Re: What does Elon Musk say about free software?

[Danny Spitzberg]

   Investors are aware that Twitter is a worthwhile investment- to wit,
   [1]https://twitter.com/pitdesi/status/1522222513404534788
   Also, lenders are aware that Musk runs business that they depends on
   (eg Tesla banks with Morgan Stanley).

   So, if you follow the money, things become a bit more easy to explain.

   On Thu, May 5, 2022 at 5:26 PM Akira Urushibata <[2]afu@wta.att.ne.jp>
   wrote:

     Thomas Lord wrote:
     > This is an opportunity to greatly expand the number
     > of people who use free software, and to help them
     > learn why it - and why resisting untrustworthy
     > websites - is valuable.  Thus, it is the FSF's reason
     > for existence, writ large.
     ---
     Pretending that there is a distinct line between Twitter users and
     non-users distracts us from the anxieties certain people now harbor
     and what we should be doing to assist them.
     People who are officially registered, who have the right to send out
     tweets, are definitely Twitter users.  However they are not the only
     users.  Many of our contemporaries get information from tweets not
     directly from the official Twitter site, but in embedded form in
     blogs
     and media sites they visit.  We must not ignore the fact that people
     who never sign up for the platform see the information conveyed in
     this manner as reliable and valuable and are in a position to be
     affected by policy changes.
     Twitter has spawned derivative sites and services beyond count.
     Numerous blogs are constructed around a collection of tweets by
     others, a common subject being "tweets of the week."  Third-party
     service sites offer conveniences such as keyword search and thread
     unrolling, often alongside to and in competition with similar
     features
     available in the official Twitter site.
     News of Elon Musk's buyout plan has made people with a stake in
     these
     sites and services noticeably anxious.  It appears to me that they
     are
     now waking up to the fact that the tweets were "free", but that was
     of
     the "free beer" variety rather than the "free thought" one.  It
     should
     be possible to help them, not only by suggesting alternative
     platforms
     but also by introducing them to free software philosophy.  Showing
     sympathy toward people's worries is likely to work better than
     promoting advocacy literature suggesting that they contain a good
     remedy.
     If we strike the iron while it is hot, our efforts will ultimately
     succeed and people will show interest in free software.  We should
     be
     prepared for the question: "What does Elon Musk say about this?"
     ---
     Twitter No Longer Free: Elon Musk Will Charge for Features
     [3]https://earlygame.com/entertainment/elon-musk-twitter-quote-embed
     Elon Musk suggests charging governments and corporations a
     `slight cost' to use Twitter
     [4]https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/4/23056524/elon-musk-twitter-busi
     ness-plans-charging-governments-corporations
     ---
     No dose of free speech can overturn reality.  Many people consider
     Elon Musk's bid to purchase Twitter a fait accompli, but stock
     prices
     indicate otherwise.  Musk claims he is willing to purchase all
     outstanding Twitter shares at $54.20.  When such offers are made
     markets respond.  Recently Twitter shares are trading at around
     $49.  This indicates that many investors are not totally confident
     whether the offer will be honored. (*)
     Investors are aware that Elon Musk needs to borrow money for the
     purchase.  As borrowed money carries interest Musk must find some
     way
     to make Twitter, once under his supervision, generate sufficient
     profit for payment thereof.  We know that this is not simple: new
     restrictions intended to make members pay more are likely to shove
     them away into the welcoming arms of rival platforms.  Thus the
     market
     people are watching attentively whether he can come up with a good
     plan.  Musk has suggested reforms that may make certain people
     anxious, but most investors are standing by for now without stating
     faith in his designs with their money.
     ---
     (*) Whenever a purchase offer is made which market participants take
     as serious, the market price for that stock (or for that matter, any
     commodity) rises to the buyer's declared price.  This is easy to
     understand.  If someone (Elon Musk in this case) is soon to buy
     stock
     you happen to own at a fixed, favorable price ($54.20), you would
     not
     sell it to someone else at any lower price.
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References

   1. https://twitter.com/pitdesi/status/1522222513404534788
   2. mailto:afu@wta.att.ne.jp
   3. https://earlygame.com/entertainment/elon-musk-twitter-quote-embed
   4. 
https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/4/23056524/elon-musk-twitter-business-plans-charging-governments-corporations
   5. mailto:libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org
   6. https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discuss