Notes

Introduction

rioting at the U.S. Capitol: Mac, Ryan, and Craig Silverman. “ ‘Mark Changed the Rules’: How Facebook Went Easy on Alex Jones and Other Right-Wing Figures.” BuzzFeed News, February 21, 2021. buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/mark-zuckerberg-joel-kaplan-facebook-alex-jones.

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ACT I

Chapter 1: back at twttr

Dorsey moved to the Bay Area in 1999: “Tech’s Best Young Entrepreneurs.” BusinessWeek, July 11, 2014. web.archive.org/web/20140711043659/http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/03/0326_tech_entrepreneurs/source/10.htm.

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service for the ferries to San Francisco’s Alcatraz: Bilton, Nick. Hatching Twitter. New York: Portfolio, 2013.

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offered a freelance coding gig: Bilton, Hatching Twitter.

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sketched the idea in a legal pad: Dorsey, Jack. “Twttr Sketch.” Flickr, March 24, 2006. flickr.com/photos/jackdorsey/182613360/in/photostream.

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He thumbed through tw- words: Bilton, Hatching Twitter.

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Williams retained a 70 percent ownership stake: Bilton, Hatching Twitter.

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“We were just hanging on”: Miller, Claire Cain. “Why Twitter’s C.E.O. Demoted Himself.” New York Times, October 30, 2010, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2010/10/31/technology/31ev.html.

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Williams’s ownership had been whittled down: Twitter, Inc. SEC “Form S-1,” October 3, 2013. sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000119312513390321/d564001ds1.htm.

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Chapter 2: #StayWoke

handed out blooming red roses: Hu, Elise (@elisewho). “STL native and @twitter co-founder @jack passing out roses to demonstrators on w florissant #Ferguson.” Twitter, August 19, 2014, 4:01 p.m. twitter.com/elisewho/status/501866614284091392.

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“Freedom of expression means little”: Gadde, Vijaya. “Twitter Executive: ‘Here’s How We’re Trying to Stop Abuse While Preserving Free Speech.’ ” Washington Post, April 16, 2015. washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/04/16/twitter-executive-heres-how-were-trying-to-stop-abuse-while-preserving-free-speech.

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“We suck at dealing with abuse and trolls”: Tiku, Nitasha, and Casey Newton. “Twitter CEO: ‘We Suck at Dealing with Abuse.’ ” The Verge, February 5, 2015. theverge.com/2015/2/4/7982099/twitter-ceo-sent-memo-taking-personal-responsibility-for-the.

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“looking out your window”: Goel, Vindu. “Twitter Revenue up 61%, but User Growth Lags.” New York Times, July 28, 2015. nytimes.com/2015/07/29/technology/twitter-quarterly-earnings.html.

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Trump credited Twitter: Donald J. Trump interview. “I doubt I’d be here if it weren’t for social media…because there is a fake media out there.” Fox News, October 22, 2017. facebook.com/watch/?v=10156176791126336.

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Chapter 3: “This is actually me”

He was a devout member of the Church: Copeland, Rob. “Elon Musk’s Inner Circle Rocked by Fight over His $230 Billion Fortune.” Wall Street Journal, July 16, 2022. wsj.com/articles/elon-musk-fortune-fight-jared-birchall-igor-kurganov-11657308426.

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He paid $52,000: Mac, Ryan. “I Went to Elon Musk’s ‘Pedo Guy’ Trial, but I Wasn’t Ready to Become a Part of It.” BuzzFeed News, January 30, 2020. buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/elon-musk-cant-lose.

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subsisting on Jack in the Box burgers: Isaacson, Walter. Elon Musk. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2023.

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He personally made $22 million: Isaacson, Elon Musk.

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spending a small fortune on the web domain: Chafkin, Max. The Contrarian. New York: Penguin Books, 2021.

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“Please ignore prior tweets”: Musk, Elon (@elonmusk). “Please ignore prior tweets, as that was someone pretending to be me :) This is actually me.” Twitter, June 4, 2010, 11:31 a.m. twitter.com/elonmusk/status/15434727182.

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Some of Tesla’s own board members: Gelles, David, James B. Stewart, Jessica Silver-Greenberg, and Kate Kelly. “Elon Musk Details ‘Excruciating’ Personal Toll of Tesla Turmoil.” New York Times, August 17, 2018. nytimes.com/2018/08/16/business/elon-musk-interview-tesla.html.

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He denied using marijuana: Gelles et al., “Elon Musk Details.”

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Chapter 4: OneTeam

he would sometimes sit, take work calls: Hiatt, Brian. “Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey: The Rolling Stone Interview.” Rolling Stone, January 23, 2019. rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/twitter-ceo-jack-dorsey-rolling-stone-interview-782298.

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Chapter 5: An Invasion

a 2 percent stake worth about $531 million: Merced, Michael J. de la, and Kate Conger. “Hedge Fund May Push for Ouster of Jack Dorsey as Twitter’s C.E.O.” New York Times, February 29, 2020, sec. Business. nytimes.com/2020/02/29/business/dealbook/elliott-twitter-jack-dorsey.html.

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Chapter 6: A Polynesian Vacation

Musk sent out a company-wide email: Mac, Ryan. “Elon Musk Told Workers They’re More Likely to Die in a Car Crash Than from Coronavirus.” BuzzFeed News, March 13, 2020. buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/elon-musk-spacex-employees-car-crash-coronavirus.

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labeled some 300,000 tweets: Fung, Brian. “Twitter Says It Labeled 300,000 Tweets around the Election.” CNN, November 12, 2020. cnn.com/2020/11/12/tech/twitter-election-labels-misinformation/index.html.

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“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage”: Restuccia, Andrew, and Siobhan Hughes. “Trump’s Tweet about Pence Seen as Critical Moment during Riot.” Wall Street Journal, July 21, 2022. wsj.com/livecoverage/jan-6-hearing-today-trump/card/trump-s-tweet-about-pence-seen-as-critical-moment-during-riot-fmPxoFkeoTKxi0NqPLCL.

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“We must learn from our mistakes”: Tiku, Nitasha, Tony Romm, and Craig Timberg. “Twitter Bans Trump’s Account, Citing Risk of Further Violence.” Washington Post, January 8, 2021. washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/08/twitter-trump-dorsey.

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Chapter 7: Resource Plan

doubling its annual revenue to $7.5 billion: Feiner, Lauren. “Twitter Shares Soar after Company Announces Plan to Double Revenue by End of 2023.” CNBC, February 25, 2021. cnbc.com/2021/02/25/twitter-sets-goals-to-double-revenue-reach-315-million-users-by-end-of-2023.html.

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Chapter 8: Parag

“The Board believes that you will add tremendous value”: Twitter, Inc. SEC “EX-10.1.” November 29, 2021. sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000119312521342255/d401229dex101.htm.

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Chapter 9: Bluesky

“What we see is”: Hanamura, Wendy. “Our Social Media Is Broken. Is Decentralization the Fix?” Internet Archive Blog, January 30, 2020. blog.archive.org/2020/01/30/our-social-media-is-broken-is-decentralization-the-fix.

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Chapter 10: Twitter in Trouble

“clear decision-making, increased accountability”: Oremus, Will, and Elizabeth Dwoskin. “Twitter’s New CEO Announces Major Reorganization of the Social Networking Company.” Washington Post, December 3, 2021. washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/12/03/twitter-agrawal-restructuring.

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Chapter 11: Musk’s Shopping Spree

He had a reputation for using drugs: Glazer, Emily, and Kirsten Grind. “Elon Musk Has Used Illegal Drugs, Worrying Leaders at Tesla and SpaceX.” Wall Street Journal, January 7, 2024, www.wsj.com/business/elon-musk-illegal-drugs-e826a9e1.

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“as collateral to secure certain personal indebtedness”: Tesla, Inc. SEC “Form 10-K.” February 7, 2022. sec.gov/ixviewer/ix.html?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0001318605/000156459022016871/tsla-10ka_20211231.htm.

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“So I asked myself what product I liked”: Isaacson, Walter. Elon Musk. Simon & Schuster, 2023.

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By March 14, Musk had accumulated 9.2 percent: Isaac, Mike, and Lauren Hirsch. “Elon Musk Becomes Twitter’s Largest Shareholder.” New York Times, April 4, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/04/04/technology/elon-musk-twitter.html.

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“I saw your tweet re free speech”: Twitter, Inc. v. Elon R. Musk, et al. 2022-0613-KSJM (Delaware Court of Chancery 2022).

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Tesla chief’s phone contacts as “jack jack”: Twitter, Inc. v. Elon R. Musk, et al.

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“Not today”: BerghAnon. “The Elon Musk Rejection a Few Weeks Back.” Reddit, April 22, 2022. reddit.com/r/berghain/comments/u9ahbv/the_elon_musk_rejection_a_few_weeks_back.

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Birchall rejected the document on his behalf: Isaacson, Elon Musk.

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Lane Fox offered a revised agreement: Twitter, Inc. v. Elon R. Musk, et al.

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The stock ownership limit remained: Twitter, Inc. xX-10.1.” sec.gov. SEC. April 4, 2022. sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000119312522095651/d342257dex101.htm.

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Chapter 12: An Offer

“We know that he has caused harm to workers”: Nix, Naomi, Nitasha Tiku, Will Oremus, and Faiz Siddiqui. “Elon Musk’s Twitter Bid Frustrates Employees. That’s a Risk for Him.” Washington Post, April 15, 2022. washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/14/twitter-employees-elon-musk.

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“Are board members held to the same standard?”: Dwoskin, Elizabeth. “Elon Musk to Address Twitter Staff after Internal Outcry.” Washington Post, April 7, 2022. washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/07/musk-twitter-employee-outcry.

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the Tesla chief flew to Lanai: Isaacson, Walter. Elon Musk. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2023.

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He had a call with Agrawal to discuss engineering: Twitter, Inc. v. Elon R. Musk, et al. 2022-0613-KSJM (Delaware Court of Chancery 2022).

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“convert Twitter SF HQ”: Musk, Elon (@elonmusk). “Convert Twitter SF HQ to homeless shelter since no one shows up anyway.” Twitter, April 10, 2022. polititweet.org/tweet?account=44196397&tweet=1512966135423066116. (This tweet was deleted. Note, that the time zone is UTC, so seven hours ahead of PT. It was at 1:30:10 UTC on 4/10/22, so this was at 18:30:10 PT on 4/9/22 in SF.)

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Birchall contacted some former colleagues at Morgan Stanley: Isaacson, Elon Musk.

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Chapter 13: Poison Pill

It was a single emoji of a blushing face: Musk, Elon (@elonmusk). “.” Twitter, April 11, 2022. polititweet.org/tweet?account=44196397&tweet=1513373170333487104.

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“ideas worth spreading”: Isaacson, Walter. Elon Musk. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2023.

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Act II

Chapter 14: “Bring the cattle”

“not like the other kids in the class”: Twitter, Inc. v. Elon R. Musk, et al. 2022-0613-KSJM (Delaware Court of Chancery 2022).

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Musk sometimes stayed at Kives’s Beverly Hills: Bernstein, Joseph. “Elon Musk Has the World’s Strangest Social Calendar.” New York Times, October 11, 2022, sec. Style. nytimes.com/2022/10/11/style/elon-musk-social-calendar.html.

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earned $125 million after the crypto mogul: Yaffe-Bellany, David, and Erin Griffith. “The Super Connector Who Built Sam Bankman-Fried’s Celebrity World.” New York Times, June 23, 2023, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2023/06/23/technology/sam-bankman-fried-celebrity-friends.html.

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Morgan Stanley prepared a pitch deck: Isaac, Mike, Lauren Hirsch, and Anupreeta Das. “Inside Elon Musk’s Big Plans for Twitter.” New York Times, May 6, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/05/06/technology/elon-musk-twitter-pitch-deck.html.

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The directors unanimously agreed: Hirsch, Lauren, and Kate Conger. “Twitter Counters a Musk Takeover with a Time-Tested Barrier.” New York Times, April 15, 2022, sec. Business. nytimes.com/2022/04/15/business/twitter-poison-pill-elon-musk.html.

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That weekend in Austin, some of Musk’s friends: Isaacson, Walter. Elon Musk. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2023.

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American investment adviser that held a 9.2 percent stake: Twitter, Inc. “Schedule 14A.” sec.gov. SEC. April 12, 2022. sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000114036122014049/ny20001921x3_def14a.htm.

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He flew back to Austin on his Gulfstream jet: ElonJet (@ElonJet). web.archive.org/web/20220428031935/twitter.com/elonjet.

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Chapter 15: Parag’s Last Stand

Taylor and Pichette met with shareholders: Twitter, Inc. n.d. “DEFM14A.” sec.gov. SEC. sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000119312522202163/d283119ddefm14a.htm.

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offered him $13 billion in debt financing: Hirsch, Lauren. “Elon Musk Details His Plan to Pay for a $46.5 Billion Takeover of Twitter.” New York Times, April 21, 2022, sec. Business. nytimes.com/2022/04/21/business/elon-musk-twitter-funding.html.

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Chapter 16: Just Say Yes

Just before 11:45 a.m. in San Francisco: Chang, Emily (@emilychangtv). “$TWTR stock halted, news pending….” Twitter, April 25, 2022, 11:44 a.m. twitter.com/emilychangtv/status/1518662186675044353?lang=en

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“Once the deal closes, we don’t know”: Isaac, Mike, and Adam Satariano. “Twitter Reports Growth in Revenue and Users as Elon Musk Prepares to Take Over.” New York Times, April 28, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/04/28/technology/twitter-first-quarter-earnings-elon-musk.html.

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Chapter 17: Golden, Golden

She had blocked the CIA from accessing Twitter’s: Singh, Kanishka. “U.S. Judge Block’s Twitter’s Bid to Reveal Government Surveillance Requests.” Twitter, April 18, 2020, 11:27 p.m. EDT. reuters.com/article/us-usa-twitter-lawsuit/us-judge-blocks-twitters-bid-to-reveal-government-surveillance-requests-idUSKBN2200CS.

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And Musk had also secured a $12.5 billion personal loan: Hirsch, Lauren. “Elon Musk Details His Plan to Pay for a $46.5 Billion Takeover of Twitter.” New York Times, April 21, 2022, sec. Business. nytimes.com/2022/04/21/business/elon-musk-twitter-funding.html.

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“Does Sam actually have $3B liquid?”: Twitter, Inc. v. Elon R. Musk, et al. 2022-0613-KSJM (Delaware Court of Chancery 2022).

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he’d go “to the fucking mattresses no matter what”: Peterson, Becky. “How Antonio Gracias Became the Most Hardcore of Elon Musk’s Loyalists.” The Information, August 14, 2023. theinformation.com/articles/how-antonio-gracias-became-the-most-hardcore-of-elon-musks-loyalists?rc=620356.

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Chapter 18:

“Putin’s speech tomorrow is extremely important”: Twitter, Inc. v. Elon R. Musk, et al. 2022-0613-KSJM (Delaware Court of Chancery 2022).

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The more he stewed, the angrier he became: Isaacson, Walter. Elon Musk. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2023.

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“It’s critical to have the right leaders”: Isaac, Mike. “Twitter Fires Two Executives and Freezes Most Hiring After Musk’s Deal to Buy the Company.” New York Times, May 12, 2020. nytimes.com/2022/05/12/technology/twitter-elon-musk.html.

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“which are partially secured by pledges”: Tesla, Inc. “10-K.” sec.gov. SEC. 2022. sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000095017022000796/tsla-20211231.htm.

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he was unsure if he should push through with his acquisition: Isaacson, Elon Musk, 463.

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The reams and reams of data: Twitter, Inc. “Schedule 14A.” sec.gov. SEC. 2022. sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000114036122014049/ny20001921x3_def14a.htm.

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Spiro and Birchall frantically texted: Isaacson, Elon Musk.

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Twitter’s stock dropped nearly 10 percent: Roumeliotis, Greg, and Sheila Dang. “Musk Says $44 Billion Twitter Deal on Hold over Fake Account Data.” Reuters, May 16, 2022, sec. Technology. reuters.com/technology/musk-says-44-billion-twitter-deal-hold-2022-05-13.

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Chapter 19: Bots and Horses

On May 27, Musk’s private jet took off: ElonJet (@elonjet). Twitter. web.archive.org/web/20220530091209/twitter.com/elonjet.

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sparred verbally with Durban: Isaacson, Walter. Elon Musk. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2023.

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He couldn’t get his laptop to work: Isaacson, Elon Musk.

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“I want Twitter to contribute to a better”: Isaac, Mike. “Elon Musk Tells Twitter’s Employees He Wants the Service to ‘Contribute to a Better, Long-Lasting Civilization.’ ” New York Times, June 16, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/06/16/technology/elon-musk-twitter-employees-meeting.html.

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Business Insider had dropped a bombshell story: McHugh, Rich. “A SpaceX Flight Attendant Said Elon Musk Exposed Himself and Propositioned Her for Sex, Documents Show. The Company Paid $250,000 for Her Silence.” Business Insider, May 19, 2022. businessinsider.com/spacex-paid-250000-to-a-flight-attendant-who-accused-elon-musk-of-sexual-misconduct-2022-5.

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“Elon is seen as the face of SpaceX”: Scheiber, Noam, and Ryan Mac. “SpaceX Employees Say They Were Fired for Speaking Up about Elon Musk.” New York Times, November 17, 2022, sec. Business. nytimes.com/2022/11/17/business/spacex-workers-elon-musk.html.

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Gwynne Shotwell labeled “overreaching activism”: Mac, Ryan. “SpaceX Said to Fire Employees Involved in Letter Rebuking Elon Musk.” New York Times, June 17, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/06/17/technology/spacex-employees-fired-musk-letter.html.

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“SpaceX is Elon and Elon is SpaceX”: Scheiber and Mac, “SpaceX Employees Say.”

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“Mr. Musk made clear that Twitter’s continuing failure”: Twitter, Inc. “Schedule 14A.” sec.gov. SEC. 2022. sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000114036122014049/ny20001921x3_def14a.htm.

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Chapter 20: Sun Valley

Musk agreed to an in-person meeting on June 21: Twitter, Inc. v. Elon R. Musk, et al. 2022-0613-KSJM (Delaware Court of Chancery 2022). documentcloud.org/documents/22084453-twittermuskcomplaint.

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according to court filings obtained by Business Insider: Black, Julia. “Elon Musk Had Twins Last Year with One of His Top Executives.” Business Insider, July 6, 2022. businessinsider.com/elon-musk-shivon-zilis-secret-twins-neuralink-tesla.

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“You are not presently devoting sufficient resources”: Twitter, Inc. “Schedule 14A.” sec.gov. SEC. 2022. sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000114036122014049/ny20001921x3_def14a.htm.

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“That needs to stop”: Twitter, Inc. v. Elon R. Musk, et al.

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On July 5, she directed Twitter to sue: Singh, Karan Deep, and Kate Conger. “Twitter, Challenging Orders to Remove Content, Sues India’s Government.” New York Times, July 5, 2022, sec. Business. nytimes.com/2022/07/05/business/twitter-india-lawsuit.html.

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letter claimed the company had broken several: Twitter, Inc., “Schedule 14A,” 2022.

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The ruling proved that Delaware was willing to force a merger: Winter, Greg. “Judge Rules That Tyson Must Take Over IBP.” New York Times, June 16, 2001. nytimes.com/2001/06/16/business/judge-rules-that-tyson-must-complete-takeover-of-ibp.html.

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Agrawal, in a black T-shirt with an ultrasoft cashmere: Maas, Jennifer. “Elon Musk Makes Long-Awaited Arrival at Sun Valley Conference.” Variety, July 8, 2022. variety.com/2022/tv/news/elon-musk-sun-valley-twitter-1235311152.

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Chapter 21: Court of Chancery

Savitt introduced himself to Musk’s lawyers: Twitter, Inc. “Schedule 14A.” sec.gov. SEC. 2022. sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000119312522202163/d283119ddefm14a.htm#toc283119_14.

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“Musk apparently believes that he”: Conger, Kate, and Lauren Hirsch. “Twitter Sues Musk after He Tries Backing Out of $44 Billion Deal.” New York Times, July 12, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/07/12/technology/twitter-lawsuit-musk-acquisition.html.

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“Musk said he needed to take the company private because”: Twitter, Inc. v. Elon R. Musk, et al. 2022-0613-KSJM (Delaware Court of Chancery 2022). documentcloud.org/documents/22084453-twittermuskcomplaint.

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Chapter 23: Mudge

On August 29, a week after Zatko’s claims were published: Skadden Arps. “Exhibit Q.” sec.gov. SEC. August 29, 2022. sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000110465922095765/tm2224790d1_ex99-q.htm.

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“Stunning events over the last week, however”: Twitter, Inc. v. Elon R. Musk, et al. 2022-0613-KSJM (Delaware Court of Chancery 2022). documentcloud.org/documents/22416599-public-version-of-amended-musk-counterclaims-twitter-v-musk.

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Chapter 24: An Accelerant to X

asked for a 30 percent discount: Conger, Kate, and Michael S. Schmidt. “Elon Musk Offered to Buy Twitter at a Lower Price in Recent Talks.” New York Times, October 6, 2022, sec. Technology.nytimes.com/2022/10/05/technology/elon-musk-twitter-discount.html.

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Chapter 25: “Not owned by a fucking moron”

In court, Twitter’s lawyers were fighting: Twitter, Inc. v. Elon R. Musk, et al. 2022-0613-KSJM (Delaware Court of Chancery 2022). documentcloud.org/documents/23119236-letter-decision-resolving-plaintiffs-seventh-discovery-motion-twitter-v-musk.

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when Musk was arranging: Twitter, Inc. “Schedule 14A.” sec.gov. SEC. 2022. sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000114036122014049/ny20001921x3_def14a.htm.

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she told Twitter it could have a November trial date: Twitter, Inc. v. Elon R. Musk, et al. 2022-0613-KSJM (Delaware Court of Chancery 2022). documentcloud.org/documents/23126733-letter-decision-granting-stay.

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he’d pay Dorsey the full price of $54.20 per share: Isaacson, Walter. Elon Musk. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2023.

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The Wall Street Journal reported that MBS sought: Stancati, Margherita, Benoit Faucon, and Summer Said. n.d. “The Price of Freedom for Saudi Arabia’s Richest Man: $6 Billion.” Wall Street Journal. Accessed February 21, 2024. wsj.com/articles/the-price-of-freedom-for-saudi-arabias-richest-man-6-billion-1513981887.

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Agrawal would earn his salary and unvested stock options: Twitter, Inc. “Schedule 14A.” Sec.gov. SEC. 2022. sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000119312522202163/d283119ddefm14a.htm#toc.

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Chapter 26: Let That Sink In

The employees had all read a Washington Post report: Dwoskin, Elizabeth, Faiz Siddiqui, Gerrit De Vynck, and Jeremy B. Merrill. 2022. “Documents Detail Plans to Gut Twitter’s Workforce.” Washington Post, October 22, 2022. washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/10/20/musk-twitter-acquisition-staff-cuts.

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Chapter 27: Trick or Tweet

The Wall Street Journal later reported that Musk borrowed: Maidenberg, Micah, and Tim Higgins. “Elon Musk Borrowed $1 Billion from SpaceX in Same Month of Twitter Acquisition.” Wall Street Journal, September 5, 2023. wsj.com/business/elon-musk-spacex-loan-269a2168.

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decorative pumpkins and black paper cutouts of bats: Rebecca (@rebeccaw). “I hope @TwitterUK like soup #TrickOrTweet.” Twitter, October 27, 2022. twitter.com/RebeccaW/status/1585692866893971457.

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draped over giant hashtags and @-sign statues: Lozic, Jenn (@jennifernatalie). “Bluey and Bingo visit Twitter NYC #TrickorTweet.” Twitter, October 27, 2022. twitter.com/JenniferNatalie/status/1585701638739791874.

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In Mexico City, workers prepped for a spooky art session: Rosales, Denisse. “Tis the Season #TrickOrTweet @emmanuelromero7 pic.twitter.com/2yHIYoriui.” Twitter, October 28, 2022. twitter.com/its_deniiiisse/status/1585799565592363008.

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At noon in San Francisco, workers were adding the finishing touches: Varon, Samuel. “#trickortweet Sucess pic.twitter.com/1xzQofMrqB.” Twitter, October 27, 2022. twitter.com/samuelvaronn/status/1585766618713362433.

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running up a tab of $6,397: Canary, LLC dba Canary Marketing v. Twitter, Inc., CGC-23-603842 (CA Superior Court, County of San Francisco 2023).

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Chapter 28: “The bird is freed”

Children dressed as Marvel superheroes: Harrigan, Justine. “#trickortweet Back at the Tweet HQ! pic.twitter.com/TQsmAgjSPu.” Twitter, October 27, 2022. twitter.com/justinelevi/status/1585780568469299200.

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Several workers crowded in front of a portrait station: S, Parissa. “Gettin Spooky! #TrickOrTweet Pic.Twitter.Com/S8Mkr1G7P8.” Twitter, October 27, 2022. twitter.com/Parissa_S/status/1585773993583206401.

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the deal’s closing fees had made Morgan Stanley millions: Isaacson, Walter. Elon Musk. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2023.

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Act III

Chapter 29: Code Reviews

It was fifteen times smaller than Twitter’s engineering staff: Isaacson, Walter. Elon Musk. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2023.

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“Print out 50 pages of code you’ve done in the last 30 days”: Schiffer, Zoë, Casey Newton, and Alex Heath. “Inside Elon’s ‘Extremely Hardcore’ Twitter.” The Verge, January 17, 2023. theverge.com/23551060/elon-musk-twitter-takeover-layoffs-workplace-salute-emoji.

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Chapter 30: Lords and Peasants

compliance department was told to eliminate 27 percent: Peters, Jay. “Twitter Cut 15 Percent of Its Trust and Safety Staff but Says It Won’t Impact Moderation.” The Verge, November 5, 2022. theverge.com/2022/11/4/23441404/twitter-trust-safety-staff-layoffs-content-moderation.

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projected it would reach $10 billion by 2028: Isaac, Mike, and Ryan Mac. “Elon Musk, under Financial Pressure, Pushes to Make Money from Twitter.” New York Times, November 3, 2022, sec. Technology. www.nytimes.com/2022/11/03/technology/elon-musk-twitter-money-finances.html.

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evening of October 28, Musk was retiring: Isaacson, Walter. Elon Musk. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2023.

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Chapter 31: “Educate me”

“ ‘Is he going to get Donald Trump back on the platform?’ ”: Wagner, Kurt, Sarah Frier, and Brad Stone. “Elon Musk’s Twitter Is a Shakespearean Psychodrama Set in Silicon Valley.” Bloomberg.com, December 14, 2022. bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-12-14/elon-musk-twitter-ownership-full-of-firings-ad-cuts-chaos.

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The next day, tabloids would circulate photos of Musk: Silverman, Sam. “Elon Musk Parties in $7.5k Halloween Costume with Mom Maye.” Entrepreneur, November 1, 2022. entrepreneur.com/business-news/elon-musk-parties-in-75k-halloween-costume-with-mom-maye/438282.

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Chapter 32: A Blue Heart

Interpublic Group, or IPG, a large advertising: Conger, Kate, Tiffany Hsu, and Ryan Mac. “Elon Musk’s Twitter Faces Exodus of Advertisers and Executives.” New York Times, November 1, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/11/01/technology/elon-musk-twitter-advertisers.html.

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Musk would later push to ban posts: Isaacson, Walter. Elon Musk. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2023.

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encrypted direct messages were unveiled months later: Isaac, Mike, and Ryan Mac. “Elon Musk, under Financial Pressure, Pushes to Make Money from Twitter.” New York Times, November 3, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/11/03/technology/elon-musk-twitter-money-finances.html.

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They also began circulating “A Layoff Guide”: “A Layoff Guide for Tweeps.” Collective Action in Tech, November 2, 2022. collectiveaction.tech/2022/a-layoff-guide-for-tweeps.

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“The severance calculations are updated based”: Conger, Kate, Mike Isaac, Ryan Mac, and Tiffany Hsu. “Two Weeks of Chaos: Inside Elon Musk’s Takeover of Twitter.” New York Times, November 11, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/11/11/technology/elon-musk-twitter-takeover.html.

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Chapter 33: The Snap

The group held occasional meetings to give guidance: O’Reilly, Lara, and Lindsay Rittenhouse. “In Closed-Door Meeting, Elon Musk Tells 100 Top Ad Execs That He Will Improve Brand Safety on Twitter and That He Will Personally Oversee Its New Video Product.” Business Insider, November 23, 2022. businessinsider.com/elon-musk-meets-to-reassure-twitter-advertisers-on-brand-safety-video-2022-11.

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days of rest, the monthly no-meeting, recharge days: Conger, Kate, and Ryan Mac. “Elon Musk Begins Layoffs at Twitter.” New York Times, November 4, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/11/03/technology/twitter-layoffs-elon-musk.html.

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“Has the red wedding started? ”: Conger and Mac, “Elon Musk Begins Layoffs.”

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She included a broken heart emoji and a link: Conger, Kate, Ryan Mac, and Mike Isaac. “Confusion and Frustration Reign as Elon Musk Cuts Half of Twitter’s Staff.” New York Times, November 4, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/11/04/technology/elon-musk-twitter-layoffs.html.

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Chapter 34: The Aftermath

known internally as Redbird, lost about 80 percent: Conger, Kate, Mike Isaac, Ryan Mac, and Tiffany Hsu. “Two Weeks of Chaos: Inside Elon Musk’s Takeover of Twitter.” New York Times, November 11, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/11/11/technology/elon-musk-twitter-takeover.html.

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Dozens of product managers were laid off across the company: Conger, Kate, Ryan Mac, and Mike Isaac. “Confusion and Frustration Reign as Elon Musk Cuts Half of Twitter’s Staff.” New York Times, November 4, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/11/04/technology/elon-musk-twitter-layoffs.html.

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Dorsey’s message came after about twenty employees: Ogbonna, Nkechi. “Twitter Lays Off Staff at Its Only Africa Office in Ghana.” BBC News, November 9, 2022, sec. Africa. bbc.com/news/world-africa-63569525.

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Chapter 35: Verified or Not

The fake tweets were “derogatory and demeaning”: Matyszczyk, Chris. “Tony La Russa Sues Twitter over Alleged Fake Tweets.” CNET, June 4, 2009. cnet.com/culture/tony-la-russa-sues-twitter-over-alleged-fake-tweets.

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Balajadia also made some public appearances on behalf of the Boring Company: Marshall, Aarian. “Elon Musk Now Wants to Dig Another Tunnel under LA.” Wired, January 23, 2018. wired.com/story/elon-musk-boring-company-culver-city.

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Chapter 36: Elections

connections to Big Oil and climate change denial: Brooks, Emily. “Elon Musk Featured at Kevin McCarthy’s GOP Retreat in Wyoming.” The Hill, August 17, 2022. thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/3605110-elon-musk-featured-at-kevin-mccarthys-gop-retreat-in-wyoming.

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In 2021, the company’s general and administrative business costs: “Twtr-20211231.” n.d. Securities and Exchange Commission. sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000141809122000029/twtr-20211231.htm.

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Musk disclosed that he sold 19.5 million: Kolodny, Lora. “Elon Musk Sells at Least $3.95 Billion Worth of Tesla Shares after Twitter Deal.” CNBC, November 8, 2022. cnbc.com/2022/11/08/elon-musk-sells-at-least-3point95-billion-worth-of-tesla-shares.html.

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Chapter 37: Zombie Attack

In October, a former security executive at Uber: Metz, Cade. “Former Uber Security Chief Found Guilty of Hiding Hack from Authorities.” New York Times, October 5, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/10/05/technology/uber-security-chief-joe-sullivan-verdict.html.

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news outlets began to take notice of the new Blue: Peters, Jay. “Elon Musk’s Twitter Blue with Verification Is Now Live.” The Verge, November 9, 2022. theverge.com/2022/11/9/23448317/elon-musk-twitter-blue-verification-live-ios.

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Russia’s Internet Research Agency used credit cards: Parks, Miles. “Fact Check: Russian Interference Went Far Beyond ‘Facebook Ads’ Kushner Described.” NPR, April 24, 2019. npr.org/2019/04/24/716374421/fact-check-russian-interference-went-far-beyond-facebook-ads-kushner-described.

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“Elon has shown that he cares only about recouping”: Conger, Kate, Ryan Mac, and Mike Isaac. “ ‘Economic Picture Ahead Is Dire,’ Elon Musk Tells Twitter Employees.” New York Times, November 10, 2022. nytimes.com/2022/11/10/technology/elon-musk-twitter-employees.html.

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“There is no way to sugar coat this message”: Wagner, Kurt. “Musk’s First Email to Twitter Staff Ends Remote Work.” Bloomberg.com, November 10, 2022. bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-10/musk-s-first-email-to-twitter-staff-ends-remote-work.

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Musk was known for late-night email blasts at Tesla: Tabahriti, Sam. “Read the Email Elon Musk Sent to Tesla Employees about Returning to the Office before Saying Headcount Will Increase.” Business Insider, June 5, 2022. businessinsider.com/read-elon-musk-email-tesla-employees-return-office-2022-6.

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the billionaire painted a bleak picture: Conger et al., “ ‘Economic Picture Ahead.’ ”

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“We just definitely need to bring in more cash”: Heath, Alex. “Inside Elon Musk’s First Meeting with Twitter Employees.” The Verge, November 11, 2022. theverge.com/2022/11/10/23452196/elon-musk-twitter-employee-meeting-q-and-a.

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The post, which garnered more than 3,000 retweets: Harwell, Drew. “The fake Eli Lilly free-insulin tweet has now been online for six hours. 3,000 retweets. The (actual) company responded three hours ago. But, hey, at least there’s a ‘Community Note’ now. And all this for a crisp $8. Enjoy it, @elonmusk!” Twitter, November 11, 2022. twitter.com/drewharwell/status/1590870708824920064.

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“It is with heavy heart that I must concede”: McCarthy, Bill. “An impostor account using a paid-for blue verification checkmark to impersonate Kari Lake, the Republican candidate for governor in Arizona, posted a fake concession last night. The post has been up for more than 12 hours.” Twitter, November 11, 2022. twitter.com/billdmccarthy/status/1591066507152609281.

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Chapter 38: Fired for Shitposting

He flew home that weekend to Austin to brood: Isaacson, Walter. Elon Musk. Simon & Schuster.

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flashing a thumbs-up in a selfie with Musk: Brynaert, Ron. “On October 26, Luke Simon posted this picture with @elonmusk on Twitter, but now he locked his account.” Twitter, November 15, 2022. twitter.com/ronbryn/status/1591582973346074624.

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After tweeting, Frohnhoefer left home to go to Starbucks: Newton, Casey. “Elon’s Paranoid Purge.” Platformer, November 16, 2022. platformer.news/elons-paranoid-purge.

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Smith was a tough woman and was known for championing female: “Kiko Smith: I Am a Wife, a Mother, an Architect and a Proud Member of Our TechWomen Sisterhood.” TechWomen, March 8, 2017. techwomen.org/techwomen-delegation/kiko-smith-i-am-a-wife-a-mother-an-architect-and-a-proud-member-of-our-techwomen-sisterhood.

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a messaging service with 800 million active users: Singh, Manish. “Telegram Raises $210 Million through Bond Sales.” TechCrunch, July 18, 2023. techcrunch.com/2023/07/18/telegram-raises-210-million-through-bond-sales.

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“the link provided is not a phishing attempt”: Mac, Ryan, Mike Isaac, and David McCabe. “Resignations Roil Twitter as Elon Musk Tries Persuading Some Workers to Stay.” New York Times, November 17, 2022. nytimes.com/2022/11/17/technology/twitter-elon-musk-ftc.html.

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“I know how to win,” he said, alluding: Ryan et al., “Resignations Roil Twitter.”

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threatened his “thermonuclear name & shame”: Mac, Ryan, Mike Isaac, and Kate Conger. “Twitter Keeps Missing Its Advertising Targets as Woes Mount.” New York Times, December 2, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/12/02/technology/twitter-advertising-targets-missed.html.

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the Daily Stormer, who was suspended in 2013: Ramirez, Nikki McCann. “Elon Brings One of America’s Most Prominent Nazis Back to Twitter.” Rolling Stone, December 2, 2022. rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/elon-musk-twitter-reinstates-neo-nazi-andrew-anglin-account-1234640390.

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“death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE”: Li, David K., and Colin Sheeley. “Ye Locked out of Twitter after Backlash for Antisemitic Posts.” NBC News, October 10, 2022. nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ye-locked-twitter-violation-platform-policy-rcna51505.

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Trump joined Truth Social, the social network he partly owned: Singman, Brooke. “Trump Joins TRUTH Social: ‘I’M BACK! #COVFEFE.’ ” Fox News, April 28, 2022. foxnews.com/politics/trump-joins-truth-social-im-back-covfefe.

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Chapter 39: Zero-Based Budgeting

Twitter’s revenue for the last three months of 2022: Woo, Erin. “Musk’s Twitter Saw Revenue Drop 35% in Q4, Sharply below Projections.” The Information, January 18, 2023. theinformation.com/articles/musks-twitter-saw-revenue-drop-35-in-q4-sharply-below-projections.

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balloon to more than $1.5 billion a year: Mac, Ryan. “Elon Musk Says Twitter’s Finances Are Improving after Big Cuts.” New York Times, March 7, 2023, sec. Business. nytimes.com/2023/03/07/business/elon-musk-twitter-finances.html.

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The company was incurring more than $3 million: Jin, Berber, and Alexander Saeedy. “WSJ News Exclusive: Elon Musk Explores Raising up to $3 Billion to Help Pay Off Twitter Debt.” Wall Street Journal, January 25, 2023. wsj.com/articles/elon-musk-explores-raising-up-to-3-billion-to-pay-off-twitter-debt-11674669412.

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using his Tesla shares to back new margin loans: Scigliuzzo, Davide, Sonali Basak, and Paula Seligson. “Elon Musk’s Bankers Consider Tesla Margin Loans to Cut Risky Twitter Debt.” Bloomberg.com, December 8, 2022. bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-08/musk-bankers-mull-tesla-margin-loans-to-cut-risky-twitter-debt.

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He moved his family—including the newborn: Peterson, Becky, and Erin Woo. “Musk May Have Found a Hardcore Leader for Twitter.” The Information, December 23, 2022. theinformation.com/articles/musk-may-have-found-a-hardcore-leader-for-twitter.

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With fifty offices in more than thirty cities around the world: Wolfram Arnold, Eric Froese, Tracy Hawkins, Joseph Killian, Laura Chan Pytlarz, and Andrew Schlaikjer, Plaintiffs, v. X Corp. f/k/a Twitter, Inc., X Holdings Corp. f/k/a X Holdings I, Inc. and Elon Musk. Filed May 16, 2023. United States District Court for the District of Delaware. dockets.justia.com/docket/delaware/dedce/1:2023cv00528/82425.

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“We just won’t pay landlords”: Arnold et al. v. X Corp. et al.

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Davis and Musk ended relationships with a cleaning company: Sainato, Michael. “ ‘It’s a Nightmare’: Twitter’s New York City Janitors Protest over Sudden Layoffs.” The Guardian, January 12, 2023, sec. Technology. theguardian.com/technology/2023/jan/12/twitter-janitors-new-york-city-protest-layoffs-elon-musk.

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the stench of the bathrooms overwhelmed: Hays, Kali. “A Malodorous Musk: Twitter Employees Beg for Toilet Paper and Report a Wafting Stench on Slack as Elon Musk Cuts Back on Office Facilities Staff.” Business Insider, January 5, 2023. businessinsider.com/elon-musk-twitter-layoffs-employees-beg-toilet-paper-slack-2023-1.

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shirts had been created after the Ferguson protests by Blackbirds: Sullivan, Mark. “What’s Jack Dorsey’s #StayWoke T-Shirt Mean?,” Fast Company, June 1, 2016. fastcompany.com/4009077/whats-jack-dorseys-staywoke-t-shirt-mean.

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checks to landlords “over my dead body”: Arnold et al. v. X Corp. et al.

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Twitter skipped out on the $6.8 million owed: Li, Roland. “Twitter Sued by Landlord at S.F. HQ after Alleged $6.8 Million in Missed Rent Payments.” San Francisco Chronicle, January 24, 2024. sfchronicle.com/tech/article/twitter-sued-by-landlord-at-s-f-hq-after-alleged-17737102.php.

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In London, the Crown Estate, which oversees property: Rhoden-Paul, Andre. “Twitter Sued by Crown Estate over Alleged Unpaid Rent at UK HQ.” BBC.com, January 23, 2023. bbc.com/news/uk-64381582.

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In Singapore, workers were walked out by building management: Newton, Casey. “I’m told Twitter employees were just walked out of its Singapore office—its Asia-Pacific headquarters—over nonpayment of rent….” Twitter, January 11, 2023. twitter.com/CaseyNewton/status/1613303513240702976.

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$30,000 Twitter bird statue and a $25,000 espresso: Ortutay, Barbara. “Twitter Auctions Off Blue Bird Memorabilia, Pricey Furniture.” AP News, January 18, 2023. apnews.com/article/elon-musk-twitter-inc-technology-san-francisco-business-204237cbfdc7a2bb11d3457f6de6c19e.

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“overtly sexual or pornographic material”: Apple.com, Developer. “App Review Guidelines.” developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines.

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Musk showed up at the $5 billion Apple Park: Isaacson, Walter. Elon Musk. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2023.

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Chapter 40: “I’m Rich, Bitch!”

During the first month of Musk’s ownership, it suspended nearly 300,000 accounts: Safety (@Safety). “We’ve been improving our detection and enforcement methods and expanding our partnerships…” Twitter, December 9, 2022. twitter.com/safety/status/1601439984292360193.

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Soon, the Daily Mail picked up on the story: Gordon, James. “Ex-Twitter Censor Yoel Roth and His Boyfriend Are Forced to FLEE Their $1.1m Home.” Daily Mail online, December 13, 2022. dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11531441/Ex-Twitter-censor-Yoel-Roth-boyfriend-forced-FLEE-t-1-1m-home-Elon-Musk-shared-thesis.html.

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“Ladies and gentlemen, make some noise for the richest”: Novak, Matt. “Elon Musk Gets Viciously Booed by Stadium Crowd at Dave Chappelle Show.” Gizmodo, December 12, 2022. gizmodo.com/elon-musk-booed-stadium-crowd-dave-chappelle-sf-boo-1849881192.

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“I’m rich, bitch!” Musk screamed: Novak, Matt. “Elon Musk Gets Booed by the Crowd at Dave Chappelle’s San Francisco Show (Part 3 of 4).” Youtube, December 12, 2022. youtube.com/watch?v=u1cl8U0UCMQ.

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He blamed the incident on: Lovelyti. “Elon Musk Was Drowned Out by Boos When He Joined Dave Chappelle Onstage at a Gig in San Francisco…” Twitter, December 13, 2022. twitter.com/lovelyti/status/1602681687946809348.

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Tesla’s stock fell more than 6 percent during trading: Bobrowsky, Meghan. “Tesla Investors Voice Concern over Elon Musk’s Focus on Twitter.” Wall Street Journal, December 13, 2022. wsj.com/articles/tesla-investors-voice-concern-over-elon-musks-focus-on-twitter-11670948786.

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Vivian, who was seen by her father as a neo-Marxist: Financial Times staff. “Elon Musk: ‘Aren’t You Entertained?’ ” Financial Times, October 7, 2022. ft.com/content/5ef14997-982e-4f03-8548-b5d67202623a.

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“There is not going to be any distinction in the future between journalists”: ElectricTonde. “Elon Musk on Twitter Spaces @Katienotopoulos’ Dec 16, 2022 with Banned Journalists.” Youtube, December 17, 2022. youtube.com/watch?v=SZgC6wvBsZ4.

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Chapter 41: Self-Doubt

In 2010, the first World Cup with a major Twitter presence: Popkin, Helen. “Twitter down Again? Blame Justin Bieber!” NBC News, June 15, 2010. nbcnews.com/id/wbna37711973.

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when the Netherlands national team upset Brazil: Popkin, Helen. “Did World Cup Fans Crash Twitter…Again?” NBC News, July 2, 2010. nbcnews.com/id/wbna38060788.

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The 2014 event in Brazil led to some 672 million tweets: “Insights into the #WorldCup Conversation on Twitter.” Twitter Blog, July 14, 2014. blog.twitter.com/en_us/a/2014/insights-into-the-worldcup-conversation-on-twitter.

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Musk flew more than fifteen hours to get to the game: elonmusksjet. Instagram, December 18, 2022. instagram.com/p/CmT1fxLLfXj.

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snapping photos with everyone from the likes of Turkish strongman: Bennett, Dalton, Samuel Oakford, Gerrit De Vynck, and Monique Woo. “From Jared Kushner to Salt Bae: Here’s Who Elon Musk Was Seen with at the World Cup.” Washington Post, December 21, 2022. washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/12/20/elon-musk-spotted-world-cup-final.

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“Over recent weeks we’ve received numerous inbound”: Hoffman, Liz, and Reed Albergotti. “Elon Musk’s Team Is Seeking New Investors for Twitter.” Semafor, December 16, 2022. semafor.com/article/12/16/2022/elon-musks-team-is-seeking-new-investors-for-twitter.

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The terms were bold, if not preposterous: Jin, Berber, and Alexander Saeedy. “Elon Musk Explores Raising up to $3 Billion to Help Pay Off Twitter Debt.” Wall Street Journal, January 25, 2023. wsj.com/articles/elon-musk-explores-raising-up-to-3-billion-to-pay-off-twitter-debt-11674669412.

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“I still think Elon is a smart guy”: Graham, Paul. “Paul Graham Is Leaving Twitter for Now.” ycombinator.com, December 18, 2022. news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34041985.

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The company’s shares set a new two-year low: Sean, O’Kane. “Musk Lashes Out at Unhappy Investor as Tesla Shares Retreat.” Bloomberg.com, December 20, 2022. bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-20/tesla-tsla-share-retreat-prompts-criticism-of-musk-by-longtime-investors.

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On December 23, one of Austin’s deputies sent out an email: Schiffer, Zoë. “NEW: Twitter is shutting down its data center in Sacramento and downsizing another in Atlanta by early Jan, likely as a cost saving measure….” Twitter, December 23, 2022. twitter.com/ZoeSchiffer/status/1606408842417512455.

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In other cases, people could not view the replies: Conger, Kate. “Twitter Users Report Widespread Service Interruptions.” New York Times, December 29, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/12/28/technology/twitter-outages.html.

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the site would be stricken with half a dozen major outages: Mac, Ryan, Mike Isaac, and Kate Conger. “ ‘Sometimes Things Break’: Twitter Outages Are on the Rise.” New York Times, February 28, 2023, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2023/02/28/technology/twitter-outages-elon-musk.html.

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Chapter 42: Red Pilled

He also gave a tour of the office to Dave Rubin: Rubin, Dave. “Spent last two days at Twitter in SF talking to engineers, product managers and yes, @elonmusk….” Twitter, January 26, 2023. twitter.com/RubinReport/status/1618667912377810945.

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suggested that he was “reasonably popular”: Siddiqui, Faiz, and Jeremy B. Merrill. “Elon Musk Reinvents Twitter for the Benefit of a Power User: Himself.” Washington Post, February 16, 2023. washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/02/16/elon-musk-twitter.

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“Twitter is actually an incredible tool”: Ewing, Jack. “Tesla’s Profit Jumped 12% in Fourth Quarter.” New York Times, January 25, 2023, sec. Business. nytimes.com/2023/01/25/business/tesla-earnings-fourth-quarter-2022.html.

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Musk, who was facing various government inquiries: Musk, Elon. “Will be interesting to see how the Biden administration reacts to this. They may try to weaponize federal agencies against Twitter.” Twitter, January 18, 2023. twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1615775765702004737.

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His team wrote to Lina Khan, the FTC chairwoman: McCabe, David, and Kate Conger. “Elon Musk Tried to Meet with F.T.C. Chair about Twitter but Was Rebuffed.” New York Times, March 30, 2023, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2023/03/30/technology/elon-musk-ftc-chair.html.

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Among them was Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia congresswoman: Alba, Davey. “Twitter Permanently Suspends Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Account.” New York Times, January 2, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/01/02/technology/marjorie-taylor-greene-twitter.html.

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after McCarthy used his influence to push Twitter’s leadership: Swan, Jonathan, and Catie Edmondson. “How Kevin McCarthy Forged an Ironclad Bond with Marjorie Taylor Greene.” New York Times, January 23, 2023, sec. U.S. nytimes.com/2023/01/23/us/politics/kevin-mccarthy-marjorie-taylor-greene.html.

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organizer of the Stop the Steal election denial movement: Thalen, Mikael. “Ali Alexander Returns to Twitter, Boasts He Could Have Destroyed the Capitol on Jan. 6 If He Wanted To.” Daily Dot, January 10, 2023. dailydot.com/debug/ali-alexander-twitter-capitol-riot.

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Ron Watkins, the suspected creator behind QAnon: Sommer, Will. “Alleged QAnon creator Ron Watkins has returned from Twitter, after receiving a lifetime ban in the pre-Elon era.” Twitter, January 10, 2023. twitter.com/willsommer/status/1612834340118872064.

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“going to war with the Jews”: Hoff, Gabe. “Fascist Jew hater Nick Fuentes…Claimed He Is ‘Going to War with the Jews.’ ” Twitter, January 25, 2023. twitter.com/GabeHoff/status/1618121530311049218.

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He was eventually re-banned: Singh, Kanishka. “Twitter Suspends Account of White Supremacist Nick Fuentes a Day after Restoration.” Reuters, January 25, 2023. Accessed February 21, 2024. reuters.com/world/us/twitter-suspends-account-white-supremacist-nick-fuentes-day-after-restoration-2023-01-25.

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antisemitic speech was up more than 60 percent: Frenkel, Sheera, and Kate Conger. “Hate Speech’s Rise on Twitter Is Unprecedented, Researchers Find.” New York Times, December 2, 2022, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2022/12/02/technology/twitter-hate-speech.html.

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Accounts showing terrorist affiliations with groups: Ayad, Moustafa. “Islamic State Supporters on Twitter: How Is ‘New’ Twitter Handling an Old Problem?” GNET, November 18, 2022. gnet-research.org/2022/11/18/islamic-state-supporters-on-twitter-how-is-new-twitter-handling-an-old-problem.

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Twitter’s recommendation algorithm also surfaced and suggested: Keller, Michael H., and Kate Conger. “Musk Pledged to Cleanse Twitter of Child Abuse Content. It’s Been Rough Going.” New York Times, February 6, 2023, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2023/02/06/technology/twitter-child-sex-abuse.html.

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By early February, the agency had sent twelve letters: Tracy, Ryan. “FTC Twitter Investigation Sought Elon Musk’s Internal Communications, Journalist Names.” Wall Street Journal, March 7, 2023, sec. Tech. wsj.com/articles/twitter-investigation-ftc-musk-documents-db6b179e.

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Kissner, Twitter’s old chief information security officer: Conger, Kate, Ryan Mac, and David McCabe. “F.T.C. Intensifies Investigation of Twitter’s Privacy Practices.” New York Times, March 8, 2023, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2023/03/07/technology/ftc-twitter-investigation-privacy.html.

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“Something fundamental is wrong”: Musk, Elon. “Something fundamental is wrong.” Twitter, February 1, 2023. twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1620870276279042048.

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he had tweeted, “Go @Eagles!!!”: Dator, James. “Why Did Elon Musk Delete His ‘Go Eagles’ Tweet Right after Philly Lost the Super Bowl?” SBNation, February 14, 2023. sbnation.com/2023/2/14/23599418/elon-musk-delete-go-eagles-tweet-super-bowl.

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Musk running point on the “high urgency” issue: Newton, Casey, and Zoë Schiffer. “Yes, Elon Musk Created a Special System for Showing You All His Tweets First.” Platformer, February 15, 2023. platformer.news/yes-elon-musk-created-a-special-system.

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Twitter was late on paying its Slack bill: Woo, Erin. “Twitter Lays Off at Least 50 in Relentless Cost Cuts.” The Information, February 25, 2023. theinformation.com/articles/twitter-lays-off-at-least-50-in-relentless-cost-cuts.

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Chapter 43: Endorsements

the European Union, which was set to roll out: Financial Times staff. “EU Tells Elon Musk to Hire More Staff to Moderate Twitter.” Financial Times, March 7, 2023. ft.com/content/20141fb1-d8f7-4c9e-a0d0-ded1ac8c7947.

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Twitter was fined 0.1 percent of its gross income: “Turkish Competition Board Says Fines Elon Musk over Twitter Takeover.” Reuters, March 6, 2023. Accessed February 21, 2024. reuters.com/technology/turkish-competition-board-says-fines-elon-musk-over-twitter-takeover-2023-03-06.

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the Turkish government blocked access to the platform: Satariano, Adam. “Twitter Was Blocked in Turkey, Internet-Monitoring Group Says.” New York Times, February 8, 2023, sec. World. nytimes.com/2023/02/08/world/europe/turkey-earthquake-twitter-blocked.html.

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Musk, whose SpaceX was pushing to launch its Starlink: Fernholz, Tim. “How Turkey Is Using Starlink to Win a Tesla Factory.” Quartz, September 18, 2023. qz.com/turkey-erdogan-elon-musk-starlink-spacex-tesla-1850849958.

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Twitter had faced immense pressure from Narendra: Lyons, Kim. “Police in India Raid Twitter Offices in Probe of Tweets with ‘Manipulated Media’ Label.” The Verge, May 24, 2021. theverge.com/2021/5/24/22451271/police-india-raid-twitter-tweets-government-manipulated-media.

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Musk, however, caved, blocking more than 120 accounts: Sakunia, Samriddhi. “Twitter Blocked 122 Accounts in India at the Government’s Request.” Rest of World, March 24, 2023. restofworld.org/2023/twitter-blocked-access-punjab-amritpal-singh-sandhu.

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“The reason I did the Twitter acquisition was not because”: Alfar, Gail. “Elon Musk’s Talk at Morgan Stanley TMT 2023 on Twitter, X.com, Tesla and Starship.” What’s up Tesla, March 13, 2023. whatsuptesla.com/2023/03/12/x-4.

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Three weeks later, Twitter’s employees received an email: Conger, Kate, and Ryan Mac. “Elon Musk Values Twitter at $20 Billion.” New York Times, March 26, 2023, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2023/03/26/technology/elon-musk-twitter-value.html.

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The Information, a tech publication, found that less than 300,000: Woo, Erin. “Musk’s Twitter Has Just 180,000 U.S. Subscribers, Two Months after Launch.” The Information, February 6, 2023.theinformation.com/articles/musks-twitter-has-just-180-000-u-s-subscribers-two-months-after-launch.

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vowing to eventually take away the verified check marks: O’Kane, Caitlin. “Twitter Is Officially Ending Its Old Verification Process on April 1. To Get a Blue Check Mark, You’ll Have to Pay.” cbsnews.com, March 24, 2023. cbsnews.com/news/twitter-blue-check-verification-ending-new-subscription-april-1-elon-musk.

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A few days later, he did away with all labels for NPR: Yang, Mary. “Twitter Removes All Labels about Government Ties from NPR and Other Outlets.” NPR, April 21, 2023. npr.org/2023/04/21/1171236695/twitter-strips-state-affiliated-government-funded-labels-from-npr-rt-china.

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noting he had reduced the company to about 20 percent: Oshin, Olafimihan. “Elon Musk Claims the US Government Had ‘Full Access’ to Private Twitter DMs.” The Hill, April 16, 2023. thehill.com/homenews/3953995-elon-musk-claims-the-us-government-had-full-access-to-private-twitter-dms.

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Dominion Voting Systems, a company that said it had been defamed: Peters, Jeremy W., Katie Robertson, and Michael M. Grynbaum. “Tucker Carlson, a Source of Repeated Controversies, Is Out at Fox News.” New York Times, April 24, 2023, sec. Business. nytimes.com/2023/04/24/business/media/tucker-carlson-fox-news-dismissal.html.

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While Dominion and Fox settled for more than $780 million: Peters, Jeremy W., and Katie Robertson. “Fox Will Pay $787.5 Million to Settle Defamation Suit.” New York Times, April 18, 2023, sec. Business. nytimes.com/2023/04/18/business/media/fox-dominion-defamation-settle.html.

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On Monday, May 8, Carlson met with Lachlan Murdoch: Peters, Jeremy W., and Benjamin Mullin. “Carlson, Still under Contract at Fox, Says He Will Start New Show on Twitter.” New York Times, May 9, 2023, sec. Business. nytimes.com/2023/05/09/business/media/tucker-carlson-twitter-show.html.

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His contract, which ran until 2025, ensured: Sorkin, Andrew Ross, Ravi Mattu, Sarah Kessler, Michael J. De La Merced, Lauren Hirsch, and Ephrat Livni. “The Calculus behind Firing Tucker Carlson.” New York Times, April 25, 2023. nytimes.com/2023/04/25/business/dealbook/the-calculus-behind-firing-tucker-carlson.html.

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“So many conspiracy theories have turned out to be true”: Calia, Mike. “Elon Musk: ‘I’ll Say What I Want, and If the Consequence of That Is Losing Money, So Be It.’ ” CNBC, May 16, 2023. cnbc.com/2023/05/16/elon-musk-defends-inflammatory-tweets-ill-say-what-i-want.html.

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So when Yaccarino was passed over for the top job: Hsu, Tiffany, Sapna Maheshwari, Benjamin Mullin, and Ryan Mac. “Elon Musk Appoints Linda Yaccarino Twitter’s New Chief.” New York Times, May 12, 2023, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2023/05/12/technology/yaccarino-twitter-ceo-musk.html.

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The billionaire showed up unshaven and spoke off-the-cuff: “Linda Yaccarino Interviews Elon Musk—April 18, 2023.” youtube.com, April 20, 2023. youtube.com/watch?v=ypZNWjPpOuI.

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At the time, she was preparing for the Upfronts: Mullin, Benjamin. “NBCUniversal’s New Leader, a Hollywood Outsider, Steps into the Spotlight.” New York Times, May 22, 2023, sec. Business. nytimes.com/2023/05/22/business/media/mike-cavanagh-nbcuniversal.html.

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preventing her from doing ad deals for Twitter: Mac, Ryan, Tiffany Hsu, and Benjamin Mullin. “Twitter’s New Chief Eases into the Hot Seat.” New York Times, June 29, 2023, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2023/06/29/technology/twitter-ceo-linda-yaccarino.html.

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“What Is a Woman?” The promotion, which cost: Boreing, Jeremy. “Twitter canceled a deal with @realdailywire to premiere…” Twitter, June 1, 2023. twitter.com/JeremyDBoreing/status/1664255321630552065.

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While the Daily Wire would go on to post its video: Binder, Matt. “Right-Wing Musk Fans Win Twitter CEO’s Loyalty. Staff Loses.” Mashable, June 2, 2023. mashable.com/article/elon-musk-the-daily-wire-twitter-resignations-explained.

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Musk’s audible had alienated them all: Mac, Ryan, and Tiffany Hsu. “Twitter’s U.S. Ad Sales Plunge 59% as Woes Continue.” New York Times, June 5, 2023, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2023/06/05/technology/twitter-ad-sales-musk.html.

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Chapter 44: Linda

getting a warning message that claimed they had exceeded the rate limit: Medina, Eduardo, and Ryan Mac. “Musk Says Twitter Is Limiting Number of Posts Users Can Read.” New York Times, July 1, 2023, sec. Business. nytimes.com/2023/07/01/business/twitter-rate-limit-elon-musk.html.

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a battle against a sumo wrestler at his forty-second birthday party in 2013: Zilber, Ariel. “Elon Musk Blew Out Disc in Neck after Fighting 350-Pound Sumo Wrestler.” New York Post, September 14, 2023. nypost.com/2023/09/14/elon-musk-blew-out-disc-in-neck-after-fighting-350-pound-sumo-wrestler.

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someone tried to remove a logo from the security desk: Mac, Ryan. “Another bird update: Some bird logos are not coming off…” Twitter, July 24, 2023. twitter.com/RMac18/status/1683599649318535168.

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“eXposure” and “eXult”: Mac, Ryan, and Tiffany Hsu. “From Twitter to X: Elon Musk Begins Erasing an Iconic Internet Brand.” New York Times, July 24, 2023, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2023/07/24/technology/twitter-x-elon-musk.html.

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“Wanna do a practice bout at your house”: Musk, Elon. “This is the full message: If you still want to do a real MMA fight,…” Twitter, August 13, 2023. twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1690747345674137600?s=20/Pic.Twitter.Com/Uzbkoikfoc.

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The hashtag #BanTheADL began trending: Graziosi, Graig. “White Nationalist Nick Fuentes Appears to Admit He Skirted Twitter Ban.” The Independent, September 12, 2023. independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nick-fuentes-white-nationalist-twitter-ban-b2410119.html.

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Chapter 45: Tell It to Earth

At 7:03 in the morning on Saturday, November 18: Chang, Kenneth. “SpaceX Starship Launch: Highlights from the 2nd Flight of Elon Musk’s Moon and Mars Rocket.” New York Times, November 19, 2023. nytimes.com/live/2023/11/18/science/spacex-starship-launch-elon-musk.

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Musk stood with his palms pressed together as if in prayer: Musk, Kimbal. “Focused.” Twitter, November 18, 2023. https://twitter.com/kimbal/status/1725890951804276896; “Congratulations bro. I can’t think of a more deserving person ever….” Twitter, December 13, 2021. Accessed February 21, 2024. twitter.com/kimbal/status/1470415129799905280.

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the SpaceX chief watched as massive plumes of white smoke: Musk, Elon. “Magnificent Machine with a 1000 ft plume. pic.twitter.com/wsyXJQJr3v.” Twitter, November 18, 2023. twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1725926972423852296.

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With the countdown finished, the 397-foot rocket: Chang, “SpaceX Starship Launch.”

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“This is the richest man in the world”: Kaplan, Alex. “Far-Right Figures and White Nationalists Celebrate Elon Musk’s Antisemitic Post: ‘What We Were Saying in Charlottesville.’ ” Media Matters for America, November 16, 2023. mediamatters.org/elon-musk/far-right-figures-and-white-nationalists-celebrate-elon-musks-antisemitic-post-what-we.

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The following day, Media Matters, the progressive media watchdog: Hananoki, Eric. “As Musk Endorses Antisemitic Conspiracy Theory, X Has Been Placing Ads for Apple, Bravo, IBM, Oracle, and Xfinity next to Pro-Nazi Content.” Media Matters for America, November 16, 2023. mediamatters.org/twitter/musk-endorses-antisemitic-conspiracy-theory-x-has-been-placing-ads-apple-bravo-ibm-oracle.

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By Friday, Apple, IBM, Disney, and more than a hundred: Mac, Ryan, Brooks Barnes, and Tiffany Hsu. “Advertisers Flee X as Outcry over Musk’s Endorsement of Antisemitic Post Grows.” New York Times, November 17, 2023, sec. Technology. nytimes.com/2023/11/17/technology/elon-musk-twitter-x-advertisers.html.

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It would lead to more than $75 million: Mac, Ryan, and Kate Conger. “X May Lose up to $75 Million in Revenue as More Advertisers Pull Out.” New York Times, November 24, 2023, sec. Business. nytimes.com/2023/11/24/business/x-elon-musk-advertisers.html.

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Texas’s attorney general, a Musk ally, also announced an investigation: Conger, Kate, and Ryan Mac. “X Sues Media Matters over Research on Ads Next to Antisemitic Posts.” New York Times, November 21, 2023. nytimes.com/2023/11/20/technology/x-sues-media-matters-antisemitic-posts.html.

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In a bind, Musk flew to Israel on Monday, November 27: Toh, Michelle, Lauren Izso, and Alex Stambaugh. “Elon Musk Visits Israel’s Destroyed Kibbutz and Meets Netanyahu in Wake of Antisemitic Post.” CNN Business, November 27, 2023. cnn.com/2023/11/27/tech/elon-musk-isaac-herzog-israel-meeting-intl-hnk/index.html.

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He landed in Austin in the early hours of Tuesday morning: “ElonJet (@Elonjet.net). “Landed in Austin, Texas, US.” 2023. Bluesky Social, November 28, 2023. bsky.app/profile/elonjet.net/post/3kfaifcseto2c.

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suggesting that the Pizzagate conspiracy theory “is real.”: Sardarizadeh, Shayan. “Elon Musk has now deleted the tweet that promoted the pizzagate conspiracy theory. pic.twitter.com/JFWcny7RlR.” Twitter, November 28, 2023. twitter.com/Shayan86/status/1729595410220499250.

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