Running a social media company is not at all like running a normal tech company. It’s one part technology, but it’s one part psychology. He doesn’t understand the psychology part whatsoever. He doesn’t understand stand why people choose to engage or not engage with a community. He doesn’t understand how and why Twitter became part an important news and information source and all of decisions he’s made so far have reduced the relevance of the product.
Twitter verified status is there to help people trust Twitter, not just the person behind the checkmark. Now nobody trust your product. It also doesn’t take a genius to understand that limiting access to your product makes people use it less.
Elon has publicly claimed to have Asperger’s (or, as it’s known by the modern DSM, “ASD Level 1”).
While I don’t know if that’s a self-diagnosis or the truth, I also have ASD Level 1 so I can somewhat understand his thought process… sometimes.
The fact that the platform makes the community isn’t necessarily something I’d consider at first, and I don’t think Elon considered it either. I really do think Elon was mad about how much people on the internet disliked him, so he made an impulsive bid to kick 'em out and tried to buy the whole platform. At some point someone talked some sense into him and he tried to back out, only to realize he was trapped in the deal and couldn’t back out.
So the only thing he could really do at that point is double down. Kick the people off the site that he wanted gone. Find a way to kick out the bots that were clearly irritating him. Unban people who he thought were unjustly banned. There are easy and simple solutions to all of those things, and although they aren’t popularthat’s sort of the problem with ASD Level 1:
Failure to make eye contact or read social cues properly
Challenges in establishing or maintaining conversations
…
Apprehensive behavior
…
Trouble shifting focus
Expand that behavior up to a community of millions of people and you can start to understand Musk’s behavior. It’s fundamentally a community, with social norms and mores that aren’t immediately obvious to those with ASD Level 1 (myself included). ASD makes it hard to have a grasp on why a community is there, and if you’re a megalomaniac on top of that I can see how it’d be very easy to just say “Eh, I’ll change it to work for me” without care for how it affects everyone else that uses it.
So you have him just making all these dumb-looking changes because understanding and empathy isn’t his strong suit. He just does what he thinks will fix “the problem” and assumes that users are a given.
Yeah but Elons problem isn’t just the ASD - that’s part of it sure, but his problem is having ASD and a mother who told him repeatedly from a very very early age, that he was a genius.
That would be damaging to a neurotypical persons self view, but I dread to think how that damages a neurodivergent 😲
In short, Elon definitely displays narcissistic tendencies - and I suspect that being constantly told you are a genius who will change the world, is a bug reason why.
The fact that he’s trying to find a “cure” for ASD (using the most extreme methods) makes me think he’s a self-loathing autistic and a turncoat who deserves no praise from others with ASD. I certainly don’t respect him.
I didn’t know I had ASD until I was an adult. Growing up I just knew I was weird and different and strange and nobody liked me. I didn’t know why, I just knew I was doing something wrong and I simply wasn’t “normal”.
I would have given literally anything to be neurotypical, for a very long time.
When I was 19, I got formally diagnosed. For a few years after I was still hoping that it would somehow be “cured” and one day I could be like everyone else. I dunno if that made me a turncoat; just someone who didn’t accept who I am.
I’ve since come to terms with it and accepted that it’s an intrinsic part of me and that I wouldn’t be the same person if I didn’t have ASD. Like I can imagine what my life would be like without depression; I can’t even think about what my life would be if I was neurotypical. I’d be so completely different that I basically wouldn’t be “me” anymore.
But I only got to that level of acceptance because life worked out for me; I learned how to effectively mask, I have a good-paying stable job in my dream field (AAA game development), a significant other, and even a couple friends.
From what I can tell, Elon may have money but he’s miserable. I can see a world in which he blames ASD for his misery (like I once did), and I can see how wanting to “cure” it makes him think that maybe he’d be happier. That’s probably why he’s killing monkeys with brain chips.
The fact that the platform makes the community isn’t necessarily something I’d consider at first, and I don’t think Elon considered it either.
Small correction, it’s actually the community that makes the platform. The community exists regardless of platform, the platform is there to help the community connect. The platform can help make new communities by facilitating connections but the platform needs communities to exist. People will form communities tailored to their interests without the internet all day, they’ve done it for millenia. If the platform makes it difficult for communities to connect, then the community will just go elsewhere.
Doesn’t he have a condition that keeps him from understanding social norms? Wouldn’t that alone disqualify him from making decisions about a social media company/site?
Running a social media company is not at all like running a normal tech company. It’s one part technology, but it’s one part psychology. He doesn’t understand the psychology part whatsoever. He doesn’t understand stand why people choose to engage or not engage with a community. He doesn’t understand how and why Twitter became part an important news and information source and all of decisions he’s made so far have reduced the relevance of the product.
Twitter verified status is there to help people trust Twitter, not just the person behind the checkmark. Now nobody trust your product. It also doesn’t take a genius to understand that limiting access to your product makes people use it less.
Elon has publicly claimed to have Asperger’s (or, as it’s known by the modern DSM, “ASD Level 1”).
While I don’t know if that’s a self-diagnosis or the truth, I also have ASD Level 1 so I can somewhat understand his thought process… sometimes.
The fact that the platform makes the community isn’t necessarily something I’d consider at first, and I don’t think Elon considered it either. I really do think Elon was mad about how much people on the internet disliked him, so he made an impulsive bid to kick 'em out and tried to buy the whole platform. At some point someone talked some sense into him and he tried to back out, only to realize he was trapped in the deal and couldn’t back out.
So the only thing he could really do at that point is double down. Kick the people off the site that he wanted gone. Find a way to kick out the bots that were clearly irritating him. Unban people who he thought were unjustly banned. There are easy and simple solutions to all of those things, and although they aren’t popular that’s sort of the problem with ASD Level 1:
Expand that behavior up to a community of millions of people and you can start to understand Musk’s behavior. It’s fundamentally a community, with social norms and mores that aren’t immediately obvious to those with ASD Level 1 (myself included). ASD makes it hard to have a grasp on why a community is there, and if you’re a megalomaniac on top of that I can see how it’d be very easy to just say “Eh, I’ll change it to work for me” without care for how it affects everyone else that uses it.
So you have him just making all these dumb-looking changes because understanding and empathy isn’t his strong suit. He just does what he thinks will fix “the problem” and assumes that users are a given.
Yeah but Elons problem isn’t just the ASD - that’s part of it sure, but his problem is having ASD and a mother who told him repeatedly from a very very early age, that he was a genius.
That would be damaging to a neurotypical persons self view, but I dread to think how that damages a neurodivergent 😲
In short, Elon definitely displays narcissistic tendencies - and I suspect that being constantly told you are a genius who will change the world, is a bug reason why.
The fact that he’s trying to find a “cure” for ASD (using the most extreme methods) makes me think he’s a self-loathing autistic and a turncoat who deserves no praise from others with ASD. I certainly don’t respect him.
Maybe.
I didn’t know I had ASD until I was an adult. Growing up I just knew I was weird and different and strange and nobody liked me. I didn’t know why, I just knew I was doing something wrong and I simply wasn’t “normal”.
I would have given literally anything to be neurotypical, for a very long time.
When I was 19, I got formally diagnosed. For a few years after I was still hoping that it would somehow be “cured” and one day I could be like everyone else. I dunno if that made me a turncoat; just someone who didn’t accept who I am.
I’ve since come to terms with it and accepted that it’s an intrinsic part of me and that I wouldn’t be the same person if I didn’t have ASD. Like I can imagine what my life would be like without depression; I can’t even think about what my life would be if I was neurotypical. I’d be so completely different that I basically wouldn’t be “me” anymore.
But I only got to that level of acceptance because life worked out for me; I learned how to effectively mask, I have a good-paying stable job in my dream field (AAA game development), a significant other, and even a couple friends.
From what I can tell, Elon may have money but he’s miserable. I can see a world in which he blames ASD for his misery (like I once did), and I can see how wanting to “cure” it makes him think that maybe he’d be happier. That’s probably why he’s killing monkeys with brain chips.
Small correction, it’s actually the community that makes the platform. The community exists regardless of platform, the platform is there to help the community connect. The platform can help make new communities by facilitating connections but the platform needs communities to exist. People will form communities tailored to their interests without the internet all day, they’ve done it for millenia. If the platform makes it difficult for communities to connect, then the community will just go elsewhere.
Doesn’t he have a condition that keeps him from understanding social norms? Wouldn’t that alone disqualify him from making decisions about a social media company/site?
Yes, it’s called narcissism
Yes, he is a billionaire that was born into money. He has no idea how much a Star War costs, let alone a banana or gallon of milk.