The media spotlight on Thursday was focused on Elon Musk, as he was involved in three completely different stories that dominated global news. These stories highlighted Musk’s extraordinary influence and his ability to connect various fields.
According to University of Florida assistant media professor Andrew Selepak, Musk has an outsized capability to sway the news cycle. Selepak also mentioned that Musk went from being an innovator to a “tech billionaire playboy” who is similar to Donald Trump as a Twitter troll.
On Thursday, Twitter began removing blue ticks from verified accounts, including the Pope, Justin Bieber, and Donald Trump, which Musk pledged to get rid of since it represents a “lords & peasants system.”
As a result, the blue checkmarks now indicate who has paid a monthly subscription fee instead of who is behind the accounts.
Musk was also in the news due to the explosion of the colossal Starship built by SpaceX, designed to send astronauts to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Though the spacecraft exploded minutes after launch in Texas, Musk and SpaceX considered it a successful test.
Furthermore, Tesla’s drop in quarterly earnings and hinting of further profit pressures from more price cuts on its vehicles caused Wall Street stocks to end lower on Thursday.
Independent tech analyst Rob Enderle noted that Musk is a common denominator, and despite revolutionizing the auto industry, sending his own rocket to space, and building a fortune, he often lacks maturity and knocks the train off the tracks.
The eccentric billionaire promotes himself as a champion of free speech but has been accused of being autocratic and bullying and endorsing misinformation on the platform.
The South African-born entrepreneur founded a series of ever more ambitious ventures, including SpaceX, Tesla, The Boring Company, and Neuralink, and has said he wants to establish a colony of people living on Mars.
