Monday, April 4, 2022

[U] As We Learn Elon Musk Personally Now Holds ~9.9% Of Twitter... Another "Social" Seems To Be Flaming Out.


Updated: In return for agreeing not to amass more than 15 per cent of Twitter, Musk becomes one of eleven board members. Again, proving he's just here to make money -- longer piece in works as a new post. End update.

Often it is what is not said, that echoes most forcefully. . . when we look back, with the aid of the longer lens -- of passing US history. That is true today, as to Mr. Musk -- and Tangerine, too -- as irony would have it.

Not that Mr. Musk is even-remotely fastidious in complying with his personal SEC disclosure obligations, but the filing he made this morning as to Twitter makes no mention of any intent to become an "activist shareholder" -- that is, he discloses no intention to change the policies of Twitter or change its management (despite tweeting a few days ago, that a new social network might be needed, as to what he called "free speech").

My point here is to say that it will only create additional SEC violation exposures for him personally (and he has more than a few open formal investigations pending at the agency), if he intends to "Tangerine-ify" Twitter.

We shall see, but that brings me to another topic: Trump's so-called Truth Social seems to be. . . dying on the vine. Sign ups are off 93 per cent since mid February, and three key executives (including his chief lawyer) now no longer list it as their role, on LinkedIn.

He is said to be angry that (huge surprise!) building a 21st Century megaphone. . . is tougher than some political hacks might imagine:

. . .So far, however, Truth Social has failed to gain traction or popularity among users. The app has seen a 93 percent drop in sign ups since its launch, and installs declined by 800,000 users, according to data from Sensor Tower, a mobile analytics firm. Following news of the decline in usage, shares for Digital World Acquisition Corp., the special purpose acquisition company that is joining with Trump Media and Technology Group (the company backing Truth Social), declined by over 30 percent, according to Bloomberg. . . .


My reaction? Break out those tiny violins, folks. Smile. . . onward; ever onward.

नमस्ते

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