Don Lemon and the Guardian left Elon Musk’s X after the election. But is it a mass exodus? Don’t be so sure
CNN
There’s a vibe shift afoot at X competitor platform Bluesky that is raising some questions about the future of Elon Musk’s social media site, in the wake of the election where the billionaire played a significant role.
X competitor Bluesky rocketed to the No. 1 spot on the Apple App Store’s US chart this week, as many users of Elon Musk’s platform said they were decamping in the wake of his significant role in the US presidential election. Bluesky’s user base has doubled in the past 90 days — on Tuesday the company said it had gained 1 million new sign-ups in the past week alone, bringing it to more than 15 million total users. The energy on X is markedly different: Musk spent months using the site to boost President-elect Donald Trump. In recent days, researchers have recorded surges in sexist language like “your body, my choice” on the site. And that’s on top of previous changes by Musk, like cutting moderators, restoring banned accounts, allowing racist and Nazi accounts and changing the platform’s verification system to boost anyone who was willing to pay, regardless of what they posted — all of which helped to tank the company’s core ad business. A number of prominent journalists announced their exit, accordingly, from X to join Bluesky this week, including the Atlantic’s Charlie Warzel, the New York Times’ Mara Gay and former CNN anchor Don Lemon. UK newspaper The Guardian also said Wednesday that it will no longer post to X from its official channels, calling X “a toxic media platform,” although it did not specify which other platforms it plans to use to promote its work. But while Bluesky may be having A Moment three years after its launch, any claims that it will kill X should be taken with a grain of salt. As a private company, X doesn’t share user numbers. Recent third party estimates of user trends are mixed, although the consistent user growth the platform enjoyed prior to Musk’s takeover does appear to have been upended in the past two years. But — for better or, probably, worse — the site has so far weathered the creation of multiple other competitors, the reinstatement of White supremacists and the spread of racist conspiracy theories from Musk down without fading into irrelevance.
Europe’s biggest meal delivery firm Just Eat Takeaway TKWY.AS said on Wednesday it had struck a deal to sell its U.S. unit Grubhub to Wonder for $650 million, sending its shares soaring 20% in early trading.
The crypto industry, an institution founded on the principle of getting the government’s greedy hands off the people’s currency, is booming. The reason? They may have finally convinced the government to get its hands on bitcoin.
Kraft Heinz is removing its Lunchables meal kits from the national school lunch program, months after Consumer Reports raised concerns about high levels of sodium in the kits.
On Wednesday morning, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ notorious Infowars media empire will go up for auction in a court-mandated sale, and at least one bid is in the “seven-figure” range, a person familiar with the matter told CNN.
When many were celebrating the remarkable economic recovery from the pandemic in the spring of 2021, Larry Summers warned the White House and the rest of Washington that inflation was a real danger.
No, not the recipe itself. Just the literal phrase.
Kum & Go, the Midwestern gas station chain that gained national fame for the immature snickers its name often receives, is making a change.
Boeing’s most immediate problem – an eight-week strike by 33,000 workers – is over. But its more serious problems – ongoing massive losses, quality and safety problems – are as bad as ever, and could even get worse.
Hush puppies, once a staple on Red Lobster’s menu, are coming back.
While revenge porn has been around for decades, the proliferation of AI tools means anyone can be a target of harassment, even if they’ve never taken or sent a nude photo. But there are steps that targets can take to protect themselves and places to turn for help.
Donald Trump is returning to the White House and the stock market is loving it.