This week’s edition of The Newsletter kicks off with two articles that ultimately spring from what might be called the Big Social Media Meltdown. Beginning with the problem, the first finds yours truly wrestling with the problem of Elon Musk, and his apparent efforts to destroy his own reputation and the platform he spent $44 billion to control. The second piece, by our CEO and director of product Chris Neklason, describes one specific way Twitter/X is now broken, and his recent successes in building something that delivers a functionality we used to find under the little blue bird.
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By Eric Johnson
Published Sep 18, 2023
What the hell happened to this sweet, smart kid?
Replacing Twitter as Elon Self-Destructs
Making Sense of a Mad Genius
I first encountered Elon Musk at a private conference while researching a cover story about the new billions being invested in eco-friendly technologies, “The Green Gold Rush,” published in Metro Silicon Valley 15 years ago this week.
Speaking to a roomful of venture capitalists from firms including Kleiner Perkins and JP Morgan, Musk talked about, among other things, his dream of enabling the colonization of Mars. At the time I had no idea his mind was moving in that direction, was sorta shocked, and expected the idea to land awkwardly. But he received an explosive ovation. He was a hero even before he revolutionized the industry that builds the world’s most poisonous product.
Already an extremely wealthy man, Musk seems to be motivated more by a historical imperative than any strictly business or even classically altruistic purpose. He says he started Tesla “to show the car companies what is possible, and accelerate the development of electric vehicles” overall.
Well, he did that, but the number of people who still think of him as a hero is dwindling. In the wake of Walter Isaacson’s new biography of the world’s wealthiest individual, following years of Musk’s brazenly erratic behavior, he is being attacked, most ardently by former allies in left-of-center field. As a onetime admirer, I wrestle here with a man who seems to be rocketing from brilliant enigma to dangerous nutcase.
The Self-Demonization of Elon Musk
His critics portray him as a cartoonish billionaire boogeyman, while the world’s wealthiest individual works hard to prove them right.
Getting the Ground Truth Out
Elon Musk did not waste time turning the platform he called “the digital town square” into his private property. One of the first and worst things he did was eliminate a functionality that public agencies used to distribute important information.
For years, organizations from the CHP to the California Office of Emergency Services used the platform as a primary means of informing the public. Many of us have shared and found information about wildfires and floods on Twitter, or even just traffic jams. Not so on X.
Here’s how California Local is working with Google Maps to make that important information available.
Distributing Ground Truth by Mapping the Situation
Social media were once very good at sharing reliable first-hand information about fires, floods, etc. Not any more. Here’s an alternative.
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From Our Media Allies |
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After Legal Threat, Los Gatos Compromises With Gun Lobby |
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Town Attorney Gabrielle Whelan said the Town Council had discussed a legal threat from the gun lobby, which asked Los Gatos to delay enforcing its concealed carry ordinance. |
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Caltrain Expands South County Service |
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Caltrain has added a fourth train from South County to San Francisco on weekdays, following a survey that found commuters wanted more options to ditch their vehicles. |
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Gilroy Plans Upgrades to Garlic Festival Shooting Memorial |
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After four years of harsh sunlight and destruction by squirrels, the Christmas Hill Park memorial for the victims of the 2019 Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting needs repair. |
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County Supes Approve Multi-Faceted Approach to Fentanyl Crisis |
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The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved amping up resources to combat the fentanyl crisis with money from opioid lawsuit settlements and other grants. |
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New Turkish Café Tempts the Senses |
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Unable to find readily available Turkish food, Elif Asli Uzun and business partner Aziz Aslan decided to open their own café in Palo Alto. |
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Recent News |
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• Cal Fire Issues Urgent Warning Regarding Incursions of Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Incidents involving use of the systems, commonly known as drones, in firefighting airspace have led to the temporary suspension of critical aerial firefighting operations a half-dozen times so far this year.
(09/15/2023) → YubaNet• Mountain View City Council Approves Another Round of Local Firearm Regulations
The Mountain View City Council voted 6-0 to adopt two firearm safety ordinances that require firearm dealers to obtain a local permit, and bans gun and ammunition sales in homes.
(09/15/2023) → Mountain View Voice• San Jose Grapples With Crowded RV Street Parking
Officials are struggling to solve the growing number of RVs lining city streets. Mayor Matt Mahan and three San Jose councilmembers want to explore ways to manage homeless residents living in vehicles while simultaneously ramping up available safe parking sites.
(09/15/2023) → San Jose Spotlight• Milpitas’ Rideshare Program Is Its Best-Kept Secret
Milpitas has an exclusive rideshare service much cheaper than Uber for locals to get around town—but not many people know about it. The Simple Mobile Access to Reliable Transit (SMART) program is a city rideshare service with a fleet of six vehicles.
(09/14/2023) → San Jose Spotlight• Mountain View Looks to Streamline Review of Gatekeeper Projects
The city of Mountain View is looking to clean up its process for so-called gatekeeper projects, where developers propose projects out of sync with existing zoning and require changes to the general plan.
(09/14/2023) → Mountain View Voice• New COVID Boosters Are Coming: What You Need to Know
Cases are on the rise, and so are hospitalizations and deaths. So the federal government's release of new, updated COVID boosters feels like good timing.
(09/13/2023) → CapPublicRadio• Palo Altan Christine Blasey Ford Will Release a Memoir
The Palo Alto professor who testified that then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had assaulted her while they were in high school has written a memoir.
(09/13/2023) → Daily Post• Palo Alto Unified Prepares to Require Ethnic Studies
The Palo Alto Unified School District is moving to adopt an ethnic studies graduation requirement starting with the Class of 2029.
(09/13/2023) → Palo Alto Online• Santa Clara Mayor Accused of Ties to ‘Dark Money’ Group
Three Santa Clara councilmembers have filed state and local ethics complaints against Mayor Lisa Gillmor and an influential political group aligned with her, San Jose Spotlight reports.
(09/13/2023) → San Jose Spotlight• Mountain View Looks to Put Tax Measure to a Vote in 2024
A revenue measure that will increase taxes is making its way onto the November 2024 ballot, with the Mountain View City Council agreeing that more cash is needed to pay for ambitious projects.
(09/13/2023) → Mountain View Voice• Mountain View Ends Six-Decade Partnership, Gives District Final Offer
The Mountain View City Council voted to terminate an agreement for the joint operation of campus fields, while also giving the school board a one-time chance to accept terms to create a new agreement.
(09/13/2023) → Mountain View Voice• CSU Board of Trustees Approves 6% Annual Tuition Hikes Over 5 Years
Despite pushback from students, teachers and others, the California State University system will see tuition hikes.
(09/13/2023) → Monterey Herald• Cal State Tuition to Rise 34 Percent Over Five Years
The tuition increases were forecast earlier this year, when a Cal State task force concluded the system needs at least $1.5 billion annually in new revenue to afford student services and bolster its academic offerings.
(09/13/2023) → CalMatters• Climate Bill Forcing Companies to Reveal Carbon Emissions Passes, Newsom Yet to Say if He’ll Sign it
About 5,300 companies would file annual emissions reports. The aim is to hold corporations accountable for the role they play in climate change.
(09/12/2023) → CalMatters• Meet California’s (Possible) Future State Bat
There’s an official state bird, mineral, tree, fish, insect, lichen, fabric, sport, dance, soil and even dinosaur.
(09/12/2023) → CapPublicRadio• San Jose Seeks Collaboration With Indigenous Community
Councilmembers Peter Ortiz, Dev Davis, David Cohen, Domingo Candelas and Bien Doan are proposing a study session to learn more about the relation of the Muwekma Ohlone people—an Indigenous tribe from Santa Clara County—to wider San Jose.
(09/12/2023) → San Jose Spotlight• Opioid Antidote Now Available in Drug Stores
Naloxone, a nasal spray that can reverse the adverse effects of opioids, became available in drug stores last week. The drug is sold under the brand names Narcan and RiVive and can be purchased over the counter.
(09/12/2023) → Palo Alto Online• Landmark Deal Paves Way for Transformation of Fry’s Site
Palo Alto approved a landmark deal with Sobrato Organization that paves the way for redevelopment of Ventura’s largest property and that allows the developer to replace a portion of the old Fry’s building with townhomes.
(09/12/2023) → Palo Alto Online• Palo Alto Adopts New Rules for Downtown Parklets
Seeking to bring order to the city’s nascent and chaotic parklet scene, the Palo Alto City Council adopted a suite of rules for outdoor dining spaces in University Avenue and portions of California Avenue.
(09/11/2023) → Palo Alto Online• Mountain View Considers Pulling Out of School Field Deal
In a sign of further fraying relations, the city is considering terminating a more than six-decade agreement with the Mountain View Whisman School District for the joint operation of campus fields.
(09/11/2023) → Mountain View Voice• Fired Santa Clara Attorney Sues City
Santa Clara is being sued by Brian Doyle, its former city attorney, who claims officials fired him unlawfully as part of a hushed agreement with San Francisco 49ers owners.
(09/11/2023) → San Jose Spotlight• No Classes? No Lectures? Still Get Your Degree? Yes, Under an Experimental New System at California Community Colleges
Eight community colleges in California are testing out a new education model, one that defines success by the skills a student learns, not the time they spend in a classroom. But changing the traditional education system isn’t easy.
(09/11/2023) → CalMatters• New Bill Comes to Rescue When California Public Records Requests Are Denied
A bipartisan bill would create a state ombudsperson to intervene when public records requests are denied. But an advocacy group is concerned that it will encourage state agencies to go to court.
(09/11/2023) → CalMatters|
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