In the final sketch of the Elon Musk episode Saturday Night Live last year, Musk suggested creating a currency based on “whatever we say it’s based on.” Now the Dogefather has filed paperwork for Twitter to get into the payments business.
In a Q&A today with advertisers, he described users “link[ing] their online bank account to Twitter” and offering “extremely compelling money market account to get extremely high yield on your balance.” They’ll also offer a debit card and other services.
There’s been talk for several months of layering digital payments on top of Twitter, perhaps shopping, making it an every thing (“X”) app, modeled in some sense after China’s WeChat – hence talk of Twitter bringing back Vine.
Musk has said that “Twitter probably accelerates X by three to five years.” The X moniker is something that Musk has used extensively. SpaceX; Tesla model X (although coming out with models S, 3, X and Y in order spells SEXY); X Holdings I was a company created to acquire Twitter; he refers to his first child with Grimes as X (while Y is the nickname of their second child).
He’s hardly new to banking. He founded X.com which merged into what became Paypal, where he served as CEO until being ousted by Peter Thiel. He bought back the X.com domain from Paypal in 2017.
Thanks PayPal for allowing me to buy back https://t.co/bOUOejO16Y! No plans right now, but it has great sentimental value to me.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 11, 2017
There’s no question that Musk’s takeover of Twitter has been both rocky and controversial. He sort of acknowledges that, but he also has everyone talking about Twitter a lot more (including on Twitter). He needs to find a way to take a money-losing business and have it throw off a billion dollars a year to service the debt he took on acquiring the company, hence the focus both on immediate cost cuts and revenue-generation. And he’s taken it on with a sense of urgency I expect he sees as how he changes the company culture to be more in line with his own vision (matching Tesla and SpaceX), for better and worse depending on where you sit.
He also approaches Twitter primarily from the perspective of an addicted user at times, more than an owner or manager, and one who needs to stoke the flames.
Complaint hotline operator online! Please mention your complaints below.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 9, 2022
In his SNL monologue he offered “I reinvented electric cars and I’m senidng people to Mars in a rocket ship. Did you also think I was going to be a chill normal dude?”
In that same monologue Musk’s mother says she’s excited for her Mother’s Day gift – she just hopes it’s not Dogecoin. How will she feel about banking with TwitterX?
@ How do you become a millionaire? Buy Twitter for $44 billion.
So, Twitter is losing money, has a terrible balance sheet and Musk thinks people should deposit their savings with him? Sounds like a terrific idea.
I’d certainly trust Twitter X with my money more than PayPal. Twitter is a lesson of how powerful the globalists are with their control of public companies. The only way to beat them may not be in direct competition where their positions hold down any chance of participation by non globalist controlled startups or companies but through state level criminalization. California does it with their “laws” that force companies to do so and so if they do business in the state or with state residents. Texas, Florida, and etc. need to do the same as companies can’t survive without participating in these states.
Dogs in four countries are barking at John Dogas’s comment.
Twitter is the modern day newspaper. Many billionaires own newspapers, not because the papers make money, but to control the narrative. Does anyone really think Musk bought twitter to make money?
Didn’t hear this big an uproar when bezos bought wash post
@John Dogas
You are 100% correct. Let’s see TX and FL make laws that are the opposite regulation of CA and see what happens. With tech in freefall right now and a large chunk of CA tax money gone, now could be the time to take on california.
Nothing to do with travel..
Just remember that Elon and Donald are pals. Perhaps they can join forces.
A fool and his money are easily parted, and Elon Musk is no exception. The guy had a solid idea and platform in Tesla, which could have developed over time into a real catalyst for transforming the auto industry. Instead, vanity, tribal political views, ego, and greed went above common sense.
As to California, in spite of its problems, and it has a few, remains one of the world’s largest and diversified economies and that’s not going to change. You can’t say the same about a place like Florida, whose economy is literally based on building cheap, unsafe condos in the ocean, pouring cement on anything and everything, creating a clearinghouse for crypto and other fads that are next to take down the US economy, and sits in the bullseye of natural disasters.
@Luciano7576
Dude, California is losing population. Michigan and Ohio and PA and upstate NY and Chicago and the rest of the rust belt used to be the top producing GDP regions merely 60 years ago also – what happened to them??. Cali has already peaked and people are literally leaving. You can deny it all you want but TX/AZ/FL are the future – especially as long as Brandon keeps the border open.
And speaking of natural disasters, California sits smack in the middle of one the largest faults in the world and hasn’t had a major earthquake in a while. Not to mention it is a tinderbox with a shortage of water and electricity.
@Vijay, you seem well informed. You must read a lot of tabloids.
@ladyolives
LOL- which part of what I said is not true?
@Jerry, your memory is trash.
People absolutely made a ruckus about Bezos buying the WSJ.