Category Archives: Elon Musk

Elon Musk, Bill Gates and the late Steve Jobs all have one personality trait in common and it might be a clue to their ability to amass so much success.

That's according to author and historian Walter Isaacson who wrote Jobs' biography and is working on one about Musk. Isaacson says that Musk like both Jobs and Gates is unemotional when dealing with employees or colleagues, and uncompromising when it comes to fulfilling his grand vision for his businesses.

"That ability to not be as emotionally, empathetically engaged in order to see [their] vision through. It's something Steve Jobs had, it's something Bill Gates [has]," Isaacson said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday. "It's something a lot of these people have, because they're not looking for affection from the person sitting across from them. They're looking to get rockets to Mars."

In the past, some of Musk's employees at Tesla have described him as an extreme micromanager who isn't shy about expressing his displeasure when workers fall short of his lofty standards, or fail to meet his overly ambitious deadlines.He can be harsh, and not always easy to work for, but also often inspiring and funny, employees have said.

That sounds a lot like what Apple employees have said about Jobs. The Apple co-founder reportedly could be extremely blunt when sharing his opinions of employees' work, especially if he wasn't impressed with it. In 2019, former Apple executive Guy Kawasaki said that Jobs rarely wasted any time on "social niceties" at the office and "demanded excellence" from his employees.

"You had to prove yourself every day, or Jobs got rid of you," Kawasaki said.

Some of the complaints against Musk the world's richest person, with a net worth of $274.3 billion, as of Wednesday afternoon go beyond mere workplace rudeness. Musk and Tesla have faced criticism over allegedly poor working conditions in the company's factories, with Musk admitting that he asks a lot of his employees.

"If the expectation is, 'Hey, we can live and not work hard and not strain extremely to a great degree,' this is false. That is not true. In order for us to succeed, in order for us to live, we must work very hard," Musk told Bloomberg Businessweek in 2018.

Still, Isaacson said he sees a direct comparison between Musk and Jobs' social bluntness. "Musk is very similar [to Jobs] in being extraordinarily open," he said. "That transparency is part of his genius."

The comparisons extend out to Gates, too even though the two billionaires don't always get along. Gates has admitted that in his early days of leading Microsoft, he "certainly wasn't a sweetheart." In a 2020 interview on the "Armchair Expert" podcast, Gates said both he and longtime friend Jobs were known for their intense competitive fire that translated into extremely high expectations for their employees and themselves.

For Musk, who runs both Tesla and SpaceX, being brusque and to the point with his employees might also be a natural byproduct of being crunched for time, due to his multiple leadership roles. Isaacson, who told CNBC that he is regularly in touch with Musk these days, said the CEO's personality allows him to filter out distractions like the ongoing legal battle over his bid to buy Twitter, for example when he needs to focus on a task at hand.

"He's able to sequentially focus in a way that I almost find like he's half-Vulcan or something," Isaacson said. "Because he doesn't wake up in the morning ... worrying about depositions, he's worrying about valves in the new engine for the Starship."

Isaacson later clarified that Musk definitely "cares about his reputation" but that doesn't change his tendency to be blunt, or even harsh, with employees when it comes to executing a vision for his companies.

"If he's sitting in front of four or five people who have messed up getting the booster of Starship right, he says, 'If I'm starting to feel empathy [for them] instead of moving them out, then that's a misplaced empathy. My empathy has to be with the enterprise of getting to Mars, not with the person in front of me,'" Isaacson said.

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This personality trait helped Musk, Gates and Jobs succeed, says biographer: 'It's something a lot of these people have' - CNBC

Forrest couldnt let that invective slide. He told the Financial Times, He [Musk] knows that, almost every time a Tesla is plugged into almost every grid in the world, it is just burning coal and oil and gas.I mean, it is doing nothing for the environment. So, his mind-boggling stupid is whitewash.

A difference of opinion around technological weaponry is legitimate enough. The science is still emerging and the jury is still out on whether green hydrogen is a commercial solution - although Forrest has spent a lot of time and resources to prove it up.

Fortescue announced in June it will replace almost half the haul trucks at its Pilbara iron ore mines with battery and hydrogen-powered units from German firm Liebherr which will use technology from WAE.Credit:Fortescue

But what is really mind-boggling is that Forrest - the ultimate businessman - has accused Musk of being too business-like.

If one strips back the theatre from Forrests announcement about Fortescues plan to eradicate the companys emissions within eight years, what you end up with is a financial road map containing two important messages for investors.

The first part of that process is to cement the investment required to transform Fortescues operations into an oasis of green. The second is a very clear statement about the yearly and cumulative savings for Fortescue.

In a nutshell, Forrest says there will be net operating cost savings of $US818 million ($1.2 billion) per annum from 2030, at prevailing market prices of diesel, gas and Australian Carbon Credit Units. (The prevailing prices of diesel and gas are currently particularly high, thanks to the war in Ukraine and a lot could change over the next couple of years.)

Fortescue has also flagged cumulative operating cost savings of $US3 billion ($4.5 billion) by 2030 and payback of capital by 2034, at prevailing market prices.

On the other side of the ledger, the miner plans to invest $US6.2 billion ($9.2 billion) of capital on renewable projects to reach its real zero emissions goal.

It is an investment that Forrest says falls well within the envelope of the promise Fortescue made to investors that no more than 10 per cent of the iron ore companys profits would be spent on Fortescue Future Industries capital expenditure.

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Needless to say, Forrest had his businessman hat firmly on his head when he created the iron ore business that funds his nascent push to create an international environmental company.

While incumbent Fortescue shareholders bought into the company to access its massive cash flows from iron ore, Forrest also has his business hat in place in recognising that a successful environmentally friendly mining company would be particularly attractive to investors looking to enhance their own eco-credentials.

Theres no doubting Forrests passion for the environment and by the same token, investors shouldnt be worried about the billionaire pursuing his passion at the expense of commercial returns.

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Musk v Forrest: The clash of eco-titans and their enormous egos - Sydney Morning Herald

Is artificial intelligence (AI) as smart as humans or is it smarter? As per scientists, it takes the human brain 25 years to reach full maturity, but new research claims that the AI used by Elon musk's Tesla could equal that in only 17 years.

Researchers have long predicted that artificial intelligence will eventually surpass human intelligence, although there are different predictions as to when that will happen.

Watch |World Business Watch: Tesla sued by drivers over autopilot, full self-driving features

According to a study by Autotrader company Vanarama, Tesla's new microchip will be "more intelligent" than humans by 2033.

The study points out that it already has processing capability equivalent to 36 per cent of a human brain.About 100 billion neurons make up a human brain, which triples in size during a baby's first year and develops fully by the age of 25.

Tesla microchips and their processing power in comparison to human brain. (Graphic: Vanarama)

"Tesla's new D1 microchip is more powerful than any the manufacturer has previously used in its cars managing 362 trillion operations per second. Its processing power is already over a third (36 per cent) of a human's brain, which is capable of one quadrillion operations per second."

Also read |Are children at risk from Elon Musk's self-driving technology? Group claims software will 'mow' kids down

Tesla microchips and their processing power. (Graphic: Vanarama)

In comparison, the first chip, an Nvidia component from 2016, achieved "only" 12 trillion.

By analysing both current and prior models, the organisation discovered that the capability of Tesla microchips is growing at a pace of 486 per cent every year.

Also read |Self-driving cars from Tesla to be ready by year-end, says Elon Musk

The new D1 chip, which is a component of the Dojo supercomputer platform and the company's Autopilot self-driving system, will soon be made available by Musk's company.

It wouldn't be insane to think that technology will surpass humans in intelligence within our lifetimes, says Vanaram.

"Microchips are currently capable of working the way brain synapses do, with researchers developing chips that are inspired by the way the brain operates."

(With inputs from agencies)

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By 2033, Elon Musk`s Tesla and its AI will be smarter than humans: Study - WION

Elon Musks SpaceX-owned satellite internet broadband service Starlink on Monday announced its presence in all seven continents, including Antarctica. This means even the most remote areas can soon have connectivity via satellite internet.

The company tested one of its Starlink internet terminals at McMurdo Station in Antarctica which is inhabited by almost 1,000 people.

What's interesting is despite having thousands of tiny satellites in space that are making internet available in major parts of the world, Starlink, which quietly rolled out internet services in India last year, had to shut down services after government intervention and it doesnt look like it will be available anytime soon in India. To add to its woes, Reliance Jio earlier this year announced its satellite-based internet service in the country, making the task tougher for Musks Starlink.

What Is Starlink?

Starlink consists of thousands of satellites that orbit the Earth at 550 km from the surface. It aims to provide high-speed internet connectivity to people who live in remote areas.

Because of its relative proximity to Earth's surface, Starlink offers considerably fast signals. Starlink offers a latency between 2040 milliseconds, and the internet speeds vary from 50Mbps to 150Mbps.

Starlink claims to have latency as low as around 20 ms, however, many low-level satellites are needed to provide full coverage of the globe.

Starlink reportedly has around 3,000 low-level satellites in space and the company plans to use around 10,000 of them to offer its services in more places.

Why Starlink Couldnt Offer Its Satellite Internet In India?

Last year, Starlink registered its business in India via a local unit, Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited. The company has planned to provide fast internet data in the Indian market at the lowest price compared to the international market.

The then Starlink India director Sanjay Bhargava said Starlink was planning an April rollout, targeting 200,000 devices by December 2022.

Bhargava claimed SpaceX had a 100 percent owned subsidiary in India and would be able to apply for licenses, open bank accounts, etc.

Starlink had received more than 5,000 pre-orders after the announcement. However, the government said Starlink Internet Services doesnt have the license to offer services in India.

The Department of Telecom warned Starlink against taking further bookings. Meanwhile, Bhargava stepped down as Starlink Country Director, India, just four months after his appointment.

In November last year, the Department of Telecommunications warned people to not buy Starlink Internet Services. In a statement, the telecom department told Elon Musks company to get a licence before offering Satellite-based services.

Reliance Jio To Bring Satellite-Based Internet To India

Adding to Starlinks woes, in February this year, Reliance Jio announced its foray into satellite-based internet with a joint venture with SES -- a Luxembourg-based satellite content connectivity solutions provider, under the name of Jio Space Technology Limited to deliver multi-gigabit links to enterprises and retail customers, offering a maximum speed of 100Gbps.

They intend to make use of multi-orbit space networks -- a combination of geostationary and medium earth orbit satellite constellations that are capable of offering multi-gigabit links, while also sporting the capacity to power enterprises and retail customers across India.

Akash Ambani, Director of Jio, said, While we continue to expand our fiber-based connectivity and FTTH business and invest in 5G, this new joint venture with SES will further accelerate the growth of multigigabit broadband. With additional coverage and capacity offered by satellite communications services, Jio will be able to connect the remotest towns and villages, enterprises, government establishments, and consumers to the new Digital India. We are excited about this new journey combining our massive reach and customer base with SESs innovative leadership and expertise in the satellite industry.

On september 12, JSCL received a key approval from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to start high-speed broadband-from-space services.

Jio Vs Starlink

SES has satellites in geostationary equatorial orbit (GEO) and medium earth orbit (MEO), while Starlink satellites are in low earth orbit (LEO).

GEO satellites are positioned at an altitude of 36,000 km; MEO at 5,000-20,000 km while LEO is positioned at 500-1,200 km.

While it would take just three GEO satellites to cover the whole Earth, LEO satellites are smaller and cheaper to launch than GEOs or MEOs.

Reliance hasnt made it clear yet if Jio Space Technology will also consider low-Earth orbit, or LEO, satellites -- a category that provides rapid data transmission, or lower latency, since they are closer to Earth.

Russia's Hostility Towards Starlink

As Russian forces advanced in Ukraine, they closed down Ukrainian internet services and tried to block social media.

Musk made Starlink available in Ukraine immediately after the invasion started after Mykhailo Fedorov, the country's vice prime minister called on Musk for help in late February.

About 15,000 of Starlink's sets of dishes and routers have been shipped to the country.

Russia recently issued a complaint against Starlink satellites, which are being allegedly used for military purposes, hinting that these may become a "legitimate target" for wartime operations.

During a United Nations meeting on reducing space threats earlier this week, a Russian official without naming Starlink said "the United States and its allies" are using satellites for military use which "may become a legitimate target for retaliation".

Notably, the Starlink constellation has over 2,800 satellites and many are parked over Ukraine to provide internet services in the country owing to the disruption of communication after Russia's attack.

A few days after Russia's statements, Musk tweeted that "Starlink is for peaceful use only".

In May this year, Musk said Russia has increased its efforts to jam SpaceX's Starlink Satellite internet in Ukraine but hasn't succeeded.

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Elon Musks Starlink Satellite Internet Has Reached Antarctica, But Why It's Still Not Available In India? - Outlook India

Elon Musks satellite internet provider Starlink will try to offer its service to people in Iran, provided U.S. sanctions against the country can be waived, according to the billionaire. Musk declare his intentions to enter the market in response to a tweet from someone who said they were in Iran on Monday and wanted to know if Starlink would ever be available in the country.

Starlink will ask for an exemption to Iranian sanctions in this regard, Musk tweeted.

U.S. sanctions against Iran are some of the toughest in the world and often limit the ability of everyday people to receive basic medical supplies and medicines sometimes not because those medicines are specifically mentioned in American sanctions legislation but because businesses and banks are afraid to do business in Iran, a side effect known as overcompliance.

But it appears Musk isnt afraid of doing business with Iran, despite his company SpaceXs lucrative government contracts and his need to maintain a security clearance with the Pentagon. Musks illicit drug use was previously an issue for the U.S. Department of Defence.

Will Musk actually follow through and apply for an exemption? That remains to be seen, given his propensity for saying lots of things and following through on just a small percentage of those promises. But the people in Iran no doubt await with bated breath.

Some sanctions against Iran were lifted during the Obama era when the JSPOA was signed, they were strengthened again under the Trump regime when the 45th president unilaterally violated the deal. And while President Joe Biden has shown no interest in reviving the deal with Iran, its not clear what the current president would do if Musk came to him hat-in-hand for a sanctions waiver.

Then again, Musk has made fun of Biden in the past. So, who knows?

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Elon Musk Wants to Sell Satellite Internet to Iran If He Can Get an Exemption on Sanctions - Gizmodo Australia

Elon Musk took a swipe at billionaire rival Jeff Bezos over Amazons much-anticipated debut of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, declaring author J.R.R. Tolkien was turning in his grave.

Almost every male character so far is a coward, a jerk or both, the Tesla CEO tweeted to his 105 million followers on Monday.

Only Galadriel is brave, smart and nice, Musk added, referring to the elven princess played by actress Morfydd Clark, the younger version of the character made famous by Cate Blanchett.

The first two episodes premiered on Amazon Prime Video on Friday and drew 25 million viewers worldwide, leading Bezos to tout the massive debut.

Some 1.8 million US households tuned in to the premiere of the first episode within the first three days of its rollout while another 1.3 million watched the second episode, making it the highest debut of any show on Amazon Prime, according to the analytics firm Samba TV.

Go Middle-earth! Bezos wrote in a tweet hailing the large viewership.

Last week, Bezos made a surprise appearance at the global premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in London.

Almost every male character so far is a coward, a jerk or both. Only Galadriel is brave, smart and nice.

The 58-year-old Bezos arrived on the red carpet arm in arm with his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez.

His attendance at the showing of the first two episodes was seen as a signal of how invested Amazon, which reportedly spent some $1 billion producing the series, is in its success.

The Seattle-based e-commerce giant has also forayed into streaming with its Amazon Prime Video offering. The Rings of Power rollout pits Amazon against the likes of Netflix and HBO.

Musk is known to devour science fiction and fantasy books, including Tolkiens seminal series.

In 2009, he told The New Yorker that when he was a young boy growing up in South Africa, he would read books to combat loneliness.

The heroes of the books I read, The Lord of the Rings and the Foundation series, always felt a duty to save the world,Musk said.

Musk and Bezos have a history of locking horns. The two men are in fierce competition to grab market share in the emerging space tourism and exploration industry.

Last year, NASA picked Musks outfit, SpaceX, to build a lunar lander system to transport astronauts to the moon prompting the companys main competitor, Bezos Blue Origin, to file a lawsuit.

Blue Origin is also aiming to develop its own satellite internet service that will compete with SpaceXs Starlink which led Musk to accuse Bezos of being a copycat.

Bezos space company has also tried to stop SpaceX from building a second-generation Starlink satellite network.

Last year, when Musk surpassed Bezos as the worlds richest person, he mockingly declared that he would send the Amazon founder a silver medal.

Musk is currently the worlds richest person with a net worth of $219 billion. Bezos is the second-richest with a fortune valued by Forbes at $171 billion.

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Elon Musk pans Amazon's 'Lord of the Rings,' escalating feud with Jeff Bezos - New York Post

This illustration photo taken on August 5, 2022 shows a cellphone displaying a photo of Elon Musk placed on a computer monitor filled with Twitter logos in Washington, DC.

Samuel Corum | AFP | Getty Images

A Delaware court denied Elon Musk's request to delay the trial over his attempt to abandon a $44 billion deal to buy Twitter, according to a new filing released Wednesday.

But the billionaire Tesla CEO will be allowed to add claims from a Twitter whistleblower to his countersuit, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick ruled.

The trial is expected to begin Oct. 17, earlier than the mid-November date Musk's team requested in its latest push.

"I previously rejected Defendants' arguments in response to Twitter's motion to expedite, making clear that the longer the delay until trial, the greater the risk of irreparable harm to Twitter," McCormick wrote. "I am convinced that even four weeks' delay would risk further harm to Twitter too great to justify."

Still, McCormick said Musk's request to amend his counterclaim clears the relatively "low bar" of the court's rules for doing so. Musk's lawyers asked to add claims related to the whistleblower complaint recently made public by Twitter's former head of security, Peiter "Mudge" Zatko. Musk's team argued the complaint, which detailed what Zatko alleged were egregious security failings by the company, would show Twitter breached its terms of the merger agreement if true.

Shortly after Zatko's allegations became public, Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal said in a memo to employees first reported by CNN that while they were still reviewing the complaint, it "is a false narrative that is riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies, and presented without important context."

Musk originally said he wants to exit the deal because he's received insufficient reassurance from Twitter about the percentage of its monetizable users that are actually spam accounts.

McCormick said Musk's team would be entitled to only "incremental discovery" based on the new allegations, including "targeted document discovery and minimal additional experts and fact witnesses."

"We are hopeful that winning the motion to amend takes us one step closer to the truth coming out in that courtroom," Musk lawyer Alex Spiro of Quinn Emanuel said in a statement.

"We look forward to presenting our case in Court beginning on October 17th and intend to close the transaction on the price and terms agreed upon with Mr. Musk," a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement.

WATCH: A timeline of the Elon Musk-Twitter takeover saga

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Delaware court denies Musk request to delay Twitter trial but approves request to add whistleblower claims - CNBC

Elon Musk is currently the most influential CEO in the world with colossal responsibilities.

He is involved in four companies that each have the ambition to disrupt and dominate their industry: Tesla (TSLA) , SpaceX, The Boring Company and Neuralink. The promises made by his companies are enormous.

Within the next two months, EV maker Tesla has promised to roll out to at least 100,000 people the latest update of Full Self-Driving (FSD), its driver assistance system, which has advanced features and is supposed to bring closer its vehicles to autonomy.

The automaker also has the second edition of its Artificial intelligence day on Sept. 30. Musk is to present a functional humanoid robot there, which is scheduled to be marketed beginning in 2023.

Neuralink, which designs and installs brain-machine interfaces,will provide an update on its work on Oct. 31. The objective of its technology is to strengthen cognitive abilities by interacting directly a person's brain. The billionaire and Neuralink tested their chip on a pig called Gertrude onAug. 28, 2020.

For Musk, Neuralink will soon make it possible to save memories, and potentially to download them into another body or into a robot. Its technology, the company said, should also provide a better understanding of neurological diseases.

But the firm has fallen behind the competition. Synchron, which is developing its own brain-machine interface technology, obtained regulatory approvals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2021 to test its chip on humans.

In addition, Musk is also in a legal battle with Twitter (TWTR) after he abruptly withdrew its $44 billion bid made on April 14 to acquire the microblogging website. The two parties are currently fighting each other through subpoenas. Twitter wants the court to force Musk to keep his original pledge. Musk says the platform lies about the number of fake accounts, or spam bots, populating the social network. A quick five-day trial is scheduled for October 17 if the two sides do not reach an agreement by then.

As if all this were not enough Musk has just announced that he now has a new task to accomplish: he will open a show by comedian Chris Rock, who has been in the news for several months after the Slapgate scandal.

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Last March during the Oscars, actor Will Smith, who would later be crowned best actor for his role as the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams in King Richard, created a resounding scandal by slapping comedian Chris Rock on stage after a bad joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Despite Smith's apology, tensions remain between the two men. Since then, the scent of scandal has made Rock shows among the most popular and most coveted tickets in Hollywood.

"@Chrisrock invited me to open for one of his shows. Thanks Chris!" Musk posted on Twitter on Sept. 3.

The richest man in the world seems to have accepted the invitation:"I will try not to flounder too much," Musk added.

The serial entrepreneur did not provide further details. It does not give, for example, the date of the show which it will open or the place where it will take place. Rock is currently touring across the country and in Europe. From Sept. 7-12 he and fellow comedian Dave Chapelle will be on tour in Europe (Netherlands, Germany and Denmark), according to Ticketmaster. And for the rest of the month, the comedian will resume his shows alone in Detroit, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh before New Orleans and New York in early October.

Musk's announcement came as a comment to a post from a video clip from his May 2021 Saturday Night Live hosting gig. He's heard saying "I reinvented electric cars and I'm sending people to Mars in a rocket ship. Did you think I was also going to be a chill normal dude?"

The announcement of the billionaire who has nearly 105 million fans on the platform has completely electrified his fans.

"Great news!!! ," one Twitter user commented with a picture of Rock and Musk.

"You will do well, Elon. Youre pretty hilarious," another user posted.

"No slapping," another user quipped.

"I want to be at this show," added another fan.

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Elon Musk Lands The Hottest Gig in Hollywood - TheStreet

Tesla CEO Elon Musk's legal team argues that allegations by Twitter's ex-security chief give him reason to pull out of his agreement to buy the Twitter. Here, Musk speaks at a meeting of energy, oil and gas executives in Norway on August 29. CARINA JOHANSEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Tesla CEO Elon Musk's legal team argues that allegations by Twitter's ex-security chief give him reason to pull out of his agreement to buy the Twitter. Here, Musk speaks at a meeting of energy, oil and gas executives in Norway on August 29.

Billionaire Elon Musk's chances of walking away unscathed from his commitment to buy Twitter just improved, thanks to recent allegations from the company's former security chief.

Twitter looks like a cybersecurity dumpster fire in a whistleblower complaint submitted to federal regulators by Peiter Zatko. He complains of lax security practices that put users' personal data at risk and the social media company in danger of violating a settlement agreement with federal regulators. He also alleges that the Indian government forced Twitter to hire two government agents who had access to sensitive data.

Soon after Zatko's concerns became public, Musk referenced them in new legal claims. The Tesla CEO now argues that Twitter is damaged goods and by hiding such egregious problems, it committed fraud.

Twitter calls Zatko's complaints inaccurate, inconsistent and opportunistic.

Twitter sued Musk in July after he tried to break off the agreement to buy the company for $44 billion. Musk claimed that the company had understated the prevalence of botsor spam accountson its platform and that was justification for his change of heart.

Given that Musk had waived due diligence when he signed the agreementnot to mention that it was he, and not the company, who had sought the acquisitionmany experts believed he had a flimsy legal case.

His legal claims "just always seemed like such an incredibly long shot argument to begin with," said Ann Lipton, a business and securities law professor at Tulane University. "The other allegations hair-raising data-security and intellectual-property problems those at least have a lot more potential."

The trial is scheduled to begin October 17 in Delaware. Musk has asked the judge for a delay so that his legal team could gather more information about what went on inside Twitter.

Twitter has claimed that any delay hurts its business and shareholders.

Zatko, who also goes by his hacker handle "Mudge," worked as Twitter's head of security from 2020 until January. During that time, he says, company leaders including CEO Parag Agrawal ignored his warnings about serious security flaws. In a whistleblower complaint filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, Zatko alleges that executives ignored these problems.

Twitter said Zatko's complaint is a "false narrative" and inaccurate, and that he was fired for poor performance.

The company is under an FTC consent agreement, signed in 2011 after hackers repeatedly seized control and tweeted from a handful of users' accounts. At the time, the agency said Twitter "failed to take reasonable steps" to safeguard its system. The agreement requires the company to maintain a comprehensive security system and be truthful with users about the extent to which it protects their personal information.

After Zatko's allegations became public, Musk filed a new letter to terminate the contract to buy Twitter. His lawyers argue that, if the allegations are true, the FTC could fine Twitter millions of dollars for violating the consent agreement.

"Twitter has already paid a fine of $150 million for violating an aspect of that decree, and Facebook recently paid $5 billion for similar user data violations," the letter notes.

That risk, previously hidden, gives Musk the right to walk away, it says.

Zatko is scheduled to be deposed by Musk's lawyers on Sept. 9. The following week, he's slotted to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

If Zatko's claims are accurate, "they may show dangerous data privacy and security risks for Twitter users around the world," the top lawmakers on the committee, Democrat Dick Durbin of Illinois and and Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa, said in a statement, pledging the committee would "get to the bottom of these alarming allegations."

Senators have also asked the FTC to investigate Twitter. The agency has declined to comment.

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Elon Musk's case against Twitter may be helped by whistleblower's claims - NPR

Elon Musks lusty dad, Errol, has finally revealed he sired a secret second love child with his glamorous stepdaughter, Jana Bezuidenhout.

TheMuskpatriarch,76,welcomedthebabygirlwithJana,35,backin2019butonlyconfirmed thenewsonWednesday,bragging to the Sun: The only thing we are on Earth for is to reproduce.

The two already share a 5-year-old boy, Elliot Rush, born in 2017.

Errol clearly shares his most famous sons hearty desire to procreate, with his admission coming just a week after it was revealed Elon fathered twochildren with an executive at his artificial intelligence company Neuralink, weeks before his second child with ex-girlfriend Grimes was born.

Errol admitted Janas pregnancy was unplanned and told the publication that they are no longer living together, citing their 41-year age gap.

Its not practical.Shes 35, Errol declared. Eventually if Im still around, she might wind up back with me.

He added: Any man who marries a [younger] woman, even if you feel very sprightly, its going to be nice for a while, but theres a big gap and that gap is going to show itself.

The Musk family tree is complicated and is growing more so by the day. Errol has seven children, while Elon has fathered 10 offspring.

Errol who is a wealthy South African engineer married model Maye Haldeman Musk in 1970, with whom he had three children: Elon, Kimbal and Tosca.

The couple split in 1979, before Errol went on to wed HeideBezuidenhout, a young widow who already had two children, including Jana.

Errol and Heide had two biological children together, but he also helped raise Jana, who was just 4 years old when he became her stepfather. Errol and Heide eventually divorced after an 18-year marriage.

But the Musk family was subsequently stunned when Jana became pregnant with Errols baby back in 2017. It led to a bitter falling out between Errol and Elon, with the Tesla CEO furious that his father had impregnated his stepsister.

Errols other children were also shocked and uncomfortable about the surprise pregnancy.

They still dont like it, Errol admitted in his new interview with the Sun. They still feel a bit creepy about it, because shes their sister. Their half-sister.

Elon has not publicly commented on his fathers latest baby admission. The pair are still estranged, with Elon describing his dad as a terrible human being in an interview with Rolling Stone.

The Post has reached out to the Tesla CEO for comment.

Errol and Janas son, born in 2017, is named Elliot Rush and is nicknamed Rushi. Errol has not disclosed the name of their daughter, who was born in 2019.

Despite the fact they are no longer a couple, Errol said Jana and their two young children have come to stay at his home in Pretoria, South Africa.

They spent a few days here about six months ago. And the kids were starting to get on my nerves, he candidly stated. Then I miss them as soon as they have gone.

Errol admitted that he hadnt asked Jana for a paternity test to make sure he was the father of their now-3-year-old, saying: I havent checked her DNA. But she looks just like my other daughters So its pretty obvious, you know.

However, the wealthy businessman stated that there are other women claiming that he has also fathered their children.

I have about six people, women who claim that their child is my child right now. Obviously they are opportunists, he stated. [But] there was a period in Johannesburg in the 80s that I was going out with a different woman every night. I had plenty of dates. So its quite conceivable that one of them could actually come back and say, This is your child. Its possible.

Meanwhile, the elderly patriarch says he hasnt ruled out the possibility of having more children in the future: If I could have another child, I would. I cant see any reason not to.

Indeed, Errol (officially) has fewer children than his most famous son, Elon, 51, who is now a father of 10.

The Tesla CEO confirmed last week that he fathered twins with Shivon Zilis, a 36-year-old executive at his brain chip company Neuralink.

Doing my best to help the underpopulation crisis, Musk tweeted out last Thursday. A collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far.

The twins whose names have not been disclosed were born just weeks before Musk welcomed his second child, Exa Dark Siderl, with Canadian pop star Grimes.

Musk and Grimes also have 2-year-old son X A-Xii.

The worlds richest man first became a father back in 2002, welcoming a son named Nevada with then-wife Justine Wilson.

Tragically, the babyboy died just 10 weeks later fromsudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.

Elon and Justine went on to have five more children, twins Vivian and Griffin and triplets Kai, Saxon and Damian, before their divorce in 2008.

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Elon Musk's dad, 76, confirms secret child with stepdaughter