10 Comments

I feel a perennial case study for MBA’s coming

Expand full comment

This could also be uncannily prescient advice for the time when the c-suite convinces themselves an AI is preferable to all kinds of expendable, costly and bothersome employees.

Expand full comment

Oh good point. They're absolutely going to make that mistake and then we're absolutely going to make fun of them for it.

Expand full comment

Damn, you brought the receipts and I am here for it. Great stuff Dave!

Expand full comment

Hope this isn’t too random, but Dave have you read Vili Lehdonvirta’s “Cloud Empires”? I finally got round to it and think it will resonate with you, giving a bird’s eye view of the libertarian sentiments of early internet pioneers and the subsequent evolution of governance arrangements. It’s well written, thoroughly researched, and fast readers can finish it in a few hours.

See here for a longer review/summary

https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2022/10/01/book-review-cloud-empires-how-digital-platforms-are-overtaking-the-state-and-how-we-can-regain-control-by-vili-lehdonvirta/

Expand full comment

Haven't read it. You're right that looks to be right up my alley. Gonna pick up a copy and take a look, thanks for the rec.

Expand full comment

Another ace, Dave.

I'm on Twitter daily and am starting to see my use of the platform as simply a bad habit.

Knowing the background of the train wreck Twitter has become is helping me to break that habit.

Thanks.

Expand full comment

I think that this is all correct. There also seems a potentially larger lesson here about how elites might survive by potentially limiting negative signals about themselves. His management of Twitter is one big ole’ negative signal, but so too are his non-management tweets. Even if he were running Twitter well, how many people would trust a shitposter to put a microchip in their brains? I don’t know, but presumably fewer than those who would have before he revealed himself as a shitposter.

Expand full comment

I suppose I could have used your title for my psychological profile of Elon. Nicely done.

Expand full comment

Just to let you know, today the German Federal Ministry of Justice started the procedure to fine Twitter for not complying to the rules set by the Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz, the German law that forces Social Networks to set up a system to report unlawful content and to delete such content within a given time frame. Unlawful content in Germany includes the display of Nazi symbols, but also death threats and hate speech and sedition. Fines can be up to 50 Million Euros for the company. The Justice Ministry accuses Twitter of systematic failure to adhere to the law, that means they are aiming for a high fine. Twitter has been asked for a statement, after that the procedure will move to a court.

https://www.bundesjustizamt.de/DE/ServiceGSB/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2023/20230404.html?nn=39384

Expand full comment