Elon Musk Picks a New Twitter CEO
After announcing on Thursday that he had found a new CEO to lead Twitter — which he bought last year for $44B — Elon Musk on Friday confirmed that Linda Yaccarino, the head of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, would take over.
Musk said she would start in six weeks, at which point he would assume the roles of executive chairman and chief technology officer.
In December, Musk said he would resign as CEO upon finding "someone foolish enough to take the job." This came after 57.5% of users in a Twitter poll voted for him to leave the position.
Narrative A
The appointment of a new CEO could launch a new chapter for the troubled company, which has recently struggled with sweeping changes to Twitter's policies and frequent outages. As Musk's commitment to open-source transparency and accepting a wide range of viewpoints remains unchanged, the new chief executive will likely improve relationships with advertisers and smooth their fears over content moderation.
Narrative B
Musk has a track record of making splashy announcements and failing to follow through. As Musk has reshaped Twitter's policies to match his whims, speculation on how long his tenure would last and how big of an effect it has on his other companies has only increased. While Twitter may get a new CEO, the biggest question is How much will change, and how fast, considering he would still have a hands-on role over the social media platform?
Nerd narrative
There is a 43% chance that Elon Musk will be the richest person in the world by the end of 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
NYC Passes Bill Banning Weight Discrimination
On Thursday, the New York City Council approved a bill making it illegal to discriminate against weight and height in employment, housing, and public accommodations.
The bill adds weight and height to the list of characteristics protected from discrimination under New York's human rights law, including race, gender, age, religion, and sexual orientation.
The exceptions include jobs where weight and height considerations are essential to the role being performed or where there is a public health and safety concern.
Left narrative
This bill sends a message that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect and that there's a legal remedy for size prejudice. Weight discrimination is not a health issue; it's a civil rights issue, which is why the bill comes as a breather for more than 40% of American adults who are openly ridiculed, denied jobs and promotions they deserve, and experience stigma, uncertainty, and distress for being short and obese.
Right narrative
While nobody should be persecuted for their size, anti-discrimination law is intended to protect those with immutable characteristics, not to trump at-will employment. Weight discrimination is hard to prove, and so, if enacted, the measure would empower anyone to take legal action, even if they're not victims. As its enforcement would ultimately be left to the courts, the bill places an unwanted burden on employers, regulators, and the judicial system.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that at least 45.9% of Americans will be obese in 2032, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Philippines: Court Acquits Leila De Lima in Drug Case
A Philippine court on Friday dismissed one of the two remaining criminal charges against former Sen. Leila de Lima, a prominent critic of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.
De Lima and co-accused Ronnie Dayan were acquitted of conspiring to commit illegal drug trading at the New Bilibid Prison in 2012 during her time as justice secretary "on the ground of reasonable doubt."
This comes as key witnesses, including the self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa and the former officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Corrections, Rafael Ragos, recently retracted their testimony, which they claim was false and allegedly made under coercion.
Narrative A
The unjust imprisonment and continued detention of Leila de Lima has been undermining the credibility of the Philippine judicial system, as she should have long been acquitted of all charges given that the prosecution has based them solely on the testimonies of criminals. It is outrageous that the country's judiciary is still analyzing bogus cases brought by the former Duterte regime against its opponents.
Narrative B
As ironical as it may seem, Leila de Lima — detained on non-bailable charges of involvement in illicit drug trading — once argued that former Pres. Gloria Arroyo's continued detention was part of the independent judicial process in the Philippines and did not violate her human rights. Now that she is behind bars, her supporters at home and abroad are insulting the judiciary.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that at least 60 countries will, at least in some form, decriminalize possession of all Schedule I drugs for personal use by 2070, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
US, China Hold Talks to Move Beyond Spy Balloon Incident
The White House on Thursday publicized a two-day meeting between National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in Vienna this week. The White House said both sides reportedly had "candid" and "constructive" discussions on wide-ranging key issues.
Talks in the Austrian capital to stabilize relations between the two major powers, which have hit their lowest level since diplomatic ties were established in 1979, focused on US-China relations, global security issues, the Ukraine War, and Taiwan.
Sullivan and Wang, who spent more than eight hours together on Wednesday and Thursday, reportedly agreed that the February spy balloon incident was "unfortunate" and are now seeking to restore regular channels of communication.
Pro-China narrative
The fact that Washington is now seeking dialogue after months of escalation sends a positive signal, but skepticism is warranted given the level of hostility the US has recently shown. The key to restoring viable relations will be for Washington not to communicate with Beijing on one side and further exacerbate tensions on the other by undermining the PRC's sovereignty, security, and development interests. China has shown goodwill in the recent rounds of talks, and now it is up to the US to back up its words with action.
Anti-China narrative
The US-China talks are evidence of Washington's effort to rebuild the basis for dialogue with Beijing. So far, however, the PRC does not seem interested in better coordination with Washington on security issues, seeing it as another attempt to contain China's influence. The faction within China's power apparatus that wants to ensure that an event such as a maritime collision or a spy balloon does not escalate into an armed clash is shrinking. For dialogue to bear fruit, Beijing must overcome its unfounded mistrust of the US.
Nerd narrative
There is a 20% chance that the US and China will be at war before 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Ex-Marine Charged For Fatal NY Subway Chokehold
On Friday, 24-year-old Marine Corps veteran Daniel Penny appeared in court to be charged with second-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of homeless man Jordan Neely on a New York City subway. No plea was entered.
The former Marine turned himself into authorities earlier in the day, 11 days after putting Neely, who had a long record of mental health issues, in a chokehold for several minutes aboard a train in Manhattan, in an attempt to subdue him.
This comes after the DA's office launched a probe into Neely's death following city-wide protests after police released Penny from custody without filing any charges in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
Left narrative
Penny must be brought to justice for Neely's heinous murder. This shocking, racially-charged case reveals the worst of America's brutal capitalist society, including the pathologization of Blackness and the oppression of those perceived as mentally ill. Not only did Penny act as if he was entitled to take Neely's life, but he has also been carrying out a character assassination against the deceased.
Right narrative
This incident, which is yet to be litigated in court, is a direct consequence of leftist officials advising police to do nothing to protect New Yorkers that are fed up with being accosted on the subway. While this isn't to say that Penny is fully innocent, it must be stressed that Neely was far from being a harmless man as he had previously severely injured an elderly woman and tried to kidnap a girl. This case is hypercharged by woke identity politics.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that New York City's subway ridership will return to pre-COVID pandemic levels for the first time by May 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Japan: Data of 2M Toyota Customers Exposed
On Friday, Toyota revealed that the data of more than 2M customers in Japan was publicly accessible for over a decade due to human error, including details such as vehicle location, identification numbers, and footage recorded by the vehicle.
Since 2012, data from the Connected cloud service offered by Toyota had been mistakenly made public, with the company reassuring customers that individuals couldn't be identified based on the information and that there was no evidence of malicious use of the data.
A company spokesperson apologized for the leak and stated that Toyota would "audit and monitor cloud settings continuously" in the wake of the incident, as well as bolster their data handling procedures.
Narrative A
Internet-connected cars are a data security nightmare, as companies indiscriminately trawl as much data as possible from drivers, unaware they are operating what is effectively a smartphone on wheels. Everything from the number of passengers in the car to the music you listen to is being harvested and potentially shared with insurance companies, advertisers, law enforcement, and even malicious actors. We need clarity, regulation, and transparency about the uses of vehicle data.
Narrative B
All new technology comes with risks, but the benefits of connected vehicles far outweigh the risks, as they will enhance the driving experience and make us all safer. Automakers are making cutting-edge improvements to protect the digital security and privacy of their new vehicles, with tools such as artificial intelligence and facial recognition at their disposal. They are safer on the road as well, with advanced surveillance and sensor systems. We shouldn't let one innocent mistake cloud our perception of the future of driving.
Moscow Denies Reports of Ukrainian Bakhmut Breakthrough
Russia's defense ministry has denied that Ukraine made any front-line breakthroughs in the "engagement line" [near Bakhmut] — in the Donetsk region.
Earlier in the week, Oleksandr Syrskyi, head of Ukraine's ground forces, said his troops had advanced as much as 1.2 miles (2 km) in some areas of the front line. "Thanks to our well-thought-out defense on the Bakhmut front, we are getting results from the efficient actions of our units," he said.
The report was seemingly confirmed on Thursday when Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner PMC, again criticized Russia's military leadership, stating on Telegram that Ukrainian forces had "successfully entered some of our flanks in the Bakhmut direction."
Pro-establishment narrative
Drawing context from the statements of Prigozhin and the Russian defense ministry's responses — as well as from geolocated footage that showed a recent reversal of positions in some areas — Ukraine likely did regain territory that was recently held by Moscow.
Pro-Russia narrative
Reports of Ukrainian advances are false. Russian troops have continued to repel all Ukrainian attacks, while offensive operations are still ongoing in several regions. Moscow continues to hold the majority of Bakhmut, or Artyomovsk in Russian.
Nerd narrative
There's a 7% chance that Ukraine will have de facto control of at least 90% of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts by Jan.1, 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Astronomers Capture Largest Cosmic Explosion on Record
A remarkable cosmic explosion, first captured by astronomers in 2020, has been revealed as the largest cosmic explosion ever witnessed. The event is believed to have been triggered by a giant cloud of gas eaten by a supermassive black hole per a study in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
A fast-moving burst of light was originally detected and recorded by scientists at the Zwicky Transient Facility in California three years ago. However, it took until 2021 for astronomers to discover this burst while reviewing the facility's data holdings.
The team was baffled by what they saw. According to Dr. Wiseman, an astronomer at Southampton University, there was nothing in the scientific literature that could account for such a bright and long-lasting phenomenon.
Narrative A
Astronomers are observing one of the most violent and energetic acts of cosmic cannibalism ever witnessed, perhaps the biggest explosion seen yet in the history of the universe. For a phenomenon like this to occur, you need a giant star that is being shredded by an enormous black hole. The black hole at the center of this event might have a mass of perhaps a billion times more than our own sun.
Narrative B
An alternative theory suggests that a supermassive black hole is consuming a cloud of gas and dust, not a giant star. A supermassive black hole is often surrounded by a ring of material, which has been knocked off its orbit and is being absorbed by the black hole. As this is happening, shock waves are spreading through the cloud, heating the matter in it and shooting out bright light. The jury is still out on the true nature of this cosmic cataclysm.
UK Software Company Co-Founder Extradited to US
Mike Lynch, co-founder of software firm Autonomy — and once called the "UK’s Bill Gates" — arrived in San Francisco, Calif. after being extradited to the US Thursday where he will face criminal charges related to Hewlett Packard’s (HP) $11B acquisition of his tech company.
Upon arriving in the US accompanied by the US Marshals Service, Lynch was released from court on a $100M bond on the condition that he be confined in a specific San Francisco location and pay for a 24-hour security detail — “including video surveillance and armed guards.”
Lynch has faced legal battles for nearly a decade and could face up to 20 years in prison for allegedly inflating Autonomy’s value, causing HP to pay far more than the company was worth when it bought Lynch’s software in 2011. He pled not guilty on 17 charges.
Narrative A
Mike Lynch’s extradition to the US sets a dangerous precedent that could pave the way for future injustice. The US and UK agreed to an extradition treaty in 2003 that would allow the allies to work together following the 9/11 attacks. Now that treaty is being misused and abused to apply to suspected white-collar criminals instead of the originally intended terrorists. The US is trying to supersede British law and is overstepping its bounds.
Narrative B
Mike Lynch was once a promising tech entrepreneur who was lauded as one of the industry’s stars, but now he's being exposed as a fraud who tricked HP into overpaying billions for his company. Lynch has lost case after case and has evaded extradition for many years due to his wealth and influence. After a decade of legal battles, he can no longer run and must face the consequences of his actions. This is due process in action.