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Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial — Cassio, Act 2 Scene 3 Othello.
Apple has announced it is suspending its advertising on Twitter. This comes in the same week that NBC Universal, Disney, IBM, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Lionsgate also divorced themselves from the hate. Does it give Musk pause when a company known for its sweatshop manufacturing thinks he has crossed an ethical line? Or is promoting bigotry in general, and antisemitism specifically, part of his business plan? I cannot know Musk’s mind. But he does remind me of another business person I once encountered.
She owned a candy store. It was an odd choice as she hated small children. She would stand balefully behind the counter with a waspish glare, radiating hostility. And yell at children that they had better not break anything.
She would add with dour relish, casting her glance at the adult, that any damage caused by these prospective consumers would be the responsibility of the parent. I thought patent hostility was an odd way to run a business. And indeed, her store soon closed.
Musk seems to have a similar philosophy. Except, in his case, he is determined to piss off his advertisers. How he thinks this will be a boon to his business is anyone’s guess. But I imagine that someone as narcissistic and mentally fragile as he is, has constructed a reality where this makes sense — or perhaps he views it as a learning opportunity. Much as Space X is putting a brave face on another failed rocket launch by boasting how much they learned before the explosion. Which is exactly what Musk said when his last spaceship blew up.
The better explanation is that Musk has lost his mind. He would not be the first. People have already drawn comparisons to another transportation industrialist who went insane, Howard Hughes. Whether the comparison is fair or not, I cannot say — I am not a psychologist. Although it is worth considering to see if there is a lesson there.
Ironically, NBC Universal was the previous home of Linda Yaccarino, who Musk installed as Twitter CEO in a move that was supposed to assure skittish advertisers there would be an adult in charge. Anyone foolish enough to expect maturity from Musk was soon disappointed. Despite assurances she would be a free agent, it is hard to see her fingerprints on anything – or what positive effect Yaccarino has had.
The cruel reality is that as long as Musk uses Twitter to spray his bigotry like a legless drunk at a public urinal, everyone will assume — quite rightly — that he is still driving the bus. He relinquished as much control as Trump did when he claimed he had put the Trump Organization in the hands of his sons.
Musk renamed Twitter “X” — not because MAGAs can not spell Twitter — but because he envisioned an app that would be a one-stop shop. As Yaccarino explained in August:
“Elon has been talking about X, the everything app, for a very long time. Even when we announced that I was joining the company, I was joining the company to partner with Elon to transform Twitter into X, the Everything app.
Think about what’s happened since the acquisition. Experiences and evolution into long-form video and articles, subscribe to your favorite creators, who are now earning a real living on the platform. You look at video, and soon you’ll be able to make video chat calls without having to give your phone number to anyone on the platform.”
The rebrand represented really a liberation from Twitter. A liberation that allowed us to evolve past a legacy mindset and thinking. And to reimagine how everyone, how everyone on Spaces who’s listening, everybody who’s watching around the world. It’s going to change how we congregate, how we entertain, how we transact all in one platform.”
How glorious are the first few days at a new job. The possibilities are enticing. Three months later, Yaccarino’s role has been reduced to that of the circus functionary walking behind the elephant with a wheelbarrow. and shovel.
In a tweet the day after Musk promoted a virulent antisemitic trope, Yaccarino said,
“X has also been extremely clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination. There’s no place for it anywhere in the world — it’s ugly and wrong. Full stop.”
Who was she talking to? Twitter’s advertisers know she is full of elephant shit. Anyone who is not down the MAGA hole is astounded by her audacious stupidity. The MAGAs themselves will be mad that their boy hired someone who pays lip service to decency. I suppose there was nothing else to do. And she has financial interests to protect.
Yaccarino has a three-contract paying her $6 million annually + bonuses to peddle this crap. So she can afford plenty of salve for the burns. Musk himself will never be short of the foldable. So he does not have to worry about his next crust. But if they value their reputation, they can kiss that goodbye.
What was the point?
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