Comment by jacquesm
2 years ago
Fair enough. I don't think he will be able to salvage this and I've deleted my account to reduce the temptation to return.
A reputation is not like a piece of software that you fix and then re-run as though it never broke in the first place. Elon has utterly wrecked his reputation over the last couple of months (and probably longer than that) and it is getting worse, not better.
Edit: I guess Paul won't be going back to Twitter because his account just got suspended...
See for yourself: https://twitter.com/paulg/
Well said, good analogy.
There’s the immediate issues of the policy. But there’s the bigger issue of the thought process that led to the policy. One of Elons central criticism of old Twitter management was unfair content moderation policy. And almost immediately he enacts a far worse content policy than anything old management did, in a brazen display of hypocrisy.
Even if he reverses course on this one issue, he’s demonstrated that any previous advocacy for free speech was completely disingenuous. He wants to run Twitter like he’s the dictator of a banana republic. And any time you spend on the platform strengthens his ability to do so.
It was disturbing and confusing watching people like pg and Lex Fridman seemingly throw their apparent principles to the wind tolerating this type of behavior. I do sympathize there was some ambiguity about Elons plans for Twitter before this last week but with the banning of journalists and the banning of links to Mastodon, that ambiguity has been removed.
I’m relieved pg took a stand here but like you I wish it was a much stronger one.
I think even your critical statement gives Elon too much credit. I think he might genuinely think he is doing good, but is just completely out of his depth and is at the same time convinced that he will succeed in improving it. Any thread by Yishsn has more insight to offer on content moderation than Musk is exhibiting and could have easily predicted the failed he makes. Mental issues or his (warranted) arrogance from his incredible past success are clouding his judgment. He also has clearly a lot of penned up culture war anger and might not be aware of that bias either. His behavior is just too erratic to seem like any kind of evil plan. After all he tried to get out of buying Twitter fort months.
PG’s account is now suspended by Twitter.
The ironic thing is that one of his latest posts was about dumb people and identity politics.
The whole group of tech luminaries turned political whiners just goes to show that it’s time for a new generation and they should not bend the knee for the last one but forge their own way.
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If enough high profile people took a stronger stance that might just be enough to make Musk see the light. I'm not going to hold my breath for that though.
What “light” would he see?
That censoring whatever and whomever he wants on a whim is not the same as guaranteeing a platform without censorship?
And he will somehow change his personality and thinking and put the integrity of the platform above his own small thinking limited to self interest?
I really don’t see it. His reputation of an unstable, vindictive, insecure person with the power to annihilate any voice he dislikes and the track record of doing so is precise.
How does one climb back from that kind of chasm and establish public trust?
Twitter used to have certain policies. Now seemingly replaced by “whatever Elon likes, today”.
This is 100% toxic, I stand destruction of trust.
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What “light” would he see?
That censoring whatever and whomever he wants on a whim is not the same as guaranteeing a platform without censorship?
And he will somehow change his personality and thinking and put the integrity of the platform above his own small thinking limited to self interest?
I really don’t see it. His reputation of an unstable, vindictive, insecure person with the power to annihilate any voice he dislikes and the track record of doing so is precise.
How does one climb back from that kind of chasm and establish public trust?
Twitter used to have certain policies. Now seemingly replaced to “whatever Elon likes, today”.
This is 100% toxic, I stand destruction of trust.
Stand up for your principles and reason from them.
Elon Musk's social media policy is now so sensitive that repeatedly linking to other platforms will get you banned. This is coming from the guy who thinks it's fair play to repeatedly call a rescue worker a pedophile -- of all things that shouldn't be considered fair play on or off social media.
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I un-sub'd from PG, Lex, Musk etc. They are all shades of Peter Theil and Anti-democratic when it comes to them / or their product.
pg calling him a smart guy is quite disappointing.
The guy is happy to consume and repeat QAnon propaganda(E.g. Pelosi’s husband).
Is happy to lie(journalists who didn’t fix him got banned).
Takes emotional decisions to only reverse them hours later.
Lacks any logical thinking, keeps gaslighting and cannot keep a consistent line(he is a free speech absolutist who believes hate speech and call to insurrection is ok but not doxxing)
Has no morals and uses anything under his power to achieve his goals(banning external links to social media)
He also predicted no COVID cases by April 2020 when a rock knew that yes it will take a long time.
It's a pretty technical argument but being an asshole does not necessarily mean you aren't smart.
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> banning of links to Mastodon
I’d like to point out that this is what everyone says is happening, but actually that’s not what’s happening.
Twitter allows linking to other social networks as long as that’s not the only thing you do. Twitter is suspending accounts which were made sorely for linking to another network. (The mastodon account was only used for promoting mastodon’s alternative social network).
Here is a thread by twitter which explains the policy: https://twitter.com/twittersupport/status/160453126541959168...
This FUD is almost on crypto twitter levels, and this is very behavior is very unusual for HN.
(I don’t mean you specifically, a lot of people and even major news outlets got this wrong)
If you try to post a link to a mastodon profile, it will fail. Old links will bring up a "this site may be harmful" interstitial. Most large instances seem affected.
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I read some advice that it's better to lock the account than delete it, especially if you had a decent number of followers. Reduces the likelihood of impersonation.
Good point, well, too late for that I guess.
But at the rate Twitter is heading for the scene of the crash I don't think it will matter for much longer.
It is not appropriate or ethical for pilots to use euphemisms or other language that may downplay or minimize the severity of an aviation incident or accident. Pilots have a serious responsibility to communicate clearly and accurately about the status of a flight, and to take all necessary actions to ensure the safety of their passengers and crew. Using euphemisms or other language that may mislead or confuse people about the true nature of an incident or accident could potentially compromise safety and hinder effective communication and response.
Love, DangGPT.
It's not too late, you have a full month to reverse the deactivation.
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Not necessarily, I think you can reactivate your account within 30 days. If you had a blue checkmark I believe reactivation is possible for one year.
> Edit: I guess Paul won't be going back to Twitter because his account just got suspended...
I had hopes Elon would be good for Twitter, but this is just comedic
There is an 'in Soviet Russia' joke in there somewhere but I'm not going to get burned like that ;)
Is it just me or pg's twitter account is suspended now?
Definitely not just you, I see the same thing.
I feel terrible for Paul — imagine having a decade of work wiped out overnight. Hopefully it’s not permanent.
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Do you have a Mastodon account yet? I'd like to continue to follow you.
I'm still on the fence about what to do. As I've written elsewhere today I'm not currently in the best of health and social media takes up a lot of time and energy, also I am wondering whether I should simply not let that go and concentrate on more real world stuff. I do still blog every now and then and I'm on HN in waves depending on how much free time I have.
> social media takes up a lot of time and energy, also I am wondering whether I should simply not let that go and concentrate on more real world stuff.
I dont see why more people arent doing this. How much value are these places really providing you in your life. I think its mostly fomo. Maybe theres a gem somewhere in there.
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Health and well-being come first. I just wanted to let you know that your comments and contributions are always appreciated!
Why Mastadon rather than nostr or farcaster?
> A reputation is not like a piece of software that you fix and then re-run as though it never broke in the first place
In a way it is, but it differs from software in that fixing it involves more than reverting the action by which you broke it.
Any good examples?
'Reputation is like a crystal vase, you can drop it, and glue it back together again but it will never again be the same vase that it was before you dropped it'.
Both Bill Gates (IT robber baron) and Mike Tyson (wife beater, ear biter and convicted rapist) seem to enjoy pretty good reputations these days.
Musk's reputational problem is chiefly due to looking quite incompetent at the moment, not his moral failings.
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanessa_Williams
"Reputation is like a refrigerator. About 6 feet tall. 300 pounds. They make ice. And when if your refrigerator isn't running, you will get spoilage."
Hi jacquesm, I noticed that you have both a strong background in business and a negative opinion of Elon Musk. As someone who is interested in understanding different perspectives, I would love to hear more about your thoughts on this topic. Could you please share more about the actions or decisions by Elon that have led you to form this negative opinion? I'm not looking to engage in an argument, but rather just to gain a better understanding of your perspective. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Is there anything about this comment that is attracting the down votes?
I would like to avoid future mistakes.
Don't say anything that could be seen as positive about Elon Musk unless you are the founder of this website.
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> Elon has utterly wrecked his reputation over the last couple of months (and probably longer than that) and it is getting worse, not better.
Lol. This could be the worst prediction from an otherwise smart person I've ever seen. Please elaborate and define it mathematically. (My guess in trying to do so you'll either discover the errors in your thinking or double down on your intellectual dishonesty)
No personal attacks, please.
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
You are right. Yet, why is his not a personal attack on Elon?
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