Judd Legum Profile picture
Dec 16, 2022 26 tweets 8 min read Read on X
1. ABOUT LAST NIGHT

I participated in a Twitter space hosted by @katienotopoulos w/a lot of journalists

When I joined @Jason, one of Musk's apparatchiks, was badgering @drewharwell, a suspended reporter, and Jack Sweeney, the guy behind the accounts that tracked jets

🧵
@katienotopoulos @Jason @drewharwell 2. Jason was making the point that everyone was upset about the suspension, but we need to focus on the real point: IF YOU POSTED SOMEONE'S REAL TIME LOCATION AND SOMEONE DIED WOULD YOU FEEL BAD?

Drew made the point that this was a dumb question
3. Jason kept on asking it over and over again.

I think he thought this was a great way of redirecting the conversation and making Musk seem reasonable.

IS THIS THE KIND OF SOCIETY WE WANT TO LIVE IN? WHERE PEOPLE ARE PUT IN DANGER FROM BEING UNDER CONSTANT SURVEILLANCE?
4. I finally had enough. @katienotopoulos invited me to be a speaker so I interrupted

My point was: THE ENTIRE PREMISE OF THE QUESTION WAS A LIE.

The suspended journalists had not reported on Musk's real-time location!

They covered the fact that he suspended Sweeny's accounts
5. I said the bigger question is whether WE WANT TO LIVE IN A SOCIETY WHERE POWERFUL PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO LIE AGAIN AND AGAIN WITH IMPUNITY AND THEN USE THESE LIES TO JUSTIFY OTHERWISE INDEFENSIBLE ACTIONS
6. My other point was we can say we are concerned about the impact of social media use on people's safety BUT THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE LIMITED TO PRIVATE JETS.

MUSK HIMSELF WAS PUTTING PEOPLE AT RISK BY MAKING WILD ACCUSATIONS, INCLUDING THAT THEY WERE PEDOPHILES
7. I didn't realize it but, in the middle of my rant, Musk himself entered the room Image
8. Once I realized this, I shut up so Katie and Drew could ask him questions. Musk basically ignored the questions and kept repeating, "no doxxing" and "no special rules for journalists"

When Drew pressed him, he quickly bolted.

He does not like to be challenged or questioned.
9. Shortly after Musk left, THE SPACE WAS SHUT DOWN.

In fact, ALL SPACES WERE SHUT DOWN.

They weren't fully restored until tonight. Image
10. What was missing from @Jason's defense of Musk, and Musk's own position is CONTEXT.

Musk says he's for free speech but when people are saying things he doesn't like, he tries to shut them up.

We saw this a few weeks ago with the Musk parody accounts
11. Comedy was legal on Twitter until people started making fun of him. Then @DavidSacks another Musk buddy redefined parody as "fraud" and insisted Musk was doing us all a favor.

BUT IT GOES MUCH DEEPER THAN THIS.
12. You need to fully understand Musk's LONG history of saying he is for free speech but harshly cracking down on anyone who dares to criticize him.
13. In China, Tesla reportedly sought to leverage the power of China's authoritarian regime to silence critics.

Tesla reportedly "asked Beijing to use its censorship powers to block" critical posts

bloomberg.com/news/features/…
14. A free press is central to free speech.

But after reporter Linette Lopez wrote critical stories about Tesla Musk accusing Lopez of conspiring with short sellers to trade on insider information, which is a crime

Musk had no proof but an army of minions to harass Lopez Image
15. The right to talk about joining a union is a key part of free speech rights for workers.

Musk, however, has sought to aggressively discourage unionization at Tesla. In a 2018 tweet, Musk threatened to rescind employee stock options at Tesla if workers decided to join a union Image
16. The Tesla NDA instructed employees that "they were not allowed to speak w/media w/o explicit written permission." But it did not say that labor law "protects employees when they speak with the media about working conditions [and[ labor disputes"

cnbc.com/2021/03/25/tes…
17. In 2018, pseudo-anonymous investor, Montana Skeptic, wrote extensively about Tesla stock

But in July 2018, Montana Skeptic shut down his Twitter account and stopped writing about Tesla. Why? Musk allegedly found out the identity of Montana Skeptic and alerted their employer Image
18. So yes, let's talk about free speech and let's talk about safety. But Twitter is a platform that is used by hundreds of millions of people.

THE SITE'S RULES SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN BY THE QUIXOTIC INTERESTS OF ONE BILLIONAIRE

HE BOUGHT IT, BUT HE ALSO NEEDS USERS TO BUY IN
19. And Musk and his minions should stop gaslighting people about Musk being a champion of free speech.

He is not.

He is wealthy, and he bought the site.

That's it.
20. Everyone's safety is important. And it should go without saying but the people whose personal safety is most at risk on this site are not billionaires who can afford private jets and private security.
21. If this is my last thread on this site you can always find me here: popular.info/subscribe
22. If you think I’m exaggerating, these tweets are a good summary of @Jason’s argument in the Twitter Space

Note: a car is not a plane and no one did this Image
24. Musk is concerned about privacy and safety Image
25. UPDATE: Katie, who hosted the space, is banned from starting any spaces now, apparently
26. More reporting from Gizmodo that Musk’s entire justification for the suspension of journalists is BS Image

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More from @JuddLegum

Nov 18
1. Pete Hegseth published a column in college that claimed having sex with an unconscious woman is not rape

The piece published by Hegseth claimed that rape required both the failure to consent and "duress," and women who are passed out cannot experience "duress" Image
2. 13 things everyone should know about Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense

popular.info/p/13-things-ev…
3. This is a toxic platform.

It is controlled by Elon Musk, who has manipulated the algorithm to promote right-wing views and suppress posts like this.

Sign up for the Popular Information newsletter and get news like this straight to your inbox

popular.info/subscribe
Read 4 tweets
Nov 5
1. @elonmusk has every right to support Trump but he has become one of the most malign forces in politics

He has used his control of this platform to spread lies, many deeply rooted in racism, to millions of people

It is likely the most expensive disinformation campaign ever
2. Musk spent 9-figures financing a Super PAC, America PAC, to support Trump

American PAC created political ad that repeatedly called Kamala Harris the c-word.

Despite some reporting to the contrary, the ad was never taken down.

facebook.com/theamericapac/…Image
3. America PAC also used Musk's extreme wealth to manipulate people, giving them the impression that they could "win" $1 million by signing a petition when it was not a lottery and the people who received the money were predetermined
Read 5 tweets
Nov 4
1. Trump is not a policy wonk and is not eager to talk about what specific policies he would pursue if he returns to the White House.

But in the closing hours of the campaign things are coming into focus.

Follow this thread for details

🧵
2. One point of contention is Project 2025, the 922-page blueprint written by members of the first Trump administration under the auspices of Heritage.

Trump has said he "has no idea who is behind it."

We now have proof this was a blatant lie

popular.info/p/the-conseque…
3. Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts, told the Financial Times that he is "personally close" with Trump and talks to him "often." Roberts says that "based on conversations with President Trump and his associates… some large percentage of these recommendations will be in the mix for implementation."

ft.com/content/8488e9…
Read 9 tweets
Oct 30
1. @JeffBezos has made CHOICES

He chose to buy the @washingtonpost

He chose, despite his conflicts, to intervene in the paper's editorial decisions & spike an endorsement of Harris

Bezos claims people who care about journalism have no choice but to accept his decisions — and trust his benevolent leadership
2. The only alternative giving him a pass, according to Bezos, is to rely on "off-the-cuff podcasts, inaccurate social media posts and other unverified news sources."

Bezos is wrong.

popular.info/p/jeff-bezos-i…
3. The Post employs amazing journalists

But it is possible to do meaningful journalism without being under the thumb of a conflicted billionaire

Independent outlets like @ProPublica, @404mediaco, @MarshallProj, the @TexasTribune, @MotherJones, the @TheProspect, @BulwarkOnline and, yes, Popular Information do it every day
Read 5 tweets
Oct 29
1. @ElonMusk is spending 9-figures to elect Trump, appears alongside Trump at rallies, and his Super PAC is coordinating w/the Trump campaign

Musk just produced the most misogynistic ad in the history of politics

Coverage of the ad has ranged from muted to non-existent Image
2. "America really can't afford a 'C-Word' in the White House right now," America PAC posted, adding a laughing emoji. "Kamala Harris is a ‘C word,’" the narrator of the ad says. "You heard that right. A big ole ‘C word.’"

popular.info/p/the-most-mis…
3. The "joke" of the ad is that Harris is a "communist." Of course, Harris is not a communist. And the ad makes no effort to show she is a communist. The line is only included as a pretext to repeatedly use a crass, misogynistic slur against Harris. Image
Read 13 tweets
Oct 28
1. @JeffBezos did not become the second-richest person in the world because of his dedication to journalist integrity

He did it by prioritizing the bottom line

And, even though he owns the @washingtonpost, wealth maximization continues to be his priority

🧵
2. How important is the @washingtonpost to Bezos? He paid $250 million for it in 2013

That's half of what he paid for his superyacht, Koru

He also spent $75M on Abeona, a 246-foot yacht that follows around his other yacht w/a helipad and other toys

popular.info/p/the-billiona…
@washingtonpost 3. Bezos overruled his editorial staff and canceled plans for the paper to endorse Kamala Harris

Why?

He's not talking but Bezos' wealth is tied up in @amazon and @blueorigin -- companies whose success is inextricably linked to the federal government Image
Read 9 tweets

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