things, but that puts me right back into the headspace of our current political climate and Trump and his ilk, so consider my mental waters contaminated. 


EDIT - again, I'm just going overboard here, I just get leery seeing the 1A strapped to Musk the same way the 2A and Christianity have been strapped to folks like Lauren Bobert...it's performative and they're latching onto things for what I deem to be less than good faith reasons.

[NATI BENGALS]

(06-02-2023, 10:52 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: I would respond though, with this question; is it better to have a person who believes in free speech, but sometimes doesn't fully live up to those ideals, or is it better to have a company that is obviously partisan in it's censorship?  I'll take the former.

I would respond.

Would you rather have somebody use their resources to protect you from hate and division.
Or someone who gives in to hate and division if it means they make more money?

[CarolinaBengalFanGuy]

(06-01-2023, 02:19 PM)GMDino Wrote: https://www.reuters.com/legal/elon-musk-is-accused-insider-trading-by-investors-dogecoin-lawsuit-2023-06-01/




You don't get to be the worlds richest person by playing by the rules...lol.

Wait is that insider trading?

If I'm a famous person that owns a lot of stock in something and then for example I post a picture of said somethingStock, which because I'm so famous it pretty much promotes it and gets my followers excited about it and buying it and raising the stock price and then I sell my somethingStock for a profit a few days later after the bump that's considered insider trading?

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(06-02-2023, 11:27 PM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: I would respond.

Would you rather have somebody use their resources to protect you from hate and division.
Or someone who gives in to hate and division if it means they make more money?

I'm an adult.  I don't need protecting from any source in the realm of speech or ideas, perceived benevolent or otherwise.  I also don't want other people deciding what I can, or can not, be exposed to, regardless of their motivation.

[CarolinaBengalFanGuy]

(06-03-2023, 02:47 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: I'm an adult.  I don't need protecting from any source in the realm of speech or ideas, perceived benevolent or otherwise.  I also don't want other people deciding what I can, or can not, be exposed to, regardless of their motivation.

You only think that because other people in the past have influenced you to think that way. 

[NUGDUKWE]

(06-02-2023, 10:52 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: I would respond though, with this question; is it better to have a person who believes in free speech, but sometimes doesn't fully live up to those ideals, or is it better to have a company that is obviously partisan in it's censorship?  I'll take the former.

I think we live in a world of Karen's. Maybe that's the Internets fault. I don't think it's a violation of free speech having content removed from social media. You can say and think as you please but that doesn't mean you deserve to have a platform. I would rather social media sites remove unverified information from any sides than have king Karen Elon push forward his unverified bias side of the news.

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(06-03-2023, 03:54 AM)CarolinaBengalFanGuy Wrote: You only think that because other people in the past have influenced you to think that way. 

I see what you did there.

(06-03-2023, 09:01 AM)NUGDUKWE Wrote: I think we live in a world of Karen's. Maybe that's the Internets fault. I don't think it's a violation of free speech having content removed from social media. You can say and think as you please but that doesn't mean you deserve to have a platform. I would rather social media sites remove unverified information from any sides than have king Karen Elon push forward his unverified bias side of the news.

Interesting that you think we live in a world full of Karen's and then push a very "Karen" way of thinking.  Who decides what is "disinformation?"  If it was the old Twitter regime then no thank you, a thousand times no thank you.  Also, if you don't like "Karen Elon's" bias then simply don't use his platform, see how easy that is?  You want to be protected from others by others, I want to decide for myself.  You're certainly entitled to your position, but here's the problem.  In your version I am curtailed from engaging in my position.  In my version you are still free to engage in yours.  When given the option I will choose more freedom over less (with very rare exceptions).  This used to be the position of most Americans.  Sadly this no longer seems to be the case.

[GMDino]

(06-03-2023, 09:01 AM)NUGDUKWE Wrote: I think we live in a world of Karen's. Maybe that's the Internets fault. I don't think it's a violation of free speech having content removed from social media. You can say and think as you please but that doesn't mean you deserve to have a platform. I would rather social media sites remove unverified information from any sides than have king Karen Elon push forward his unverified bias side of the news.

You're 100% right.  

No more than if my boss told me I couldn't say something at work that I am more than free to say outside of work.

The right jumped for joy that Musk would bring back free speech.  What he brought back were the fake accounts and actual, provable fake news.  That he will amplify by responding and sometimes sharing.

Totally within his rights as the owner to do so.  Totally.

I still use Twitter because it IS a good source for news around the country.  You just have to find good sources the same as when I seen anything posted on the internet.  Unfortunately there is a mob of people who only want to see what they already agree with and they are fed a daily dose of it.

[*Nately120*]

(06-03-2023, 02:47 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: I'm an adult.  I don't need protecting from any source in the realm of speech or ideas, perceived benevolent or otherwise.  I also don't want other people deciding what I can, or can not, be exposed to, regardless of their motivation.

Agreed, but I also admit I'm a straight white male adult who doesn't need to worry about people hearing a bunch of BS about me and declaring me an imminent threat.  Hell, I fit the profile of a sex offender and I still don't get flak for it.  White straight men for the win.

[NATI BENGALS]

(06-03-2023, 02:47 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: I'm an adult.  I don't need protecting from any source in the realm of speech or ideas, perceived benevolent or otherwise.  I also don't want other people deciding what I can, or can not, be exposed to, regardless of their motivation.

News directors and editors have been deciding what you would be exposed to long before Elon came around and rescued you from the evil Twitter lefties. Hell even this message board tries protecting you.

But you got your way because so far the richest man in the world, who now controls what you see in your Twitter feed, has shown he is the type who caves in to hate and division if it means he can fulfill his desire to be greedy. So I guess congrats. I know he likes to bend the knee to china too. You know. Money and greed again. So if you catch yourself going soft on china. Know the richest man in the world is getting his way again.

Put me in the camp of not wanting the richest narcissist in the world controlling my media consumption.

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(06-03-2023, 12:53 PM)Nately120 Wrote: Agreed, but I also admit I'm a straight white male adult who doesn't need to worry about people hearing a bunch of BS about me and declaring me an imminent threat.  Hell, I fit the profile of a sex offender and I still don't get flak for it.  White straight men for the win.

Joe Biden would disagree with you. 

(06-03-2023, 01:34 PM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: News directors and editors have been deciding what you would be exposed to long before Elon came around and rescued you from the evil Twitter lefties. Hell even this message board tries protecting you.

You are quite correct, and I dislike it intensely.  Arguing for more restrictions because you already have some is not a sound argument.

Quote:But you got your way because so far the richest man in the world, who now controls what you see in your Twitter feed, has shown he is the type who caves in to hate and division if it means he can fulfill his desire to be greedy. So I guess congrats. I know he likes to bend the knee to china too. You know. Money and greed again. So if you catch yourself going soft on china. Know the richest man in the world is getting his way again.

I got my way?  If you mean less moderation on Twitter then sure, I guess.  I'm confused as to how more freedom is a bad thing.  As for bending the knee to China, if you've ever voted for a Dem in the last thirty plus years then kindly flagellate yourself for being an intense hypocrite. 

Quote:Put me in the camp of not wanting the richest narcissist in the world controlling my media consumption.

I agree, so it's a good thing he doesn't.  He controls Twitter, which is one media source out of thousands.  See, freedom and choice are good things!

[GMDino]

(06-03-2023, 01:34 PM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: News directors and editors have been deciding what you would be exposed to long before Elon came around and rescued you from the evil Twitter lefties. Hell even this message board tries protecting you.

But you got your way because so far the richest man in the world, who now controls what you see in your Twitter feed, has shown he is the type who caves in to hate and division if it means he can fulfill his desire to be greedy. So I guess congrats. I know he likes to bend the knee to china too. You know. Money and greed again. So if you catch yourself going soft on china. Know the richest man in the world is getting his way again.

Put me in the camp of not wanting the richest narcissist in the world controlling my media consumption.

Any mention of any of Musk's shortcoming brings out the "freedom" defenders who really believe that is what he wants.

Anyone who spent a little bit of time on Twitter since his takeover would see how he has damaged the product.  In fact that's why he is losing so much value...the advertisers don't want to be seen as defending the white supremacists and their ilk that have overpopulated the site.  Free market and all...even though Musk cried the blues about it.

Take a few minutes and look through his tweets.  His pinned tweet is the preview for "What is a Woman"...the "documentary".

He shares Breitbart headlines and promotes "his" companies that he doesn't run that are doing better than the one he does run...lol.

It reminds of when FOX News ran with "we report...you decide".  You get half the information but it WAS reported...lmao.

Here's another thing.  I blocked Musk early on.  He's an annoying troll poster.  but when I go to his page I can see everything anyway because...Musk.

Its an ego, narcissist thing with him.  Which is his right.  It's just a shame that so many look up to him as a success because he lots of money and not at him as a person of questionable morals.