Elon
Musk wins Media Man 'Disruptor Of The Year' award
Best
Quotes Of The Day
Elon
Musk
"Starting
a company is like eating glass and staring into the
abyss."
"Attract
great people, because a company is just a group of
people gathered to create a product or service."
"Persistence
is very important. Failure is needed for success."
"Avoid
wishful thinking, and don't ignore the truth."
"Always
assume that you are wrong to some degree and solicit
critical feedback from friends."
"Now
is the time to take risks."
News
July
9, 2026
US
judge reluctantly approves SEC-Musk accord
Bloomberg
A
US judge signed off on Elon Musk paying $US1.5 million
($2.2 million) to end a Securities and Exchange Commission
lawsuit that accused him of cheating Twitter investors
when he missed a deadline in 2022 to disclose his
growing stake in the company.
US
District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan’s approval comes
after she said in May that the deal raised “red
flags” – including a question about whether
the world’s richest person was getting “special
treatment” from the Trump administration.She
continued to express scepticism on Wednesday (Thursday
AEST), saying the court would accept the settlement
“despite its significant misgivings”.
“In
approving the parties’ proposed consent judgment,
the court stresses that its role is limited,”
Sooknanan wrote. “That means that the court may
not step in the shoes of the SEC, notwithstanding
that the SEC’s decision-making in this case raises
red flags.”
The
SEC sued Musk in January 2025, days before President
Donald Trump took office, alleging that the billionaire
blew a deadline in 2022 to file a disclosure that
he had accumulated a 5 per cent ownership stake in
Twitter.
The
SEC said in the suit that Musk’s failure to reveal
his holdings in the social media company meant he
could secretly amass shares on the cheap. That delay
cost Twitter shareholders more than $US150 million,
the regulator said at the time.
Musk
later bought the company and renamed it X.
News
Australia/World
July
8
In
company news, Telstra fell 3 per cent to $4.92 –
its lowest since February – after it said it
was investigating an issue affecting some mobile calls
and data connections. That’s after a broken timer
at two data centres triggered a nationwide outage.
News
July
6
Ready
to launch: How the SpaceX IPO changed the game for
its Australian rival
By
Paul Smith
Adam
Gilmour, Australia’s answer to Elon Musk, wants
to capitalise on the excitement generated by the SpaceX
float to raise capital for his rocket company.
hen
Elon Musk’s SpaceX pulled off its record-shattering
$3 trillion public listing last month, Adam Gilmour’s
phone in Queensland started running hot.
Investors
who once dismissed the space industry as a niche market
were suddenly desperate for a piece of the action,
and Gilmour, whose billion-dollar valued company Gilmour
Space has been touted as Australia’s answer to
SpaceX, wants to capitalise on the surge in market
interest.
Gilmour
has engaged SpaceX’s joint bookrunner Citi to
lead its biggest-ever investment push as the start
of a run-up to its own listing in the United States.
Gilmour
Space started up in 2013 with a goal to build a rocket
company that could deliver satellites into space and
also produce its own satellite products. However,
it only gained mainstream attention last year when
it launched the first rocket from Australian soil
in 50 years.
The
maiden flight of its Eris rocket was deemed a scientific
success, despite lasting only 14 seconds, and the
company was subsequently able to close a $217 million
funding round in January. This featured money from
Gilmour’s longest-standing investor Blackbird
Ventures, and was co-led by the federal government’s
National Reconstruction Fund and industry super fund
Hostplus. (AFR) Full article and coverage via subscription
to The Australian Financial Review
News
November
20, 2025
“My
prediction is that work will be optional. It’ll
be like playing sports or a video game or something
like that,” Musk said. “If you want to work,
[it’s] the same way you can go to the store and
just buy some vegetables, or you can grow vegetables
in your backyard. It’s much harder to grow vegetables
in your backyard, and some people still do it because
they like growing vegetables.”
The
future of optional work will be the result of millions
of robots in the workforce able to usher in a wave
of enhanced productivity, according to Musk. The tech
mogul, worth about $470 billion, has made the recent
push to expand Tesla beyond just electric vehicles,
working on consolidating his sprawling business interests
into his broader vision of an AI-fueled, robotic-powered
future. That includes his goal of having 80% of Tesla’s
value come from his Optimus robots, despite continuous
production delays for the humanoid bots.
To
many others, the notion of an automated future is
less bright, particularly amid concerns about and
early evidence of AI displacing entry-level jobs,
which may be contributing to Gen Z’s job market
woes and flatlining income growth—more of a nightmare
than a utopian dream.
But
in Musk’s automated, job-voluntary future, money
won’t be an issue, he said. Musk takes a page
from Iain M. Banks’ Culture series of science
fiction novels, in which the self-proclaimed socialist
author conjures a post-scarcity world filled with
superintelligent AI beings and no traditional jobs.
“In
those books, money doesn’t exist. It’s kind
of interesting,” Musk said. “And my guess
is, if you go out long enough—assuming there’s
a continued improvement in AI and robotics, which
seems likely—money will stop being relevant.”
EM
News
November
11, 2025
Tesla's
Record-Breaking Compensation Approval
Tesla
shareholders overwhelmingly approved a landmark pay
package for CEO Elon Musk on November 7, potentially
worth up to $1 trillion (£760 billion) if performance
targets are met over the next decade. The package
includes 96 million shares, contingent on Tesla achieving
unprecedented market value growth—surpassing
any company in history. This follows a 2024 Delaware
court ruling that voided a similar 2018 package, which
Musk appealed successfully. The approval is seen as
a "watershed moment" for executive compensation
in tech, amid Tesla's stock surge to new highs. Critics
argue it exacerbates wealth inequality, while supporters
hail it as incentive for innovation in EVs and AI.
Musk
himself noted on X the irony of detractors who previously
called Tesla "overvalued" now decrying the
award as "too high."
xAI
and Grok Updates
Musk
unveiled "Grokipedia," a new AI-powered
knowledge base positioned as an uncensored alternative
to Wikipedia, which he has criticized as "woke."
Integrated
with xAI's Grok chatbot, it aims to provide real-time,
bias-free information. This launch comes amid scrutiny
over Grok's responses following Musk's recent controversial
X posts, including an antisemitic remark that drew
backlash.
Separately,
Musk discussed Neuralink's progress, predicting smartphones
could vanish within six years as brain-computer interfaces
enable thought-based computing—building on the
first human implant in 2024, now valued at $5 billion.
Broader
Market and Political Buzz
AI
Bubble Concerns: Analysts warn Musk's pay package
signals an inflating AI stock bubble, with Tesla's
valuation tied to autonomous driving and robotics
ambitions.
SpaceX
and Trump Ties: Musk's role in Trump's orbit persists,
with speculation on SpaceX contracts under a potential
second term, though no new filings emerged this week.
Cybertruck
Praise: Musk defended the vehicle on X after a critic
called it "designed for intimidation," calling
it "awesome" amid rising sales.
News
Flashback
Recent
X Activity From Elon Musk
Musk
has been highly active, posting 20+ times in the last
24 hours (as of 8:42 AM AEDT).
Highlights
include:
Tech
Insights: Advocating "dynamic mixed precision"
for AI efficiency and noting asymmetries in human-AI
interaction (e.g., "speak and read" as optimal
until brain implants).
Cultural
Commentary: Sparking debate on transgender issues,
stating "facts are facts" about biological
sex in sports and calling a critic "mentally
ill." He also accused the BBC of "extreme
institutional bias towards the far left."
Tesla
Defense: Mocking pay package critics and sharing a
meme on old-school graphics engines handling modern
tasks.
Lighthearted:
Replying "Literally" to a post joking about
Doom's engine running air traffic control.
News
Flashback
October
25, 2025
Musk
has been in the headlines this week, primarily around
Tesla's corporate governance and government contracts:
Tesla
Pay Package Pushback: During Tesla's Q3 earnings call
on October 23, Musk urged shareholders to approve
his proposed $1 trillion compensation package, slamming
proxy advisory firms ISS and Glass Lewis as "corporate
terrorists" for recommending a vote against it.
He argued it's essential for retaining his focus on
Tesla amid competing demands from his other ventures.
This comes as Tesla stock has rebounded, with the
Model Y reclaiming the top spot as Europe's bestselling
car in September.
Clash
with U.S. Government: Musk publicly criticized Transportation
Secretary Sean Duffy (in a role overseeing NASA-related
matters) over threats to reconsider SpaceX's lunar
lander contract. This feud highlights Musk's growing
tensions with federal agencies, potentially tied to
broader policy shifts under the incoming administration.
(Grok)
News
Flashback
Elon
Musk: News
September
25
xAI
and AI Race: After stepping back from a short stint
advising in Washington earlier this year, Musk has
poured energy into xAI. In a companywide meeting this
week, he outlined aggressive plans to rival OpenAI,
predicting that Tesla's Optimus robot will outproduce
the global economy. xAI's Palo Alto base is conveniently
near Tesla for synergy. This comes amid OpenAI's massive
$1 trillion+ push for AI supercomputing infrastructure.
Tesla
Moves: Musk recently bought about $1 billion in Tesla
stock, boosting shares and signaling confidence. The
board is reportedly eyeing a potential $1 trillion
stock package for him tied to ambitious milestones,
aiming to refocus his attention on the company amid
distractions.
Political
Edge: Musk's X posts have turned sharper following
the September shooting death of conservative activist
Charlie Kirk. He's rejected unity calls, urged followers
to "fight," endorsed deplatforming critics,
and accused media/education of "programming people
to murder." Earlier this month, he slammed Hollywood's
selective free speech stance on censorship. (Grok)
News
Flashback
From
September 9, 2025
Elon
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, founder of xAI,
and owner of X (formerly Twitter), continues to dominate
headlines with developments in his companies, political
commentary, and personal life.
Below
is a summary of the most recent and significant stories
from the past week, drawing from major news outlets
and Musk's own activity on X. I've focused on events
from early September 2025 onward for timeliness.
1.
Tesla's Massive New Compensation Package for Musk
Could Make Him the World's First Trillionaire Tesla's
board has proposed an unprecedented pay package for
Musk, potentially worth up to $1 trillion over the
next decade, contingent on the company achieving highly
ambitious milestones. This includes growing Tesla's
market capitalization from about $1.1 trillion to
$8.5 trillion, alongside targets for profitability,
production, and operational goals like advancements
in AI, robotaxis, and humanoid robots. The package
consists of approximately 423 million restricted stock
units (valued at $143 billion today), with no base
salary or bonuses—Musk would only earn if targets
are met.
Rationale
from Tesla: Board Chair Robyn Denholm emphasized Musk's
"singular vision" as essential for navigating
Tesla's "critical inflection point" toward
becoming "the most valuable company in history."
The proposal also hints at succession planning, acknowledging
Musk's divided focus across ventures like SpaceX,
xAI, and X.
Criticism
and Context: Analysts like Gordon Johnson have called
it excessive, arguing Tesla's stock is overvalued
based on unfulfilled promises (e.g., full self-driving
since 2014). This follows a 2024 court ruling invalidating
Musk's 2018 $56 billion package, with an appeal pending.
Reports suggest the board is signaling a desire for
Musk to refocus on Tesla amid distractions, including
his recent exit from the Department of Government
Efficiency (DOGE) role in the Trump administration.
Shareholder
Vote: Tesla is urging investors to approve it, with
a proxy statement also proposing a stake in Musk's
private xAI to consolidate his empire.
Market
Reaction: Tesla's stock has faced headwinds, with
sales slumping in Europe due to competition from BYD
and backlash against Musk's politics, though Norway,
Spain, and Portugal saw gains. In India, orders have
been underwhelming at just over 600 vehicles since
mid-July.
2.
SpaceX Secures $17 Billion Deal with EchoStar for
Starlink Expansion SpaceX has agreed to a $17 billion
deal with EchoStar for U.S. and global Mobile Satellite
Service (MSS) spectrum licenses, including 50 MHz
of S-band spectrum. This will enable a second-generation
Starlink Direct-to-Cell constellation, providing full
5G connectivity to unmodified cell phones worldwide.
Musk called it "exciting times ahead" on
X, highlighting the potential for ubiquitous 5G coverage.
Broader
Context: This builds on Starlink's growth, with Musk's
companies integrating tech like the Grok chatbot into
Tesla vehicles. However, SpaceX's Starship rocket,
planned for a 2027 Moon mission, has faced multiple
test failures.
3.
Musk's Controversial Comments on Transgender Issues
and "Anti-White Male Propaganda"
Musk
suggested that "anti-White male propaganda"
is a "major driver" of white males identifying
as transgender, sparking backlash. He responded thoughtfully
("Hmm") to clips from the Middle East Media
Research Institute warning of Europe's demographic
shifts due to migration and low birth rates. Separately,
his estranged daughter Vivian Wilson, 21, revealed
she lives modestly with roommates in Los Angeles,
financially independent from Musk despite his wealth,
and plans to attend community college.
Personal
Angle: Wilson emphasized she's "much more fortunate
than most people my age" but has no desire to
be "superrich," amid ongoing estrangement
tied to Musk's views on transgender issues.
4.
xAI Lawsuit Against Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged
Anticompetitive Practices
Musk's
xAI filed a lawsuit in Texas federal court against
Apple and OpenAI, accusing them of conspiring to stifle
AI competition. The suit claims this harmed X and
Grok's App Store rankings. xAI acquired X in March
for $33 billion to boost chatbot training and has
integrated Grok into Tesla vehicles. Musk is also
separately suing OpenAI over its shift to for-profit
status.
5.
Musk's Focus on Crime, Immigration, and Public Safety
on X
Musk
has been vocal on X about U.S. issues, advocating
for incarcerating repeat violent offenders to improve
safety ("This must be done now!") and criticizing
media bias in crime reporting. He endorsed calls to
prosecute judges who release dangerous criminals and
highlighted cases like the murder of Ukrainian refugee
Iryna Zarutska by a repeat offender. He also reacted
positively to Trump's executive order auditing federally
funded NGOs and supported remigration discussions
in Europe.
Tesla
Updates: Musk confirmed Tesla will manufacture its
own transformers and shared a video of Megapack upgrades
for energy storage.
Other
Mentions:
Musk
reacted to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's engagement
with a rocket emoji, tying into SpaceX's "hard
launches." He's pushing The Boring Company for
$760 million tunnels under Houston to combat flooding,
with help from Rep. Wesley Hunt. However, X faces
criticism for hosting child sexual abuse material
links, with a victim pleading for Musk to act.
Additional
Context from X Discussions
Public
sentiment on X about Musk is polarized:
Supporters
praise him as a "visionary" and "light
in today's world" for his stances on free speech
and innovation, while critics call him a "dumb,
insecure serial liar" who has "lost touch"
and prioritizes politics over business. European users
debate his calls for remigration, with some seeing
it as a "tipping point" against "leftist
poison." (Grok)
News
Elon
Musk wins Media Man 'Disruptor Of The Month' award
Business/Politics
Media
Man Watercooler, Media Space Race, Wires, Gonzo Vibe
And A Dash Of A.I On The Side, Biz Tsar Becomes Political
King Maker For Social Good
X
Corp
Musk’s
companies surge in value post election
February
19, 2025
First
"The Big T" Tesla rocketed. Then SpaceX
became the world’s most valuable tech start-up
and xAI almost doubled its valuation before looking
to do it again.
Grok
is now in it's 3rd edition, if you blinked and missed
it! Check Mr Musk's X just to be sure! Linda "X"
(Y) can re-confirm! Just check with Grok to be sure.
In
the world of here and now, X is looking to join Elon
Musk’s other companies in leveraging the billionaire’s
unprecedented political power.
If
the social media company succeeds in its quest to
raise money from investors at a $US44 billion ($69
billion) valuation, it will lift the cloud that has
hung over it since Musk paid that much for it in 2022.
It would also boost his wealth by about $US20 billion,
give or take a few bob, another lift for the world’s
richest person.
Investor
types are keen as Mustard to get close to Musk, the
so-called “first buddy”, who poured money
into President Donald Trump’s campaign and is
now running the administration’s controversial
cost-cutting efforts. It's all part of the Secret
Sauce, not to be confused by the Secret Service.
His
biz arms have gained a combined $US613 billion in
value since the election assuming anticipated funding
rounds go as planned, according to data compiled by
Bloomberg and associates in the media and data space.
You know, "the data drug"!
Even
after retreating from an all-time high in December,
Tesla is still worth almost $US400 billion more than
it was the day before the election.
Meanwhile,
a flurry of new funding rounds for Musk’s private
companies, including X, SpaceX and xAI, will add over
$US220 billion in combined value if investments in
X and xAI close at the reported size.
Musk’s
net worth – $US397.1 billion as of Tuesday’s
close – is up more than 50 per cent since the
election, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires
Index. If all the funding rounds close as planned,
he will be worth more than $US420 billion.
Not
bad for "working for free". DODE, Dogecoin,
Space X, X Corp - it all works very well.
Human,
alien, or part both: Mr Musk is doing good for the
human race.
To
the moon, Mars and beyond.
News
Elon
Musk Proposes $5,000 DOGE Dividend
Elon
Musk has proposed issuing $5,000 'DOGE Dividend' checks
to American taxpayers, funded by savings from his
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This proposal
aims to distribute money saved through efficiency
measures back to the citizens. Discussions regarding
this initiative involve President Trump, suggesting
it might be considered at a policy level. However,
the proposal faces skepticism regarding its feasibility
and the actual savings generated by DOGE. (Grok)
Elon
Musk responds to NYT report about him firing Twitter
employees to save money: 'This is false' - October
31, 2022 Fox
Business)
Musk
completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter on
Thursday.
Elon
Musk, Twitter's new owner and the CEO of Tesla, denied
a report by the New York Times that alleged he will
fire Twitter employees just before they are set to
receive their November 1 compensation in the form
of stock grants.
"This
is false," Musk responded to a tweet by ProPublica's
d puty managing editor, Eric Umansky, that highlighted
the New York Times report.
The
Times report claimed that employees are being cut
before the 1st as a cost-cutting measure. "The
layoffs at Twitter would take place before a Nov.
1 date when employees were scheduled to receive stock
grants as part of their compensation. Such grants
typically represent a significant portion of employees’
pay," The Times reported.
"By
laying off workers before that date, Mr. Musk may
avoid paying the grants, though he is supposed to
pay the employees cash in place of their stock under
the terms of the merger agreement," the piece
continued.
The
report cited Ross Gerber, an investor who helped Musk
finance the takeover, to report that Musk plans to
cut around 50 percent of Twitter's 7,500 people workforce.
Geber's comments about the expected cuts did not detail
the timing of the layoffs.
Musk
has promised to make vast changes to Twitter. Upon
taking control of the company, he immediately fired
the company's top executives, including CEO Parag
Agrawal, who argued the company should deemphasize
the importance of free speech, and Twitter's top lawyer
Vijaya Gadde, who was behind the decisions to ban
then-President Trump from the platform and to censor
the New York Post's Hunter Biden laptop story in the
weeks before the 2020 presidential election.
Musk
has said ensuring free speech and turning the company
profitable by better monetizing ads on the platform
are his main goals. Although Twitter has been one
of the most popular social media platforms in the
world for over a decade, the company has struggled
financially for years. It only turned profits in 2018
and 2019, and posted net losses every other year since
2012.
However,
Musk's vision for a Twitter that reaffirms its commitment
to free speech and open inquiry is not unanimously
supported. Despite many Americans' expressing optimism
that Musk's reign will usher in a new era of open
debate, the Wall Street Journal reported that some
advertisers have threatened to leave the platform
if Trump is reinstated.
Musk
said Friday he will not reinstate banned accounts
until the convening of a "content moderation
panel." Last week, he also published a letter
to Twitter's advertisers to reassure them that the
platform would adhere "to the laws of the land"
and "be welcoming to all".
"Bloomberg Risk Takers" profiles Elon Musk,
the entrepreneur who helped create PayPal, built America's
first viable fully electric car company, started the
nation's biggest solar energy supplier, and may make
commercial space travel a reality in our lifetime.
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