Elon Musk’s Twitter arc seemed all but wrapped up. There seemed to be nothing left but boring paperwork.
But leave it to the main inspiration for the Systems Overterrestrial Coalition to whip up fresh conflict with Indian bean counters.
Of course, the latest twists in the billionaire’s move to buy the Death Cult platform took place on Twitter itself.
To be serious for a minute, the deal’s fragile status can’t be pinned on Musk alone. Twitter’s use of bot accounts to manufacture consent has been an open secret for years. The current management must be deluded or dumb to think a potential buyer wouldn’t ask for proof debunking the rumors.
And they had to know they’d be in hot water if they couldn’t prove their traffic is legit.
Didn’t they?
What kind of consequences are we talking about?
OK, massive fraud sounds bad. At least there’s no real evidence that Twitter manipulates its numbers with bots, right?
Uh-oh … Not looking good.
But it gets worse.
I can’t blame Musk for putting the Twitter deal on hold. A social media company’s value is derived from its user base. Musk was already overpaying for Twitter. Going through with the deal absent proof the site’s not 50% bots would be like buying a car without the dealer letting you look under the hood to make sure there’s an engine.
And since almost all social media outfits are scams that operate on ad revenue based on inflated user data, it’s doubtful that proof Twitter’s numbers are legit is forthcoming.
I said back when this saga began that Musk’s play amounted to a Xanatos gambit with only two possible outcomes: Either he takes over Twitter, or he forces the company to self-destruct in the process.
Now it looks like scenario 2 is the more likely result.
That’s fine, to be honest. If the deal falls through, Twitter will finish its terminal decline into a pipeline for Death Cult NPC firmware updates. Normal people will continue migrating to superior alternative platforms like Gab. With any luck, Musk will take Andrew Torba up on his offer to help upgrade Gab’s operation by investing a fraction of what he offered for Twitter.
It’ll be fascinating to see how Twitter’s current management respond. After several resignations and layoffs in anticipation of Musk’s now-uncertain takeover.
The fun’s not over yet!
In part because book 3 in my hit mech saga is funding now on Indiegogo
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