Elon Musk is unconventional about his DNA.
CEO of Tesla (TSLA) has shown many times that he is determined to be different. And he often seems most comfortable taking a position that runs counter to popular opinion.
Take the obvious example of Tesla. For many years, the co-founder of the world’s No. 1 premium electric vehicle maker was alone in betting on EVs, seeing them as the future of the automotive industry.
But the more people mocked Musk, the more ambitious he became. In 2015, he said Tesla would be valued at $700 billion by 2025. At the time, the group hadn’t produced a single consumer vehicle.
That car, the Model 3 sedan, arrived in 2018-2019. And Tesla’s valuation reached Musk’s forecast by December 2020. The company reached a market value of $1 trillion in October 2021, before falling again. Currently, the Austin Group is valued at approximately $722 billion.
His predictions drew derision from the business community and other automakers — and now they’re following his success in the industry. Tesla’s rise has made him the richest man in the world.
Musk pushes fake news
He has just reaffirmed this trend, distancing himself somewhat from condemnations of the October 27 violent attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The attack happened a few days before the mid-term elections.
“The Republican Party and its mouthpieces now regularly spread hate and crazy conspiracy theories,” former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton tweeted on Oct. 29. “It is shocking, but not surprising, that violence is the result. As citizens, we must hold them accountable for their words and the actions that follow.”
Musk seems somewhat at odds with that theory, which attributes the attack to America’s deepening political divisions and hate speech by some politicians. He points out that it could be another version of the story.
“There is a small possibility that there is more to this story than meets the eye,” the billionaire replied to Clinton.
He provided a link to an article in the Santa Monica Observer that attributed the attack on Pelosi to a flawed argument.
Musk later deleted the post.
‘Known for publishing fake news’
TheStreet cannot verify the Observer’s reporting and will not repeat it here. The Santa Monica Observer has been known to publish false information on a number of occasions, including a story about Hillary Clinton’s passing and her body double being sent to debate Donald Trump at one of the debates. 2016 presidential candidates.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Santa Monica Observer is “known for publishing fake news.”
Musk’s tweet sparked an unsurprisingly strong reaction on Twitter, which he became the owner of on October 27. For many users, the billionaire is spreading misinformation because the Santa Monica Observer offers no evidence to support his report.
“I don’t know Elon, are you sure that’s really Hillary you’re responding to?” asked Jon Favreau, Barack Obama’s former speechwriting director.
“Elon is already using his Chief Twit role to spread misinformation. This is disgusting. I thought you wanted to promote peace and love?” added another Twitter user.
“Watch your sources @elonmusk The ‘Santa Monica Observer,’ owned by former City Council candidate David Ganezer, is known for publishing fake news. In 2016, for example, it claimed Hillary Clinton was dead and that a body double had been sent to debate Donald Trump,” one user posted.
Musk’s tweet comes as Twitter’s new owner promised advertisers that “Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape where anything can be said without consequence!” He told advertisers on October 27.
The entrepreneur announced the creation of a panel to review the banned accounts and promised that no decision would be made before that panel convenes.
“Twitter will form a content moderation council with very diverse perspectives. No major content decisions or account resets will happen before that council meets,” he said on October 28.
Police account of attack on Paul Pelosi
According to police, a man entered Pelosi’s home in San Francisco early Friday, asking to see her. He then violently attacked her husband with a hammer. Nancy Pelosi was in Washington at the time, according to Capitol Police.
Paul Pelosi, 82, was taken to a San Francisco hospital where he underwent surgery to treat a fractured skull and injuries to his right arm and hands, a spokesman said in a statement.
According to doctors, Nancy Pelosi’s husband should make a full recovery.
The suspect, David Depape, 42, was also taken to the hospital. He is suspected of attempted murder, assault with a weapon, elder abuse and theft.
The incident comes less than two weeks before midterm congressional elections and raises fears that more violence could erupt before November 8.
DePape’s motivations are still under investigation by the FBI and San Francisco police, but according to initial reports, he is a follower of far-right conspiracy theories. In particular, he believes the 2020 election was stolen, a theory espoused by former President Donald Trump.
According to CNN, he is the author of two blogs that contain hate speech against minorities, women and Jews. Reports say DePape may also be a follower of QAnon theories.
