The top 10 most wealthy people in the world, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/#3a7cd2b33d78">according</a> to Forbes, are worth a combined $1,187,000,000,000. Yup, that&#8217;s more than a trillion dollars.
Some of them you&#8217;ve heard of (Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates), but others you haven&#8217;t (including No. 1, Bernard Arnault and family, who are worth more than $211 billion via their cosmetics and fashion empire).
And some of them do some good in the world, despite being bad people (Gates met with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein multiple times but has also worked to end malaria through his Gates Foundation).
Others, though, are simply egomaniacal narcissists, like Bezos and Musk. Both are playing astronauts, spending billions in a bizarre space race. And Bezos had a 417-foot yacht built that cost more than $500 million and has a $25 million annual <a href="https://supercarblondie.com/superyachts/jeff-bezos-superyacht-koru/">upkeep</a> cost. Who needs that?!
They&#8217;ve made their billions off the backs of the working man, even exploiting child labor. A new <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11668015/Devastating-photos-cobalt-mines-Democratic-Republic-Congo-power-Apple-Tesla-more.html">report</a> on Monday in the Daily Mail showed &#8220;barefoot children covered in chemicals, endlessly smashing open rocks for $2-a-day; exhausted new mothers with their babies strapped to them, sifting through nets of rocks in the hopes of finding the precious cobalt,&#8221; which is used in nearly every high-tech product today.
Then there&#8217;s MrBeast, the most-subscribed contributor and influencer on YouTube (130 million people subscribe to his page). In reality, he&#8217;s just 24-year-old Jimmy Donaldson.
Unlike those billionaires, Donaldson is hell-bent on helping people. Over the last few months, he helped cure blindness for 1,000 people by paying for their simple eye surgery. Working with the non-profit eye care organization, See, he helped doctors remove severe cataracts in people&#8217;s eyes across the world.
MrBeast also gave See $100,000, handed over $10,000 to a number of patients, bought one a Tesla, and even gave $50,000 to another&#8217;s college fund.
Take eight minutes and watch this video (50 million people have so far). But get some tissues first.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="1,000 Blind People See For The First Time" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TJ2ifmkGGus?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In the video, one patient, Charlie, had such bad cataracts he could no longer work. After receiving the surgery, Charlie can see again &#8212; and he reads a big video screen that says, &#8220;You just won $10,000.&#8221;
One doctor in the video says, &#8220;half of all the blindness in the world is people who need a 10-minute surgery.&#8221;
After fixing 20 people&#8217;s eyes, Donaldson says, &#8220;We&#8217;ve still got 980 lives left to change.&#8221;
At the end of the video, Donaldson says he wants to provide this life-changing treatment worldwide because &#8220;nearly half the population with curable blindness doesn&#8217;t have access to surgery. I wanted to provide this to as many people as possible.&#8221;
And so he does, traveling to Vietnam, Honduras, Namibia, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, Kenya.
Just like that, a YouTuber has shamed the world&#8217;s richest people &#8212; Musk, Bezos, Buffett, and all the rest. And don&#8217;t get me started on the Kardashians.
Remember, that&#8217;s just how easy it is to bring change to the world &#8212; if you&#8217;re not a narcissistic billionaire trying to fly to Mars. To all you rich people out there, maybe help fix the Earth before you shoot for the stars.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

Prime Day Presents 2022 Ultimate Crown – The Ultimate Battle Between MrBeast And Ninja

YouTuber MrBeast Puts Billionaires Like Bezos, Musk To Shame With His Love Of Humanity

YouTuber MrBeast Puts Billionaires Like Bezos, Musk To Shame 

Bill Gates

Celebrities

Charity

Elon Musk

Jeff Bezos

Social Media

U.S.

YouTube

Lawmakers in <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/maryland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maryland</a> are weighing legislation that would encourage government agencies and private <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/business" target="_blank" rel="noopener">employers</a> to adopt a four-day workweek.
Proposals for a four-day week of eight-hour days, during which compensation would not be reduced from former levels, have increased in recent years after a worldwide study found that earnings improved for participating companies. State Sen. Shelly Hettleman (D) and several members of the Maryland General Assembly <a href="https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2023RS/bills/sb/sb0197f.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduced</a> the Four–Day Workweek Act for the purpose of “promoting, incentivizing, and supporting” experimentation with the arrangement.
“There’s growing evidence that reducing work hours boosts both happiness and productivity. Let’s try it,” State Del. Vaughn Stewart (D) <a href="https://twitter.com/DelegateStewart/status/1619019079104491526" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contended</a> on social media.
The legislation provides state tax credits as high as $750,000 per year for businesses that reduce at least 30 employees from a 40-hour week to a 32-hour week without a “reduction in pay or benefits.” The initiative, which would be managed by the Maryland Department of Labor, may likewise allow government agencies to participate and track their results.
Supporters of four-day workweek frameworks emphasize the arrangement’s benefits for employee wellbeing and work-life balance. Some 45% of workers cite lackluster flexibility when discussing why they left their previous jobs, while roughly 48% mention childcare difficulties, according to a <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/03/09/majority-of-workers-who-quit-a-job-in-2021-cite-low-pay-no-opportunities-for-advancement-feeling-disrespected/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> from Pew Research Center. The aforementioned international <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60b956cbe7bf6f2efd86b04e/t/6387a0e53881be1284cb046e/1669832945858/The+Four+Day+Week-+Assessing+Global+Trials+of+Reduced+Work+Time+with+No+Reduction+in+Pay+%E2%80%93+A+%E2%80%93+30112022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> concluded that revenues increased 8% for companies involved with the experiment.
“Work time reduction has long been promoted as a multiple dividend reform, with the potential to bring social, economic and climate benefits,” researchers said. “Social benefits include less stress and burnout for employees, as well as more time for family, community, and self. Economic benefits depend on the form of work time reduction. Where it is accomplished without loss or even gains in productivity, it is beneficial for companies’ bottom lines.”
Other findings show that managerial headaches from flexible work arrangements are palpable for employers: 85% of business leaders say the shift to hybrid work “has made it challenging to have confidence that employees are being productive,” according to a <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/hybrid-work-is-just-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> from Microsoft.
The most recent World Economic Forum conference in Davos, Switzerland, featured a panel <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/four-day-workweek-world-economic-forum-weighs-the-merits-of-the-upper-class-working-less" target="_blank" rel="noopener">event</a> about the possibility of adopting a four-day workweek. Dutch Employment Minister Karien van Gennip acknowledged that the proposal remains “very much a discussion for the upper class” since many occupations would still require traditional arrangements.
“If you look at many of the jobs that are service jobs, they are still in-person service jobs,” the official said. “It’s much more difficult to go toward those flexibility hours and also, if you would go to a four-day work week, if you consider the discussions we also have on minimum wage and on living wage, then you have to be quite serious about what it means for the pay per hour.”
Leading skeptics of calls for increased workplace flexibility include Elon Musk, who has mandated that employees at his companies complete their tasks from the office and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/read-it-elon-musk-tells-twitter-staff-to-work-long-hours-at-high-intensity-or-hit-the-road" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expect</a> to work “long hours at high intensity.” The billionaire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/musk-remote-work-is-no-longer-acceptable-at-tesla" target="_blank" rel="noopener">informed</a> workers at electric automaker Tesla that work-from-home is “no longer” acceptable and commented that those who disagree with the new policy “should pretend to work somewhere else.” He likewise <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/freedom-of-speech-and-freedom-of-reach-elon-musk-tells-twitter-employees-users-should-be-able-to-tweet-pretty-outrageous-things" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Twitter employees that working “on location physically” is far superior to other arrangements.
Calls for less intense work in white-collar occupations come as technology firms <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-white-house-brushed-off-concerns-about-mass-firings-at-microsoft-and-amazon-now-google-is-laying-off-employees-too" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismiss</a> large swaths of redundant employees to reduce payroll expenses.

Maryland State House

Maryland Lawmakers Suggest Four-Day Workweek Program Where People Work Less And Receive The Same Pay

Maryland Lawmakers Suggest Four-Day Workweek Program

Business

Economy

Jobs

Maryland

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/tesla" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tesla</a> reported record financial performance that exceeded expectations despite concern over the recent purchase of <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> by <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/elon-musk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elon Musk</a>, the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/electric-vehicles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">electric</a> automaker’s chief executive.
Tesla boasted revenues of $24.32 billion for the fourth quarter, surpassing analysts’ expectations of $24.16 billion and reflecting a 37% year-over-year increase. Total gross profits were $5.78 billion, marking a 19% year-over-year increase. The metrics increased by 51% and 53%, respectively, for the full year.
“In the last quarter, we achieved the highest-ever quarterly revenue, operating income and net income in our history,” the company said in an <a href="https://tesla-cdn.thron.com/static/GZR0GS_TSLA_Q4_2022_Update_PVPJAG.pdf?xseo=&amp;response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22b7871185-dd6a-4d79-9c3b-19b497227f2a.pdf%22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earnings report</a>. “As we progress into 2023, we know that there are questions about the near-term impact of an uncertain macroeconomic environment, and in particular, with rising interest rates. The Tesla team is used to challenges, given the culture required to get the company to where it is today.”
Shares for Tesla rose 8.6% as of Thursday afternoon; the company released the earnings report after the bell on Wednesday. Shares have nevertheless fallen nearly 50% over the past year, underperforming the S&amp;P 500 Index and the technology-heavy NASDAQ Composite.
“In the near term we are accelerating our cost reduction roadmap and driving towards higher production rates, while staying focused on executing against the next phase of our roadmap,” the company continued. “In any scenario, we are prepared for short-term uncertainty, while being focused on the long-term potential of autonomy, electrification and energy solutions.”
The robust earnings news comes after Musk faced significant <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tesla-investors-are-worried-that-elon-musks-work-with-twitter-could-hurt-automaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pressure</a> from investors over his acquisition of social media company Twitter. Some believe the move distracted the billionaire entrepreneur from his work at the publicly traded automaker and linked the firm to considerable political controversy. Net favorability for Tesla among Democrats decreased 20.3% between October and November, the time frame of the acquisition, according to a <a href="https://morningconsult.com/2022/11/17/elon-musks-politically-polarizing-effect/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> from Morning Consult, while net favorability among Republicans rose 3.9% over the same period.
One investor <a href="https://app.saytechnologies.com/tesla-2022-q4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> during an earnings call whether brand damage from the acquisition has impacted demand for Tesla vehicles. Musk responded by checking his Twitter account and noting that he now has 127 million followers, claiming he is “reasonably popular” apart from “a few people” complaining. “I think Twitter is actually an incredibly powerful tool for driving demand for Tesla,” he asserted. “And I would really encourage companies out there of all kinds, automotive or otherwise, to make more use of Twitter and to use their Twitter accounts.”
Tesla previously <a href="https://ir.tesla.com/press-release/tesla-vehicle-production-deliveries-and-date-financial-results-webcast-fourth-quarter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that vehicle production in the fourth quarter surpassed 439,000 as vehicle deliveries reached 405,000. The metrics grew 47% and 40%, respectively, for the full year despite “supply chain related challenges.” Musk recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-makes-bold-predictions-about-tesla-performance-global-recession-twitter-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that Tesla has “excellent demand” and expects to “sell every car that we make for as far into the future as we can see.”
The brand&#8217;s strong performance comes despite logistics <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-laments-tesla-factories-becoming-gigantic-money-furnaces-thanks-to-supply-chain-issues" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bottlenecks</a> that have increased production costs worldwide. Musk said last summer that the past two years have been an “absolute nightmare” for disruptions and called the company’s Berlin and Austin facilities “gigantic money furnaces.” Tesla has also been buoyed by public policies such as the Inflation Reduction Act, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/energy-sec-granholm-families-should-use-ev-tax-credits-weatherize-their-homes-finance-solar-panels-to-cope-with-inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">includes</a> $7,500 tax credits for some new domestically produced electric vehicles and $4,000 tax credits for used ones.

GERMANY-ECONOMY-AUTOMOBILE-TESLA

Tesla Posts Highest Profits Ever Despite Concerns About Musk’s Twitter Purchase Causing Brand Risk

Tesla Posts Highest Profits Ever 

electric vehicles

Tesla

Twitter

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/tesla" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tesla</a> unveiled intentions to build two more factories and hire thousands of people in the state of <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/nevada" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nevada</a>.
The company has invested some $6.2 billion in the Silver State over the past nine years, according to a <a href="https://www.tesla.com/blog/continuing-our-investment-nevada" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/electric-vehicles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">electric</a> automaker. The new investment of $3.6 billion will allow for updates to Gigafactory Nevada, one of the world&#8217;s highest volume <a href="https://www.tesla.com/giga-nevada" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plants</a> for electric motors and batteries, as well as a cell factory capable of producing enough batteries for 1.5 million vehicles each year and the first high-volume Tesla Semi factory.
“Thank you to the Tesla team, our supply chain partners and the local community that has made accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy possible at Gigafactory Nevada,” the company’s statement said.
The new facilities will employ an additional 3,000 individuals; Tesla hired 6,500 full-time employees and 17,000 construction workers over the previous decade to build and run Gigafactory Nevada, which currently spans 5.4 million square feet and produces 7.3 billion battery cells per year.
“Nevada is open for business, effective immediately,” Gov. Joe Lombardo (R-NV) <a href="https://twitter.com/JosephMLombardo/status/1618046041349316610" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on social media. “This is an incredible investment in our state.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1557236629412007937" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> last year that the Tesla Semi, which was unveiled in 2017 and originally scheduled to begin production in 2019, would begin by the end of 2022. The first completed vehicles were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-announces-start-of-tesla-semi-production-will-reach-clients-within-two-months" target="_blank" rel="noopener">delivered</a> to Pepsi in December.
The Tesla Semi can accelerate from a standstill to 60 miles per hour within 20 seconds, according to a <a href="https://www.tesla.com/semi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">webpage</a> from Tesla. Charging the vehicle is considerably cheaper per mile in comparison to diesel alternatives, resulting in an estimated $200,000 in cost savings within the first three years, while fewer moving parts and software updates reduce the need for repairs.
On the other hand, diesel trucks can travel 2,100 miles on a single tank, according to <a href="https://driveknight.com/blog/trucker-lifestyle/fun-facts-about-semi-trucks-the-trucking-industry/#:~:text=How%20Far%20Can%20The%20Average,around%20seven%20miles%20per%20gallon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from Knight Transportation, while the Tesla Semi will have a range of 500 miles. During the launch event six years ago, however, Musk asserted that drivers could recharge while taking periodic breaks already required by law.
Musk recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-makes-bold-predictions-about-tesla-performance-global-recession-twitter-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that Tesla has “excellent demand” and expects to “sell every car that we make for as far into the future as we can see.” The company’s third quarter automotive revenue constituted a 55% increase from the previous year, while executives expect to maintain 50% annual growth in vehicle deliveries. “The factories are running at full speed and we’re delivering every car we make, and keeping operating margins strong,” Musk remarked.
The robust performance for the brand comes despite <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-laments-tesla-factories-becoming-gigantic-money-furnaces-thanks-to-supply-chain-issues" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supply chain bottlenecks</a> and is spurred by new tax incentives for electric vehicle ownership. A recent set of guidelines from the California Air Resources Board mandates that all new cars sold in the state must produce zero emissions by 2035, while the governments of Massachusetts, Washington, and Virginia have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ridiculous-edict-virginia-gov-glenn-youngkin-blasts-californias-gas-car-phase-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enacted legislation</a> adopting the standards. President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/energy-sec-granholm-families-should-use-ev-tax-credits-weatherize-their-homes-finance-solar-panels-to-cope-with-inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">includes</a> $7,500 tax credits for some new domestically produced electric vehicles and $4,000 tax credits for used electric vehicles.
Musk has nevertheless faced <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tesla-investors-are-worried-that-elon-musks-work-with-twitter-could-hurt-automaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pressure</a> from investors and policymakers over his acquisition of social media company Twitter, as some believe the move distracted the billionaire entrepreneur from his work at the publicly traded automaker. The purchase also caused considerable political controversy: net favorability of Tesla among Democrats decreased 20.3% between October and November, the time frame of the acquisition, according to a <a href="https://morningconsult.com/2022/11/17/elon-musks-politically-polarizing-effect/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> from Morning Consult, while net favorability among Republicans rose 5.5% over the same period.

US-ECONOMY-TRANSPORT-TESLA-TRUCK

‘An Incredible Investment’: Tesla Announces Two New Factories, $3.6 Billion Investment In Nevada

Tesla Announces Two New Factories In Nevada

Nevada

Supply Chain

Tesla and Twitter CEO <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/elon-musk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elon Musk</a> claimed Saturday morning that he had an adverse reaction to his second <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19-vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID booster</a>, which made him feel like he was “dying.” 
Musk, the world’s second richest man, made his comments in response to a Rasmussen Reports survey which estimated that about 12 million people had self-reported major reactions to the COVID vaccine.
“I had major side effects from my second booster shot. Felt like I was dying for several days. Hopefully, no permanent damage, but I dunno,” Musk tweeted. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
And my cousin, who is young &amp; in peak health, had a serious case of myocarditis. Had to go to the hospital.
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1616701931719884804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1616706936938065921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1616706936938065921%7Ctwgr%5E016efa74be3d88452887f42d4b6a82b1c8d227b6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxbusiness.com%2Fbusiness-leaders%2Felon-musk-felt-like-he-was-dying-2nd-covid-booster-shot-cousin-peak-health-suffered-myocarditis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a> that it was not his choice to get the second booster, but needed to in order to get into Tesla Giga Berlin, a manufacturing plant for Tesla in Germany. 
The entrepreneur also said that he had not experienced any problems with the original COVID vaccines he had taken, but that the second booster “crushed” him. 
“I had OG C19 before vaccines came out and it was basically a mild cold. Then I had J&amp;J vaccine with no bad effects, except my arm hurt briefly. First mRNA booster was ok, but the second one crushed me,” Musk said. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I had OG C19 before vaccines came out and it was basically a mild cold.
Then had J&amp;J vaccine with no bad effects, except my arm hurt briefly.
First mRNA booster was ok, but the second one crushed me.
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1616705517614923777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
According to Musk, his cousin had to be hospitalized due to myocarditis after taking the vaccine. “And my cousin, who is young &amp; in peak health, had a serious case of myocarditis. Had to go to the hospital,” he said. 
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/myocarditis.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> that there is a “rare risk” for myocarditis following mRNA vaccination, especially in young males 16 or older. 
“In April 2021, increased cases of myocarditis and pericarditis were reported in the United States after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna). Data from multiple studies show a rare risk for myocarditis and/or pericarditis following receipt of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines,” the CDC says. 
Musk&#8217;s comments come as the CDC <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pfizers-updated-covid-booster-linked-to-potential-stroke-risk-cdc-launches-additional-investigation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced last week</a> that it would be investigating after a government safety monitoring system detected a potential stroke risk for those 65 and older who received Pfizer’s bivalent shot.
“CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD), a near real-time surveillance system, met the statistical criteria to prompt additional investigation into whether there was a safety concern for ischemic stroke in people ages 65 and older who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent,” the CDC said in a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/bivalent-boosters.html">statement</a>. 
The concerning VSD signal has caused the agency to question whether those 65 and older who received Pfizer’s bivalent COVID vaccine were at an increased risk of having an ischemic stroke up to three weeks after their vaccination compared to 22-44 days after the shot. The CDC said Moderna’s bivalent COVID vaccine was not identified for the same risk by its monitoring system. 
Despite some concerns, the CDC still recommends the COVID vaccine and its boosters to those eligible.
Zach Jewell contributed to this report.

NORWAY-INDUSTRY-BUSINESS-ENERGY-OIL-GAS

Elon Musk Claims He Had ‘Major Side Effects’ From Second COVID Booster Shot, Felt Like He Was ‘Dying’

Elon Musk Claims He Had 'Major Side Effects' From COVID Booster Shot

COVID-19 Vaccine

Health

Twitter appeared to take away verified check marks from Taliban accounts that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jan/17/twitter-blue-verified-taliban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">purchased</a> them.
In the past, Twitter only provided the “verified” marks to groups that were “active, notable and authentic accounts of public interest,” according to The Guardian. However, Elon Musk’s new plan has been to allow people to pay money for the check marks. The Twitter Blue verification system, outlined in December, costs $8 each month, with a greater price of $11 charged to people who use the social media app on Apple electronic devices. 
It is a way to “get priority ranking in search, mentions, and replies to help lower the visibility of scams, spam and bots,” according to <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterBlue/status/1602426811656413189?s=20&amp;t=kpMNq63QYJVRG96AAyK-9g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>.
Twitter also <a href="https://help.twitter.com/en/managing-your-account/about-twitter-verified-accounts#:~:text=A%20blue%20checkmark%20may%20mean,%2C%20notable%2C%20and%20authentic)." target="_blank" rel="noopener">clarifies</a> that a blue check could mean that &#8220;the account has an active subscription to the new Twitter Blue subscription service and has met our eligibility criteria,&#8221; or &#8220;the account was previously verified under the legacy verification criteria.&#8221;
The system was re-<a href="https://nypost.com/2023/01/17/twitter-removes-blue-checks-bought-by-taliban-officials/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_source=NYPTwitter&amp;utm_medium=SocialFlow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> in December, but the first introduction had been unsuccessful after people tried to pose as organizations or political figures. Musk then paused the verification plan in order to make sure that such issues wouldn’t come up again in the future. 
As of Monday, the accounts for the leader of the Taliban’s department for “access to information,” Hedayatullah Hedayat, and its top media watchdog at the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture, Abdul Haq Hammad, each had blue marks. Four other major backers of the terrorist group also were utilizing the verification markers. Last month, Hammad&#8217;s blue check mark was taken off, local media reportedly noted, but it was back. 
The BBC <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64294613" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on the fact that the Taliban members were utilizing the method of buying the verification. The terrorist group also took control of verified Twitter accounts that had been used by the prior administration. 
After the report came out, it appeared as if Twitter stopped the blue check subscriptions for the members of the Taliban. On Tuesday, Hedayat’s and Hammad’s Twitter accounts didn’t have the blue check marks anymore. It wasn&#8217;t entirely obvious what had caused the blue check marks to no longer be on the accounts.
Musk has taken to keeping some users off the platform, while allowing others to come back on after he took over control of the company. The Babylon Bee was <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2022/03/21/the-babylon-bees-twitter-account-was-suspended-but-that-made-its-story-go-viral/?sh=6b0c0c06209d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kicked</a> off of the platform for making the joke that its “Man Of The Year” award was going to Rachel Levine, a biological male who is the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
At the time, Twitter said in a statement regarding The Babylon Bee, &#8220;The account you referenced has been temporarily locked for violating our hateful conduct policy. The account owner is required to delete the violative Tweet before regaining access to their account.&#8221;
The Bablyon Bee was put back on Twitter after Musk took over.

A1399CA9-736C-4FDF-AB32-FDC582AF5568_1_201_a

Twitter Appears To Remove Blue Check Marks From Taliban Authorities

Taliban

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/population" target="_blank" rel="noopener">population</a> of <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China</a> witnessed a year-over-year decline for the first time in six decades.
The Chinese National Bureau of Statistics revealed on Tuesday that the country’s population dropped to 1.412 billion in 2022 from 1.413 billion in 2021, according to a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-population-declined-in-2022-for-first-time-in-decades-11673921036" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Wall Street Journal, marking the first decline since the nation was devastated by famine in the early 1960s under the leadership of Chinese Communist Party founder Mao Zedong.
The number of births fell to 9.56 million from 10.62 million over the same period, while birth rates dropped to 6.77 per thousand people from 7.52 per thousand people.
The news follows a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/world-population-surpasses-8-billion-people-india-to-overtake-china-next-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> by the United Nations forecasting that India would pass China this year as the world’s most populous nation. India presently has a fertility rate of 2.2 children per woman. In comparison, China has a fertility rate of 1.7 children per woman, according to <a href="https://data.oecd.org/pop/fertility-rates.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
China had spent decades championing the infamous one-child policy, under which couples were only permitted to bear a single child out of fear that the nation would not have sufficient resources to support a growing population. Even as couples are now <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-now-says-it-will-allow-families-to-have-three-children-amid-fears-of-population-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">permitted</a> to have up to three children, the cultural value of having small families might now be <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/civilization-is-going-to-crumble-musk-on-chinas-plummeting-birth-rate-and-the-need-to-repopulate-the-planet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">embedded</a> into Chinese society after decades under the one-child policy, despite efforts from officials to increase fertility.
The Chinese government has therefore sanctioned several industries to create markets that promote affordability for larger families. Before a ban on private tutoring was introduced two years ago, China <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-cracks-down-on-120-billion-private-tutoring-industry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">maintained</a> a supplementary education sector worth $120 billion, with roughly 70% of parents in Beijing and Shanghai paying for their children to receive additional instruction. Officials also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-cracks-down-on-real-estate-industry-so-that-families-can-afford-housing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prohibited speculation</a> in residential real estate to decrease property prices.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who recently began his unprecedented third term as head of state, told Chinese Communist Party officials <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/xi-jinping-vows-to-grow-chinas-middle-class-at-key-communist-party-meeting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">assembled</a> last year that he desires to move more residents out of poverty.
“We will ensure more pay for more work and encourage people to achieve prosperity through hard work,” he said. “We will promote equality of opportunity, increase the income of low income earners and expand the size of the middle income group. We will keep income distribution and the means of accumulating wealth well regulated.”
China is among several world powers facing a demographic crisis marked by a higher number of elderly citizens relative to younger residents who are still economically productive. Western European countries, as well as Japan and the United States, are among the major economies witnessing a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/huge-problem-for-society-new-study-finds-sperm-concentration-has-halved-worldwide-problem-accelerating" target="_blank" rel="noopener">collapse</a> in birth rates, exerting pressure on government pension programs.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is among the most vocal opponents of conventional wisdom, which posits that global population expansion is harmful to the climate. He often <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-predicts-chinese-population-collapse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asserts</a> that the world is facing a demographic crisis, noting last year that China would lose some 40% of its population every generation under current birth rate conditions.
“I think one of the biggest risks to civilization is the low birthrate and the rapidly declining birthrate,” Musk <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-warns-civilization-will-crumble-without-people-having-more-kids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a> at the Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit two years ago. “And yet, so many people, including smart people, think that there are too many people in the world and think that the population is growing out of control. It’s completely the opposite.”

Opening Ceremony Of The 20th National Congress Of The Communist Party Of China

China Announces Its Population Has Dropped For The First Time In Six Decades

China Says Population Has Dropped For First Time Since Mao

China

Communist China

General

Population

United Nations

World

Elon Musk, the entrepreneur who serves as CEO of Space X, Tesla, and Twitter, reacted harshly after Klaus Schwab, the chairman of the World Economic Forum, preached at the WEF’s summit about an attempt to “master the future.”
Schwab, the world’s leading proponent of “stakeholder capitalism,” made his remarks while at an awards ceremony for &#8220;cultural leaders&#8221; who have worked to promote things like climate change.
“We couldn’t meet at a more challenging time,” Schwab declared. “We are confronted with so many crises simultaneously. What does it need to master the future? I think to have a platform, where all stakeholders of global society are engaged; governments, business, civil society, young generation, and I could go on, I think is a first step to meet all the challenges.&#8221;
Musk lacerated Schwab and his cobelligerents, tweeting, “‘Master the Future’ doesn’t sound ominous at all. How is WEF/Davos even a thing? Are they trying to be the boss of Earth!?”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“Master the Future” doesn’t sound ominous at all … 🙄
How is WEF/Davos even a thing? Are they trying to be the boss of Earth!?
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1615195812388274177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The WEF, which was founded by Schwab, states that its mission is to “demonstrate entrepreneurship in the global public interest while upholding the highest standards of governance. … Our activities are shaped by a unique institutional culture founded on the stakeholder theory, which asserts that an organization is accountable to all parts of society.”
That, in essence, means corporations are no longer accountable to their shareholders, instead serving “societal aspirations,” as the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/12/davos-manifesto-2020-the-universal-purpose-of-a-company-in-the-fourth-industrial-revolution/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Davos Manifesto</a> acknowledges.
During the WEF&#8217;s meeting, American leaders have reportedly enjoyed a lavish lunch with some of the planet’s most powerful corporate leaders and Schwab.
Officials such as Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA), Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), and “a few members of the House of Representatives” took part in a luncheon at the conference alongside prominent executives on Monday, according to a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/16/world-economic-forum-manchin-sinema-attend-davos-luncheon-with-ceos.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from CNBC.
One attendee told the outlet that Coons and Manchin each addressed the crowd of business leaders. Coons reportedly discussed efforts to fund the Ukrainian war effort against Russia, while Manchin commented on the merits of American energy independence.
Coons told the outlet that “about 50 CEOs” would attend the luncheon at the Hotel Schatzalp, a property situated in the Alps and decorated in belle époque style. Among the executives in attendance at the lunch was Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Antonio Neri.
Related: <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/ben-shapiro-the-real-story-of-the-great-reset/">The Real Story Of The Great Reset</a>

Collage Maker-17-Jan-2023-08.16-AM

‘Are They Trying To Be The Boss Of Earth?’: Elon Musk Attacks WEF’s Klaus Schwab Wanting To ‘Master The Future’

Elon Musk Attacks WEF’s Klaus Schwab Wanting To ‘Master The Future’

Klaus Schwab

Stakeholder capitalism

World Economic Forum

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/elon-musk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elon Musk</a> blasted the environmental, social, and corporate governance movement, also known as <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/esg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESG</a>, on social media in response to the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/world-economic-forum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Economic Forum</a> advancing the ideology.
Independent journalist Michael Shellenberger, who has participated in the release of internal documents from Twitter highlighting the company’s coordination with federal law enforcement, posted a thread about the World Economic Forum’s secretive finances on Sunday. When he mentioned that the controversial organization utilizes ESG criteria, Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1614786284547112961?s=51&amp;t=eMkba5aAQVs4KquWM6uVNQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commented</a> that “the S in ESG stands for Satanic.”
Business leaders committed to the ESG movement vow to pursue green energy initiatives, establish diversity quotas for managerial staff, or otherwise blend the maximization of profits with advancing the political and social agendas favored by leftists.
The dismal stock market <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virtue-signaling-isnt-free-how-woke-investing-fell-apart-once-the-economy-got-bad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">performance</a> of ESG funds last year has been cited by critics as evidence that the movement presents unnecessary risks to investment performance. Harvard Management Company, which controls the elite university’s endowment, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harvard-university-endowment-loses-2-3-billion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admitted</a> that a recent $2.3 billion loss was attributable to fossil fuel divestment efforts, even though the organization remains “proud to be deeply engaged in the issue of sustainability.”
Musk, who currently serves as chief executive of Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter, has repeatedly criticized ESG ratings. Last year, for instance, he <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1526958110023245829?s=46&amp;t=nmw6FkSXxXLIo_svsr87Kw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that S&amp;P Global provided oil and gas conglomerate ExxonMobil with a stellar ESG score, while Tesla, which claims a mission of reducing climate change through electric vehicles, did not make the list.
“ESG is a scam,” Musk concluded. “It has been weaponized by phony social justice warriors.”
Scammers have indeed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-sam-bankman-fried-weaponized-wokeness-to-dupe-progressive-investors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taken advantage</a> of investors’ appetites for socially conscious companies. Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of the defunct healthcare venture Theranos, garnered widespread recognition as one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley history before she was sentenced to federal prison on various fraud charges. Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX who lost billions in customer assets through his trading firm, admitted to a reporter that ESG has been “perverted beyond recognition” and boasted that he generated trust among “woke Westerners” through emphasizing his self-professed “effective altruism.”
Republican officials have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/states-have-pulled-nearly-12-billion-from-blackrock-this-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contended</a> that ESG ratings present a salient threat to the ability of conservative-leaning governments to fundraise on the bond market as entities seeking access to capital markets see downgrades linked to cultural matters unrelated to financial health. Beyond discouraging investments into the oil and gas sectors, ESG activists pushed stockholders for companies such as Walmart and Lowe’s to consider abortion-related proposals ahead of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Lawmakers have asserted that undue hesitancy toward fossil fuel investments from prominent asset management companies has contributed to record energy prices. A motion <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-attorneys-general-move-to-block-vanguards-climate-crusade-from-impacting-public-power-grids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> by multiple Republican attorneys general with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission sought to prevent Vanguard from purchasing shares in publicly traded utilities out of a concern that the company’s climate efforts would raise energy prices and decrease grid reliability. The firm <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vanguard-drops-out-of-climate-initiative-as-reaction-against-woke-investing-continues" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> by ceasing involvement with the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative, by which signatories <a href="https://www.netzeroassetmanagers.org/commitment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promise</a> to move portfolio companies closer to eliminating net carbon emissions.

The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” – Street Sightings

Elon Musk: ‘The S In ESG Stands For Satanic’

Elon Musk Blasts ESG

Independent journalist Matt Taibbi released a supplemental edition of the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> Files on Friday which detailed the many requests made by the office of Rep. <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/adam-schiff" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adam Schiff</a> (D-CA) to ban posts that criticized Joe Biden and purportedly advanced conspiracy theories.
Previous editions of the project, revealed by independent reporters based on emails and other internal company documents provided by Twitter CEO <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/elon-musk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elon Musk</a>, have shown that federal law enforcement agencies <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-new-twitter-files-shows-how-federal-state-governments-monitor-americans-social-media-posts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">policed content</a> on the platform and asked executives to remove certain posts. The latest <a href="https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1613932017716195329" target="_blank" rel="noopener">release</a> showed that staffers working for Schiff, the former chair of the House Intelligence Committee, wrote to Twitter “quite often” asking for posts to be removed.
One such request centered upon an edited GIF of Biden, who was running for the Oval Office at the time, after former President Donald Trump retweeted the image. A staffer had claimed that the post, which showed Biden sticking out his tongue and making faces, violated “manipulated media” policies in an email to former Twitter safety chief Yoel Roth, who responded by saying that the image was “pretty clearly edited” with “humorous intent.”
Roth added that “any reasonable observer” could see through the edited post and said the image did not represent a rules violation. Another Schiff staffer nevertheless insisted on Twitter removing the post, claiming that the edited GIF constituted a “slippery slope concern.” Twitter executives remained firm that they would not take the image down.
The Schiff team also asked Twitter for a sweeping removal of content regarding the lawmaker and his staff, which a Twitter executive said would not be “conceivable.”
Staffers “repeatedly complained about ‘QAnon related activity’ that were often tweets about other matters, like the identity of the Ukraine ‘whistleblower’ or the Steele dossier,” according to Taibbi, who said that Twitter “deamplified” such accounts. “We can internally confirm that a number of the accounts flagged are already included in this deamplification,” one Twitter executive said in an email.
The Schiff team, however, expressed concern that deamplification could “inadvertently impede the ability of law enforcement to search Twitter for potential threats” about Sean Misko, a former staffer on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
The newest release of the Twitter Files comes after a previous <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-twitter-files-twitter-and-the-fbi-belly-button" target="_blank" rel="noopener">edition</a> showed that Schiff’s office asked executives to ban Paul Sperry, a journalist who had <a href="https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2020/01/22/whistleblower_was_overheard_in_17_discussing_with_ally_how_to_remove_trump_121701.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">written</a> about a conversation overheard by his sources regarding how to remove Trump from office. Twitter initially declined the request but later suspended Sperry.
Another <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-new-twitter-files-shows-how-federal-state-governments-monitor-americans-social-media-posts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">edition</a> of the Twitter Files indicated that federal agencies, particularly the FBI, contacted Twitter about the censorship of so many posts that employees congratulated each other in internal company communications for the “monumental undertaking” of reviewing them.
Other agencies at multiple levels of government frequently contacted the social media company. “Federal intelligence and law enforcement reach into Twitter included the Department of Homeland Security, which partnered with security contractors and think tanks to pressure Twitter to moderate content,” Taibbi recounted.
Another <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-twitter-files-show-fbi-paid-twitter-millions-influenced-execs-to-censor-hunter-biden-laptop-story" target="_blank" rel="noopener">release</a> of the Twitter Files showed that the FBI paid Twitter more than $3.4 million for their “legal process response,” apparently referencing the time executives spent coordinating with the agency. There existed “an organized effort by representatives of the intelligence community” aimed at “senior executives at news and social media companies” to discredit “leaked information about Hunter Biden before and after it was published,” according to independent journalist Michael Shellenberger.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)

New Twitter Files Release Shows How Adam Schiff Staffers Harassed The Company With Absurd Ban Requests

New Twitter Files Edition Shows Adam Schiff Staffers Frequently Requesting Bans

Adam Schiff

Big Tech

Democrats

Social Media Censorship

A new neural implant that is placed outside the skull to treat depression has been revealed.
Inner Cosmos, a neurotechnology company founded by entrepreneur Meron Gribetz, announced the tiny implant, which the company “a digital pill for the mind,&#8221; on Tuesday. Hundreds of millions of people across the world suffer from chronic depression, a number exacerbated by the COVID pandemic.
&#8220;Our mission is to create a world that restores humanity&#8217;s cognitive power by rebalancing the human mind,” Gribetz <a href="https://www.fudzilla.com/news/56136-neurotech-finally-ends-up-in-someone-s-skull" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>. “The world is in a state of severe disorder, leading to a disordered cognition. The effects are being felt by millions, leading to surging levels of depression. We believe our approach can allay the lives of those suffering from depression, and eventually scale to other cognitive disorders.”
The implant, roughly the size of a fingernail, is implanted under the skin, next to the skull. A small “prescription pod” which powers the implant snaps onto the patient’s hair. A psychiatrist, who does not need to be close by, then monitors the device to adjust it based on the patient’s needs. Inner Cosmos recently received FDA Investigational Device Exemption approval so it can conduct a human study, Forbes <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/charliefink/2023/01/10/inner-cosmos-raises-10-million-to-treat-depression-with-bci-implant/?sh=4f3125b36584" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The surgery to implant the device takes 30 minutes in an outpatient facility, The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11624921/First-implant-treat-depression-REVEALED-New-brain-chip-set-rival-Elon-Musks-Nueralink.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>.
&#8220;There&#8217;s 140 million Americans every year that use attention or depression drugs, that&#8217;s more users than have iPhones,&#8221; Gribetz <a href="https://www.lifesciencemarketresearch.com/videos/meron-gribetz-inner-cosmos-implanted-brain-computer-interface-lsi-europe-22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at a tech conference last year. &#8220;Antidepressants are the most widely prescribed solution for depression. And they blast your entire brain with neurotransmitters.
&#8220;You end up with severe side effects such as suicidality when we switch cocktails, mental fog fatigue, libido loss, and of course, the efficacy is just over placebo. So it&#8217;s very, very low,&#8221; he added.
That was when he said he started thinking of an alternative treatment.
&#8220;We started thinking,&#8221; he said. &#8220;How is it possible that for the largest disorder in the world, we&#8217;re using horse and buggy era technology, and we win, there&#8217;s Tesla&#8217;s driving around. So we decided, why not create the Tesla of the mind, if you will, the absolute most modern and precise brain computer interface ever created for depression. And that&#8217;s exactly what we have done.&#8221;
He believes the technology will help doctors more accurately diagnose what ails their patients.

Sad Woman Sleeping On Bed At Home

‘Why Not Create A Tesla Of The Mind’: New Implant Revealed That Treats Chronic Depression

 New Implant Revealed That Treats Chronic Depression

Depression

Drugs

Twitter CEO <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/elon-musk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elon Musk</a> has reportedly considered selling user names on the platform to boost revenue as he looks for ways to make the company profitable following his multi-billion dollar acquisition of the company late last year.
A user name on Twitter is a series of characters following the &#8220;@&#8221; sign and is used to identify every account on the platform. For example, former President Donald Trump&#8217;s user name is @realDonaldTrump.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/11/technology/twitter-user-names-elon-musk.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the company has held discussions for weeks about selling some user names that have value — those of well-known public figures and brands.
It&#8217;s not clear where Twitter currently stands on the plan, the report said, adding that it also was not clear if the plan would target all user names or those whose accounts are inactive.
Since Musk&#8217;s $44 billion purchase of the company back in October, the serial entrepreneur has cut roughly 75% of the workforce at the company, started selling blue verification badges to users willing to pay a monthly subscription fee, and has looked at other ways of boosting revenue for the company.
Employees at the social media platform no longer have access to commuter benefits or meal allowances, even though coffee and snacks will continue to be available in the office, according to an email seen by Platformer Managing Editor Zoe Schiffer.
Musk has made headlines for pivoting the culture of Twitter toward a rigorous focus he says is meant to improve the platform. The world’s second-richest man told remaining workers that they should expect “extremely hardcore” hours should they desire to stay at the company. He added that Twitter would become “much more engineering-driven,” implying a move away from a “design and product management” emphases.
Musk has started asking employees to pay for lunches, a benefit that had previously been free, according to a report from The New York Times published two months ago. He revealed that lunches had cost more than $400 “per lunch served” since “almost no one came to the office.”
When accused of lying about the figure by a former employee, Musk said that average occupancy was below 10% at the San Francisco office even as Twitter spent more than $13 million per year on food services for the headquarters. “There are more people preparing breakfast than eating breakfast,” he said. “They don’t even bother serving dinner, because there is no one in the building.”
The social media company has also started selling kitchen equipment and furniture from the San Francisco office. Items for sale include La Marzocco espresso machines and Rotisol rotisserie ovens, as well as commercial blenders and grinders, refrigerators, grills and griddles, fryers, braising pans, and pizza ovens, according to a list posted by Heritage Global Partners, a company that conducts auctions for downsizing businesses.
Ben Zeisloft contributed to this report.

Rebel Bear street art

Twitter Considering Selling User Names To Boost Revenue: Report

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