{"id":12188,"date":"2022-08-12T14:38:29","date_gmt":"2022-08-12T14:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2022\/08\/12\/how-elon-musks-attempt-to-drag-out-the-twitter-trial-could-backfire\/"},"modified":"2022-08-12T14:38:30","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T14:38:30","slug":"how-elon-musks-attempt-to-drag-out-the-twitter-trial-could-backfire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2022\/08\/12\/how-elon-musks-attempt-to-drag-out-the-twitter-trial-could-backfire\/","title":{"rendered":"How Elon Musk\u2019s attempt to drag out the Twitter trial could backfire"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2022\/8\/12\/23301932\/elon-musk-twitter-tesla-shares-money-negotiation-leverage<\/a>
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Content warning: I am about to do a close read while <\/em>violating the principles of New Criticism<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

I woke up annoying this morning, so we are going to do a close read of this internet artifact: a semi-viral tweet showing Elon Musk discussing Twitter bots in what appears to be a blurred-out conference room of some kind. There is an audience, though \u2014 you get to hear them laugh. <\/p>\n

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“Anyone who uses Twitter is well aware that the comment threads are filled with scam, spam, & lot of fake accounts. It seems beyond reasonable for Twitter to claim that the number of real unique humans is above 95%. Does anyone have that experience?” \u2014 @elonmusk<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/XivtjhEBu3<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Pranay Pathole (@PPathole) August 6, 2022<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Here is a lightly edited version of what Musk says in this video snippet:<\/p>\n

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\u2026it\u2019s extremely fundamental and anyone who uses Twitter is well aware that the comment threads are full of spam, scam, and just a lot of fake accounts. So it seems beyond reasonable for Twitter to claim that\u2026 the number of real unique humans that you see making comments on a daily basis on Twitter is above 95 percent\u2026 That is what they\u2019re claiming. Does anyone have that experience? [laughter from the audience and from Musk] Exactly.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The video is snipped from the All-In Summit in May<\/a> (his comments start at 2:00 or so). By the time of this recording, Musk had signed the agreement<\/a> to acquire Twitter for $44 billion.<\/p>\n

Now, to the content. Musk says that \u201canyone who uses Twitter is well aware that the comment threads are full of spam, scam, and just a lot of fake accounts.\u201d This is something of an exaggeration \u2014 my<\/em> reply guys are top-tier \u2014 but it hits on something true. No one can claim they haven\u2019t noticed bots, spammers, and people pretending to be Musk to get your money<\/a>. I have noticed a lot of them in Musk\u2019s mentions specifically.<\/p>\n

Musk goes on to ask if anyone has the experience of interacting with real people 95 percent of the time, to laughter from the audience and his own chuckles. The intent here, with apologies to John Crowe Ransom<\/a>, is to elicit contempt for the notion that 95 percent of Twitter accounts are people. <\/p>\n

If you watch the longer video \u2014 not just the clip \u2014 Musk is being interviewed. The clip on Twitter cuts off before Musk suggests that if you do believe you\u2019re mostly interacting with people, \u201cthere\u2019s a bridge I\u2019d like to sell you.\u201d (I\u2026 guess I\u2019d like to hear about the bridge?) He then suggests that the \u201clowest estimate\u201d of fake accounts is something like 20 percent. This estimate appears to be based on nothing \u2014 if there is a source, Musk sure doesn\u2019t cite it.<\/p>\n

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