Mario Nawfal Profile picture
Apr 13, 2023 26 tweets 10 min read Read on X
Elon Musk’s BBC Takedown

Musk had an interview with the BBC, which was clearly planned as a weaponised attack on Musk but it failed miserably.

@elonmusk turned the tables and exposed the BBC. /1

(a thread)
The BBC objected to the "government funded media" on their Twitter account.

Musk graciously said that he believed the BBC was one of the "least biased" outlets.

He did say he'd change the label to “ "publicly funded" as he wants to be “as truthful and accurate as possible.” /2
Musk mentioned the first 6 months of Twitter have been a rollercoaster.

They have seen an all time high usage: 8 billion user minutes per day.

Growth is good

The site works well with minor glitches. /3
The BBC claimed that Twitter was on fire. Elon hits back that their sources were disgruntled ex-employees

1) Musk responded that there's some outages but they have a good handle of the situation

2) They are doing this with 2 out of 3 data centers as they shut down one of them
3) In some cases they improved the core algorithm by 80%

4) System is more responsive

5) Long form Tweets

6) 2 hours videos

7) Subscriber Program

8) They have open sourced the Twitter Algorithm. /4
Musk originally pulled out of buying twitter as it was full of bots.

Publicly stated users were significantly in excess of the real users.

He then purchases Twitter because he knew the court would have forced him to anyway. /5
1) Twitter was on track to lose $3bn a year with $1bn in the bank

2) It had $4.5bn revenue, $4.5bn in costs and $1.5bn in debt serving, but then had a drop of ⅓ in ad revenue.

3) This was partly cyclical and partly political

4) They then had $3bn revenue and $6.5bn costs

5)… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Sacking twitter employees was haphazard but was not uncaring.

Musk said if the whole ship sank everyone would drown. He argued that it was an extreme situation but there was nothing else they could do.

Ex-employees were given 3 months severance, some were given more.

Staff… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Trump may or may not come back

But twitter should be a digital town square which gives equal voice to all political leanings anywhere in the world.

It should not be based on partisan politics

But twitter was a mega phone for niche left wing politics.

“Free speech is… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
People such as @Cobratate were brought back.

Who is the arbitrator of what is misinformation?

BBC has at times published information that is misinformation.

If people in a country are against an issue they should talk to their elected representatives about it. /9
There is less misinformation because

Significant reduction in bots
Community notes. /10
This was the masterful takedown. The BBC reporter claimed that he had seen hate speech increase.

But when pressed, he could not name one example.

He attempted to backtrack but he was exposed. /11
Musk said that it was the BBC who was peddling misinformation about Covid, such as mask efficacy and vaccination risks.

Musk also pointed out the BBC was put under pressure by the British Government to change the editorial policy. /12
Musk was unsure if Modi had asked for content to be taken down at the behest of the Indian government.

Indian rules on what can appear on social media are strict

Twitter cannot go beyond the laws of the country. /13
Elon said he did not have an opinion on the TikTok ban.

People who spend time on TikTok regret it.

Even though the banning of TikTok would benefit Twitter, he is generally against it being banned. /14
Tesla and SpaceX have activities around the world and sometimes they can come into conflict.

Twitter doesn’t operate in China as it is banned. Elon has not received any communication from the Chinese government about Twitter. /15
Almost all advertisers have either come back or indicated that they will be coming back to Twitter.

Notably, Disney and Apple have returned. /16
Twitter is roughly breaking even.

Based on current trends it will be profitable or cash flow positive by this quarter. /17
Musk said he has a love-hate relationship with the media.

But the fact that the media can attack anyone in the UK/USA makes it different to other places where you cannot say things to people in power. /18
Musk made the following comments about the verification badges:

1. Delighted in removing verification badge from the New York Times

2. Media provides misinformation

3. Average citizen knows better than journalists

4. Articles he reads get a lot wrong

5. They write articles… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Verification badges:

1. Are not a major revenue stream
2. Are there to raise the cost of misinformation and bots
3. Unverified media companies will be overwhelmed by bots
4. There will no longer be an anointed class of verified accounts above others
5. Public should choose the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Musk would only sell twitter for $44bn (same price he purchased it) or even for free if there was a person who also vigorously sought the truth.

He wants some form of truth he can count on in real time and allow it to get more accurate over time through user engagement. /21
Musk is not thinking about moving from San Francisco.

He wants something done to help the homeless and decrease crime.

He has a building he wants to give to the homeless to use but the building owner will not allow it. /22
The BBC reporter came unprepared and failed miserably.

The hit piece backfired on BBC and showed Elon’s side of a narrative dominated by mainstream media. /23

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Mario Nawfal

Mario Nawfal Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @MarioNawfal

Aug 24
THE WEAPONIZATION OF THE JUDICIARY ACROSS THE WORLD — A THREAD

Across the world, leaders and opposition figures alike are accusing those in power of using the courts as political weapons.

From Imran Khan in Pakistan to Trump in the U.S., from Brazil to Venezuela, the charge is the same: justice turned into a tool of politics.

Let’s break it down 👇🧵Image
1. 🇵🇰 IMRAN KHAN: FROM PRIME MINISTER TO POLITICAL PRISONER

Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former PM, has faced over 150 cases since his 2022 ouster. Charges range from corruption to “terrorism,” even an “un-Islamic” marriage, which alone earned him 7 years in jail.

After the 26th Amendment (Oct 2024), the govt gained the power to handpick judges. Since then, Khan’s fate has been sealed in closed-door trials, denied bail, and rushed convictions, all timed to crush PTI before the 2026 elections.

Now under General Asim Munir’s “Asim Law”, the crackdown has expanded to his entire family:

Imran Khan - imprisoned over 2 years.

Bushra Bibi (wife) - jailed nearly as long.

Sisters - dragged through fabricated cases.

Nephews - tried in military courts, abducted from homes and cars.

This is not justice. It’s collective punishment.

It's a warning from a decadent system: your family is fair game if you dissent.

Instead of breaking Khan, the state has turned him into a symbol of persecution, and his family into martyrs of a system that has weaponized the courts for political retribution.Image
2. 🇺🇸 TRUMP: THE LAWFARE CAMPAIGN TO DERAIL 2024

Across the ocean, America’s 45th and current president faced his own political trial by fire.

Trump has been hit with 70+ charges: business records, classified documents, and election interference. Every indictment timed to collide with his 2024 run.

A judiciary hijacked to stop MAGA at the ballot box.

New York conviction (May 2024): prosecutors used a novel, untested legal theory to secure a guilty verdict.

Documents case: tossed by the court for DOJ overreach, confirming how shaky the charges are.

Judges like Juan Merchan slapped Trump with gag orders while ignoring conflicts of interest.

It’s clear: the Biden DOJ and Democrat-aligned judges were waging a coordinated witch hunt.

For Biden’s team, it was “justice.”

But the effect is the same: America’s choice in 2024 was almost decided in courtrooms, not polling stations.Image
Read 9 tweets
Aug 6
🚨🇺🇸 BREAKING: NYT JUST DROPPED BOMBSHELL EPSTEIN MANSION PHOTOS AND DOCUMENTS

New photos from inside Jeffrey Epstein's 7-story Manhattan lair reveal exactly how he entertained the world's most powerful people while hiding cameras in his bedroom.

The entrance?

Lined with dozens of prosthetic eyeballs.

A sculpture of a bride clutching a rope dangled in the main atrium.

This gets so much worse...👇Image
THE PHOTO WALL OF POWER

Epstein's dining room credenza was a shrine to his connections. Framed photos showed him with:

Pope John Paul II

Mick Jagger

Fidel Castro

Bill Clinton

Larry Summers

Richard Branson

Steve Bannon

Bill Gates

Trump and Melania (Ghislaine Maxwell cropped out)

Saudi Crown Prince MBS

Plus a dollar bill signed by Bill Gates saying "I was wrong!"Image
Image
Image
Image
HIS OFFICE HAD A FIRST EDITION "LOLITA" ON DISPLAY

In Epstein's wood-paneled office with a taxidermied tiger on the floor, he showcased a green first edition of Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita."

You know, the novel about an adult who repeatedly rapes a 12-year-old girl.

Just sitting there. On display.

While he hosted dinners with world leaders.Image
Read 6 tweets
Jul 26
🧵Buckle up, tech enthusiasts! 🚀

This week in AI/Tech was a whirlwind of breakthroughs, billion-dollar bets, and bold government moves.

From AI smashing math olympiads to new chips saving the planet's energy, here's the scoop that'll make you rethink the future.

Let's dive in 👇🏾Image
1. US Drops Bombshell AI Action Plan!

The White House unveiled "Winning the Race: America's AI Action Plan" on July 23, aiming to supercharge AI development, boost transparency, and ease regulations for rapid data center growth.

Could this cement America's lead in the AI arms race? What do you think?Image
2. 🤖 Alibaba's Qwen3 Levels Up BIG TIME!

Alibaba unleashed Qwen3-235B-A22B-2507, now the smartest non-reasoning model out there—beating Claude 4 Opus and Kimi K2 on intelligence benchmarks.

With a 256K context window and Apache license, it's a game-changer for devs.

China closing the AI gap? Absolutely!Image
Read 11 tweets
Jul 19
🚨🇺🇸BREAKING: TRUMP ORDERS RELEASE OF EPSTEIN GRAND JURY RECORDS - HERE'S WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

🧵👇Image
Image
1/ THE BOMBSHELL ORDER

Trump just directed AG Pam Bondi to unseal ALL grand jury testimony from the Epstein case.

After months of empty promises, we're finally getting... something.

Bondi filed petitions Friday in Southern District of New York for BOTH Epstein's 2019 case AND Maxwell's 2020 indictment.

But here's the catch...Image
2/ WHY GRAND JURY RECORDS MATTER (AND WHY THEY'RE SEALED)

Grand juries hear evidence in SECRET before indictments.

No defense lawyers allowed. Lower standard than trials.

They're sealed to protect the innocent and get truthful testimony.

Breaking that seal requires a judge's approval - and good reason.

Rule 6(e) governs this. Violating it = contempt of court.Image
Read 9 tweets
Jul 1
🚨🇺🇸 MASSIVE FEDERAL SPENDING THREAD: WHAT’S IN THE NEW BILL?

Let’s break down the biggest buckets in the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” from rockets to border walls, tax cuts to poultry insurance.

Buckle up. It’s a ride. 🧵Image
1. MOON TO MARS PROGRAM - $9.995 BILLION

Congress just greenlit nearly $10B for NASA's Moon-to-Mars push.

- $700M for a Mars Telecomm Orbiter to bring back Martian core samples

- $2.6B to build the Gateway lunar space station

- $4.1B for Artemis IV and V Space Launch System rockets

- $1.25B to keep the ISS alive past 2030

- $1B to fix NASA centers and beat China to the Moon

Pg. 158Image
Image
2. DEFENSE FUNDING - $157 BILLION+

Major military modernization across all domains:

- $29B for shipbuilding (hello autonomous warships)

- $25B for a missile defense system called Golden Dome

- $25B to bulk up U.S. munitions and critical minerals

- $16B to scale up new battlefield tech and AI

- $15B for nuclear modernization

- $12B for Pacific military ops

- $1B for Trump’s border force at DoD

Pg. 100+Image
Image
Read 9 tweets
Jun 12
🧵🇺🇸 THE MARIONETTE MASTER UNMASKED: CHINESE BILLIONAIRE'S FINGERPRINTS ALL OVER ANTI-TRUMP UPRISING

What looked like spontaneous community outrage was actually a sophisticated operation funded by foreign interests.

Now Congress is investigating and the truth is explosive...
Image
2/ THE SPARK THAT LIT THE FUSE

June 6, 2025: ICE conducts massive raids across LA, arresting 118 undocumented immigrants.

Within hours, "spontaneous" protests erupted with professional signs, coordinated messaging, and tactical organization.

Nothing about this response was random.

Everything was pre-planned...
3/ THE ORGANIZERS REVEALED

Multiple verified sources confirm the protests were orchestrated by:

-Party for Socialism & Liberation (PSL)

-Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)

-Unión del Barrio

-Community Self-Defense Coalition

Gabriel Quiroz Jr. (Centro CSO): "We have a rapid response network in place with our allies, and we will continue to organize and mobilize when we see ICE activity."
Read 11 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(