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“Sorry to be a free speech absolutist,” Elon Musk tweeted in March. Seven months and $44 billion later, Elon, 51, went on a banning spree, kicking Kathy Griffin and others from Twitter for mocking him. Kathy, 62, took half within the viral pattern of customers altering their show names and icons –not their precise Twitter handles – to learn and resemble “Elon Musk.” After Elon banned Kathy, he mentioned she was “suspended for impersonating a comedian.” This prompted Kathy to tweet from the account belonging to her late mom, Maggie Griffin. “I mean… you stole that joke, you asshole,” tweeted Kathy by way of @TipItMaggieG. “People have been posting that joke for hours, you hack.”
I imply… you stole that joke, you asshole. People have been posting that joke for hours, you hack.
Look, please do a greater job working this firm. It used to imply one thing.
This is KG btw— Maggie Griffin (@TipItMaggieG) November 7, 2022
I truthfully suppose it’s as a result of it’s me, and since the tweets I used to be making an attempt to write down in his voice had been professional democrats and had hashtags like #VoteBlueToProtectWomen and #voteblue and professional @BetoORourke and many others.
Oh Sara, that is KG btw.— Maggie Griffin (@TipItMaggieG) November 7, 2022
“Look, please do a better job running this company. It used to mean something,” mentioned Kathy on her mom’s account. When responding to somebody asking about why Kathy acquired banned, the My Life on the D-List star tweeted, “I honestly think it’s because it’s me, and because the tweets I was trying to write in his voice were pro democrats and had hashtags like #VoteBlueToProtectWomen and #voteblue and pro @BetoORourke, etc.”
Kathy, Sarah Silverman, and Mad Men’s Rich Sommer had been a few of these whose accounts had been banned after partaking within the viral “Elon”-clone meme. The widespread impersonation was performed as a option to mock Musk following his first week as “Chief Twit,” what along with his choice to institute an $8 month-to-month cost for verification standing (whereas additionally firing half the corporate’s workers.) “Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended,” tweeted Musk. “Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning. This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue,” he added.
“Any name change at all will cause temporary loss of verified checkmark,” he mentioned. The Daily Beast identified that this transfer seemingly contradicts what Elon tweeted on Oct. 28, with the brand new house owners saying, “Twitter will be forming a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints. No major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes.”
Elon additionally addressed the widespread layoffs on Nov. 4. “Regarding Twitter’s reduction in force, unfortunately, there is no choice when the company is losing over $4M/day. Everyone exited was offered 3 months of severance, which is 50% more than legally required,” he tweeted. The lack of income comes as manufacturers have paused promoting on Twitter following Musk’s acquisition because the app noticed an “immediate, visible, and measurable spike” in hate speech after Elon took over, per CBS News.
However, Twitter has reportedly requested a number of the fired staff to come back again, in response to Bloomberg News. “Some of those who are being asked to return was laid off by mistake. Others were let go before management realized that their work and experience may be necessary to build the new features Musk envisions,” per the report.