CNET
Elon Musk vs. Twitter Bots: Why It’s a Problem
The tech entrepreneur says his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter is temporarily on hold, until he sees proof of how many bots are on the platform. Subscribe to CNET: Like us on Facebook: Follow us on Twitter: Follow us on Instagram: Follow us on TikTok:
CNET
May 20, 2022 at 8:20 pm
Hey everyone, sorry for the reupload. We had an audio issue that is now fixed.
Pretty Good Lookin
May 23, 2022 at 2:58 am
Great reporting ! ( I like this reporters presentation and voice )
Robert Montgomery
May 20, 2022 at 8:23 pm
You have no proof Twitter searched for bots. Neither does Musk
Rick Mentore
May 20, 2022 at 8:24 pm
Who is not tired of Elon Musk!
CASEY Andersen
May 20, 2022 at 10:34 pm
I think he’s great – one of the few people pointing out the blatant lies and hypocrisy going on
RAIN
May 20, 2022 at 8:27 pm
just shut the internet down
CASEY Andersen
May 20, 2022 at 10:35 pm
So I’m assuming you’re ok with the economy and safety imploding
Nightmare Raven
May 20, 2022 at 8:30 pm
Wasn’t one of his reasons he wanted to buy Twitter was to remove the bots? Why are the bots a problem now?
Sentient Mlem
May 20, 2022 at 8:40 pm
They are far worse than what Twitter claimed and it goes against the claim in the SEC filings.
Just Plain MƎEN
May 20, 2022 at 8:52 pm
Exactly. Him putting it on hold just feels like a PR stunt.
AndreVsHimself
May 20, 2022 at 9:01 pm
@Just Plain MƎEN Depeneds on how many bots Twere says ther are vs how many there realy are.
Onyx Prime
May 20, 2022 at 10:21 pm
Example:
You are buying a company that says it serves a million customers a week. Your purchase is based off the amount of revenue and growth that you believe is possible with a base of a million customers.
Then right before the purchase, you find out that it’s really only 50k customers a week. Which in-turn affects the revenue you projected you’d make.
Who you still buy?
Ernesto Manuel Colon Jr
May 20, 2022 at 8:35 pm
36 0 Z
Kevin Meiz
May 20, 2022 at 8:37 pm
Hopefully Elon gets and restores Twitter back to the way it should be. Personal attacks as Elon said would happen, are happening all of a sudden (how convenient and or very predictable 😑).
Deplorable Left
May 20, 2022 at 8:45 pm
Twitter will collapse under the weight of it’s own corruption! The bots make up 90% of the daily users. It’s well known on the inside, now the world will know!
o_0
May 20, 2022 at 8:57 pm
Best way to avoid bots is to LEAVE FB Twitter and Tiktok. Feels so good not having these social media overlords interfere with my personal well being. I mean come on, the true benefits of social media are slim to none. Not caring also has its benefits. Trust me and most important; trust yourself fam 💞
CASEY Andersen
May 20, 2022 at 10:37 pm
While I agree — the problem is places like Twitter, whether we like it or not, are currently shaping our culture, news, and politics
John Franky
May 20, 2022 at 9:04 pm
The second Twitter started to have power over the peoples daily lives it shouldve got shut down
[ LXXVII ]
May 20, 2022 at 9:06 pm
As you tell by das logo that you are seeing Russian ministry of television-radio most important internet channel transmission C-Nyet
Malay Maji
May 20, 2022 at 9:22 pm
All of this drama is because of one thing, to lower the price, nothing else. Musk knows how to manipulate things in his favor.
Shawn
May 20, 2022 at 9:33 pm
Why would he continue a deal at an agreed price when the figures and metrics are not correct?
ahastar1141
May 20, 2022 at 10:53 pm
Because there is 1 billion on the line if 1 or the other backs out
Philip Orrico
May 20, 2022 at 9:51 pm
I say the deal is certain to not go through and Musk walks away without paying a dime. If this ever goes to court this means Twitter will have to open up all their books. Do you really think they will open up themselves to that kind of liability? Especially with previously submitted SEC filings.
Teddy KGB
May 20, 2022 at 9:55 pm
If he offers to buy the bots a horse, will they do his bidding?
Wayno Guerrini
May 20, 2022 at 10:18 pm
Canadian Journalist Rex Murphy said it best: “Twitter is not a conduit of enlightenment.”
RickOShay
May 20, 2022 at 10:32 pm
The actual bot percentage is most likely in excess of ten percent. The fact that Twitter has been incapable of shutting down most of these bots says a lot about the quality of Twitter’s management and how poor their AI technology is.
Twitter is therefore grossly over valued. And it’s going to take a lot of work and money to fix.
ahastar1141
May 20, 2022 at 10:59 pm
I honestly don’t think 20%+ bots is a ridiculous number. I mean bots are starting to get out of control on all platforms.
Shawn M
May 20, 2022 at 11:42 pm
He’s a brilliant guy but his statements make it sound like he hasn’t thought this thru very carefully. Opening Twitter to trolls won’t transform it into anything most people would want to use
Aaron Crawford
May 20, 2022 at 11:54 pm
The guy is genious
Neil Reid
May 21, 2022 at 12:00 am
Well done report.
Xpeng Fangirl
May 21, 2022 at 12:03 am
the Spyros Panopoulos problem
Christopher Alden
May 21, 2022 at 12:35 am
It came out the other day that 50% of Biden’s 22M followers are bots. We all know he’s not the only one with fake followers.
Ann Davis
May 21, 2022 at 1:16 am
Despite the economic downturn,I’m so happy☺️. I have been earning $30,000 returns from my $8,000 investment every 12days
Jose Luis
May 21, 2022 at 1:26 am
HOW! I would appreciate it if you show me how to go about it. Please can you list the platforms?
The Electric Man
May 21, 2022 at 1:16 am
wow
John Conner
May 21, 2022 at 3:14 am
He needs my help to go after those bots
Damion Fragoso
May 21, 2022 at 3:46 am
One billion is nothing in a 50 billion dollar deal
TheJoncic
May 21, 2022 at 4:40 am
Bots
SFbenjaminK
May 21, 2022 at 5:18 am
Democrats, taking a shyt in the pants, he wants to bring a freedom of speech back, such as they killed the decades ago, they gonna try anything or any B.S to stop him mother father’s!
N
May 21, 2022 at 5:28 am
Thanks to Elon, Twitters dirty secrets are being exposed. No wonder they were so against this deal. I wonder what’s the real number of bots.
SwEatShIrT_WZRD
May 21, 2022 at 5:46 am
The 1 billion is a tax write off for musk if it falls thru so still a big W for him financially but will be touted as a L
DSG
May 21, 2022 at 8:47 am
So now that Twitter stock price is significantly lower than his offer level.
Is he still buying up “cheap” Twitter stock ?
Or is there a rule that prevents him adding to his 9.2% position?
Charles Hocker
May 21, 2022 at 9:32 am
Twitter knows they have been using bots to control people for years. Now that Elon is looking in to it, Twitter is panicking. They now have to admit they don’t have as many subscribers as they have been selling.
Sofa Biru
May 21, 2022 at 9:55 am
🐦🐦
G O
May 21, 2022 at 9:58 am
Oohhh so elon had no intention to buy twitter lol wow well twitter fell for it.
vixozas
May 21, 2022 at 10:03 am
Covid 19 is a part of politics. Its not different thing. Also in the same video you mentioned that twitter didnt show to musk actual numbers, and then you say – how he dont knew that its a lot of bots…
Neel O
May 21, 2022 at 12:31 pm
How is Elon going to authenticate all humans? 🤔 By compelling users to let Twitter have their IDs? I hope not.
Mazza
May 21, 2022 at 12:44 pm
If 20-30% are bots. Then Elon should get that 20-30% DISCOUNTED from Original offer, I don’t blame him for investigating. He’s spending a lot of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$, bots aren’t users therefore bringing the value down of any asset
Lawlzinator
May 21, 2022 at 12:53 pm
Considering half of Biden’s Twitter followers are fake, this is a legitimate concern
Standly
May 21, 2022 at 12:59 pm
I kinna not supprise considering how much emphasis on twitter was used to make a point considering anything important, not wonder some people would be more likely to make a ton of bots to sways opinion to their side
Dr OnePocket
May 21, 2022 at 1:09 pm
He exposed them!!!!! Now y’all know why the psycho leftists seem to have such a huge presence on social media.
fairchildcreek
May 21, 2022 at 1:14 pm
Except that Elon had an opportunity to conduct due diligence, but in his arrogance and zeal to “own the Libs”, he waived that right. It’s a bit late to whine about it after you’ve tabled a firm offer. Twitter is going to fillet him alive now. Elon needs to learn how to shut his mouth when it’s hurting him.
fairchildcreek
May 21, 2022 at 1:18 pm
Twitter is a great place to look up your favourite celebrities, and then watch them have total mental breakdowns in real time, right before your eyes. Elon Musk is a great example.
Chris Snyder
May 21, 2022 at 2:35 pm
LOL. I always thought about half of Trump’s followers were in this class.. they want to be up front for the clown show.
Marla k
May 23, 2022 at 3:15 am
He is right about the mess of bots and fakeness on that platform.
Its more than bots its also real people behind the computer from Troll centers saying all kinds of highly inflammatory things to people on there to start up all kinds of wrong feelings. I believe he is trying to get rid of that mainly. Or at least lesson it.
J. E.
May 21, 2022 at 3:29 pm
What’s really gonna hit the fan is when they find out that we’ve been using bots to help our views skyrocket on YouTube. Whatever will become of monetization?!
Yikes 😬
Origen17
May 21, 2022 at 5:07 pm
This will turn out to be a plan (from the beginning) to expose Twitter’s fraud, IMO
Parker33
May 21, 2022 at 5:34 pm
Why does Twitter make it difficult to verify? Perhaps to protect obscure platform rules.
I wager it’s easier for moderators to curate content within an unverifiable bot population.
Less checks and balances degrades free speech and cheapens it. Verification of users seems fundamental unless you go 100% anonymous… they must benefit from the chaos somehow
Steven Corbo
May 21, 2022 at 5:47 pm
It’s disgusting how Twitter currently manipulates speech using bots and that’s what Elon Musk is supposed to go in straighten out shame on you guys for trying to spin it
D Front
May 21, 2022 at 8:27 pm
Well gee, Elon, maybe you shouldn’t have made an offer while foregoing due diligence. Pay up, sucka. Elon doesn’t bring value, just volatility. Ask any Tesla stockholder.
Murray Robertson
May 22, 2022 at 1:28 am
He wants free speech if he likes what is being said? Bots look like cheaper way to spread a message.
Murray Robertson
May 22, 2022 at 1:30 am
Or maybe everyone with billions can control messaging.
Text me on telegram 👉cnet_2022
May 23, 2022 at 9:22 am
Alright congratulations you have been selected among my shortlisted winner’s…
MrBigBoy4Life
May 22, 2022 at 4:00 am
Awesome! Keep up the good work Bots!
MIHAELA ILIE
May 22, 2022 at 7:53 pm
bots= what that means? Is the first time I hear this word
sam Smet
May 23, 2022 at 7:22 pm
To inflate
Mark Fuller
May 22, 2022 at 10:29 pm
What the pop media is missing is that Elon *waived* due diligence. Now he’s exercising due diligence. He thinks he can opt out with a $1b penality. But, it looks like bad-faith intent. He could face steep losses as a result of this. Twitter could start holding him to not just the deal, but the loss he’s caused to the company’s value due to his “bad faith” game.
I’m no fan of the tweetur. But, Musk looks disingenuous now.
Inquisitve m
May 23, 2022 at 2:47 am
Why doesn’t Elon just get rid of Twitter bots after he buys it…why is it the job of Twitter now to do all that….just do it yourself so you feel more comforted knowing bots are gone when you do it instead of relying on someone else
Vegan Conservative
May 23, 2022 at 9:53 am
Because Twitter allegely falsily claimed the bots were far less of a problem than they were. That’s like selling a used car and claiming the motor is just fine its just the air conditioning with a tick… when in reality the motor is half shot and could go as well. Would you accept this? I’d fight the sell.
K S
May 23, 2022 at 7:07 pm
Smart move by Elon Musk. Forcing Twitter to give proof about its business.