Iran Demands the Removal of Starlink – Could Governments Repel These Satellites? Re-Posted Nov 1, 2023 By Martin Armstrong



We know why Israel is upset with Elon Musk for sending Starlink services to Palestine, but now Iran is also demanding that he remove the satellites. Truth is always the first casualty in war. Governments are censoring absolutely everything to prevent the truth from spreading. Iranian journalism is non-existent and people rely on social media to receive their information through the use of VPNs. Iran has previously shutdown internet access for its own people and disabled VPN servers to prevent people from seeking the truth.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) believes the Islamic Republic “enslaved Iran’s internet.” “The Islamic Republic’s strategy is cruel – locking its people into an empty information space and blocking all escape routes,” said Vincent Berthier, the head of RSF’s Tech Desk. “Internet shutdowns form the main barrier to information, and when the network comes back online, the government obstructs access in another way, by preventing access to VPNs. We call on the Iranian authorities to lift these oppressive constraints. Iranians have the right to access news and information freely.”

Iran has blocked the Apple App Store and Google Play to deter people from downloading a VPN to bypass censorship. WhatsApp and Signal have been blocked as they do not allow people to communicate. Internet shutdowns often occur regionally as the Iranian government will simply revoke all internet communications at whim. A company called Arvan Cloud has assisted Iran’s Information and Communications Technology Ministry in developing the National Information Network (NIN) to block the people from free communication. Ironically, the US placed sanctions on the company in June 2023. The US government prefers to discreetly block information rather than turning off the internet entirely.

2022_12_03_Musk_Says_Twitter_Orderd_by_Government 300x285

Now in comes Elon Musk. He recently said he plans to make X (formerly Twitter) an all-purpose app that allows calls and messaging. He is permitting everyone to post to his social media channel and it has become the top spot for government officials to send the public instant alerts. His Starlink technology will ensure that people can access X and the internet. Starlink satellites operate at an altitude of 340 miles and would be extremely costly to shoot down and only a few countries have anti-satellite technology. It’s also not like Musk is sending one satellite as they launch a stack of them at once.

There is a reason Putin did not attempt to shoot down Starlink over Ukraine. First of all, it is extremely costly and a waste of resources. Secondly, these devices are technically American assets and attempting to remove them could be seen as an act of war. Third, they could not shoot these down without causing orbital debris and angering the international community. Russia or China could spend countless resources on anti-satellite technology, but Musk could simply send more. The only way to close them would be to attack the ground station, a move that could only be done by the West.

Elon Musk Powers Gaza – Open Communications Amid War


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Oct 31, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Israel has stripped Gaza of all electricity, and over 2.2 million people no longer have access to basic necessities. Elon Musk announced over the weekend that he would send Starlink connectivity to Gaza. “Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza,” Musk posted on X.

A billionaire’s net worth provides more than money can buy. Musk has the ability to intervene in international affairs on his own accord. Palestine did not ask Musk for help; he simply decided to provide it on his own. Musk provided Starlink connectivity to Ukraine after Ukrainian officials urged him to help the innocent people living there. He was celebrated in the media as a hero for powering Ukraine, but now, he is being villainized for his efforts to help the people of Palestine.

Israel is angered that their communication blackout is coming to an end. Israel’s Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi promised, “Israel will use all means at its disposal to fight this.” He continued, “HAMAS will use it for terrorist activities. There is no doubt about it, we know it, and Musk knows it. HAMAS is ISIS. Perhaps Musk would be willing to condition it with the release of our abducted babies, sons, daughters, elderly people. All of them! By then, my office will cut any ties with Starlink.”

The United Nations and World Health Organization have said they have been unable to reach their people on the ground in Palestine. The world condemned Russia for committing a war crime, but it is ok when Israel and the West use these tactics against civilians.

Another game changer in this war is X, formerly known as Twitter. Musk is not deplatforming people who disagree with the narrative. In fact, absolutely everyone is taking to X to express their views, including members of Hamas. This is one of the last platforms for free speech without censorship. Musk is using his wealth and technology for the greater good. Time will tell if the powers that be have the power to cancel an influential tech billionaire.

European Commission Warns Elon Musk about Israel -v- Hamas Information that Runs Afoul of The EU Digital Services Act


Posted originally on the CTH on October 10, 2023 | Sundance 

European Commission Warns Elon Musk about Israel -v- Hamas Information that Runs Afoul of The EU Digital Services Act

October 10, 2023 | Sundance | 28 Comments

While the hubris is a little stark, it’s worth contemplating that Facebook, META, Insta, Google, etc are likely involved in current behind-the-scenes activity that will keep compliance with the EU dictates.

The Dis, Mis, and Mal, information police are likely in full deployment. Not only in the EU and Canada, but also to a quieter extent in the U.S. systems.

Funny, how they are not worried about Ukraine misinformation. However, Israel -vs- Hamas misinformation… bad mojo.

A Strong Possibility Twitter Will IPO and Go Public Again, Here’s Why


Posted originally on the CTH on October 3, 2023 | Sundance 

I wasn’t going to write about this, but so many requests and contacts have come in, and considering that my background conversations with people are leading to actionable positioning, that I feel it is only fair to share publicly what I am analyzing privately.

The predicate for all assumptions is several fold: {Go Deep One} and {Go Deep Two}. Most of the financial groundwork for analysis already exists. In summary, Elon paid $44 billion for the platform. Current valuations are around $15 billion.  Current debt service is $1.5 billion/yr (roughly $100m/mo).  Current expenses include $100m/yr AWS, $100m/yr Goog cloud (both contracts), +payroll and misc.

Approximately 9 months ago, Musk had $1 billion in cash reserve for Twitter.  The burn rate deficit was roughly $100m/month. That put timeline estimates for an inflection point on/around October 2023.  It is now October 2023.

Approximately a week ago, Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino made a bold statement.  Yaccarino stated that from her review of the current status, Twitter would start to turn a profit in the first quarter of 2024 {link}.  However, with $100 million per month in debt service alone, this statement seemed too far of a stretch.  At pre-musk levels of revenue, maybe; but that $1.5 billion debt service is a heavy nut to carry.

Timing – Remember, it’s October.  Last Friday, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) gave special regulatory approval to Bill Ackman’s firm, Pershing Square (hedge fund), for a new investment vessel called SPARC, whose purpose is to invest in private companies in order to take them public.  As noted by CNBC, “In a SPARC, investors will know what company the financing vehicle would be used to merge with before they have to pledge their investments.”  The financial mechanism avoids some of the issues with typical IPO’s.

•It’s October, inflection time.  •Yaccarino says a strategy is underway for profitability in Q1 2024.  •Ackman gets SPARC approval, and then suddenly:

[…] “The answer is I have a lot of respect for Musk. I think Twitter is a really important platform,” Ackman told CNBC. “I think he’s made tremendous improvements to the platform, and I think it’s a unique, very difficult-to-disrupt, kind of asset and one that could grow.” 

[…] Though Musk hasn’t expressed any interest in working with Ackman to take X public, and despite the $13 billion in debt tacked to the company, Ackman has worked out a loose plan to make it happen, if Musk were interested. 

“What’s interesting here is we could commit $2 billion to a transaction, set the rights price to $121 million, set it at $100 a share and announce a transaction,” he said. 

“And then we tell the story and then the rights holders have a chance to decide whether to invest. As long as the rights have positive value, they’re all going to get exercised, and the IPO raises $13 billion.” (read more)

The heavy nut disappears.

Investors roll the debt into discounted shares of stock.  If Ackman can generate a $17-$20 billion outcome for Twitter, Musk nets $5b and retains 20-25% of shares.  Yaccarino gets well compensated.  It’s a win/win/win.

Critics would say the IPO would mean Musk compromising on the free speech commitment.  However, in reality Musk has already reinstalled many of the control mechanisms of the previous “safety council,” along with the “freedom of speech, not freedom of reach” outlook.  Musk and Yaccarino have also partnered with the Global Disinformation Index.

The compromises are already baked into the platform, and seemingly have been since Yaccarino became CEO.  The 2024 election is next year, and influence is a lucrative business.

Neuralink Brain Implant Trials Begin


Armstrong Economics Blog/Disease RE-Posted Sep 21, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Elon Musk’s Neuralink received approval to begin a six-year trial to study the effects of brain-computer interface (BCI). A specialized surgical robot will be used to implant the devices into participants’ brains. The company’s mission: “Create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow.” Participants in the first trial must have a disability such as blindness, quadriplegia, paraplegia, deafness, or major limb amputation. Permitting those with disabilities to live a normal life seems noble, but Musk has stated he dreams of expanding the Neuralink’s availability to everyone.

The non-human trials failed miserably, resulting in 1,500 dead animals since 2018. Some past employees have criticized Musk for rushing his research, but not illegal acts were committed as it is common, if not expected, for at least some animal test subjects to die. Numerous errors could have been avoided if not for human error, according to those familiar with the studies.

“The PRIME Study (short for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface) – a groundbreaking investigational medical device trial for our fully-implantable, wireless brain-computer interface (BCI) – aims to evaluate the safety of our implant (N1) and surgical robot (R1) and assess the initial functionality of our BCI for enabling people with paralysis to control external devices with their thoughts,” Neuralink states on its website. It would be an unbelievable feat if this device gave someone the ability to walk or see for the first time. It would make all the testing worthwhile. Musk stated himself that the chip will work. “As miraculous as it may sound, we’re confident that it is possible to restore full body functionality to someone who has a severed spinal cord.”

However, Musk has loftier goals and said that the Neuralink will be for everyone. Musk stated that he personally plans to have a brain chip installed once available. Neralink is not beholden to shareholders as Musk owns the company outright. The company claims it will not sell data to third parties. However, Neuralink’s third-party affiliates, regulatory boards, and research partners will have access. Time will tell how this six-year trial goes, as I expect we will hear much more about the new technology once the trial begins.

Putin: Trump Indictments are Very Good for Russia


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics e-Posted Sep 14, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

When asked about the impeachment of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin said that it is “very good” for Russia insofar as it shows America is deteriorating from within. Putin and Trump once had a mutual respect for one another, acknowledging that each leader consistently put their nation first. Everyone besides the far-left can see that Trump’s indictments are a politically motivated attempt by the current administration to deny the people a fair election. “It shows the rottenness of the US political system that can’t claim to teach others democracy,” Putin stated. “What happened to Trump is a motivated prosecution of a political rival.”

The US cannot possibly blame Russia for meddling in the next election when the current administration is blatantly arresting political opponents. The former world democracy police can no longer claim to be pious. Everyone sees what is happening, but only those not in the globalist club have spoken out.

“Imagine if this happened to a leading opposition presidential candidate here in El Salvador?” President Nayib Bukele posted to social media. “Sadly, it’ll be very hard for US Foreign Policy to use arguments such as “democracy” and “free and fair elections”, or try to condemn “political persecution” in other countries, from now on.”

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is no stranger to worldwide criticism for not aligning with the globalists, has spoken out against the indictments as well. “Keep on fighting, Mr. President!” Orban published on X. “We are with you.”

While China’s Xi has not directly commented, Chinese political commentators seem to be in agreement that the US government is deliberately locking up their top political opponent. The South China Morning Post wrote an article entitled: “Trump’s indictment: the real takeaway is the US is as polarised as ever.” A professor from Renmin University of China published an op-ed titled, ”Trump’s indictment and bank collapses a poor advertisement for US democracy.” Both articles say that China is laughing at the American political system. “The generation of young people who shouted ‘Long live President Wilson’ at the end of World War I, and the idealistic generation who endorsed a ‘fight for freedom and democracy’ in Tiananmen Square in 1989, have little in common with young Chinese people today who see no upside to emulating American democracy,” he wrote.

Divided we fall. The world sees America’s weakness as we are no longer a united nation, under one. We are divisible and under the tyrannical rule of the deep state who uses a corrupt career politician with dementia as their puppet.

Musk Confirms Current Status of Ad Twitter Revenue


Posted originally on the CTH on September 4, 2023 | Sundance

The issues around the Twitter platform (X Corp) are important for several reasons, including the anticipated tech moves around the 2024 election.

Many people are holding up Elon Musk as a tech figurehead who might just be able to push back against the tide of totalitarianism.  However, a more realistic look at Musk shows he is participating in the control space just as much as any other platform.  Additionally, Musk has threat and influence vectors just like any other person or social media company.  The most obvious influence vector is the cost of operating his X platform.

Earlier today Musk outlined the current status of Twitter revenue generation.   The baseline here is the prior peak of revenue for the company, which was around $3.8 billion, prior to Musk acquisition.  Musk shares today that revenue is down 60% from that point.

That would put current revenue around $1.52 billion/yr.

Service on debt is around $1.25 billion/yr.  Amazon and Goggle services around $1 billion/yr.  That’s an operational loss of around $1.6 billion/yr when you factor in subscription revenue.  In essence, Twitter loses around $130 million every month.

With the latest revelations we shared about the financial position of Twitter {Go Deep on FINANCIALS}, all of the moves now underway make sense.  Musk was on track to hit a date in/around October of this year where Twitter would be insolvent. If you had read those previous “Go Deep” links, you will easily see the problem. Musk needs another infusion of cash, and he is limited on his Tesla stock as an option.

The use of Enhanced Artificial Intelligence to control information and communication is a subject that too few people understand.  This is why I have spent time trying to share information so that people can see into the future of their internet reality.  Everything will change.

As you should know by now, the X platform (Twitter) is designed to produce a different user experience based on “definitions” of the user.  The definitions are applied by the platform, to create unique identifying characteristics of the user.  The result is that each user gets a completely different platform experience, based on their definitions.

“Twitter is a different platform for each user.”  Repeat that phrase as often as needed to understand the evolution of what is coming to the American internet.

You might ask, how is applying all of these granular definitions even possible?  The answer is through the use of AI.  Humans will no longer be assigning the definitions of you; an autonomous system will take on the job of assigning the definitions.  Now, keep referencing the word “definitions,” because that is your identity and gateway pass into the platform content.  If you carry a particular definition, you will be blocked, throttled, shadow-banned or experience friction applied to your user id.

Remember when Elon Musk restricted users and claimed it was because the platform content was being “scraped” by organizations who were using the content to train their Enhanced AI systems?  Remember, Musk saying that, and expressing his concern?   Well, now the platform is telling users in a new X Corp privacy policy, that X corp itself is going to do exactly the thing Musk said he abhorred.

Twitter (X Corp) is going to use the content you provide to train the AI how to apply the definitions.  All of your interactions with the X Corp product are then going to be tailored based on the definitions that are applied to your identity, your account.   Some content will not be available to you; some content will only be available to you; the key and essential point is that YOU are defined.

Once you understand how your experience with the X platform is an outcome of definitions applied by X platform to you, then you can elevate your thinking and start to understand what the new American internet is all about.  Your definitions will determine what paths and/or roadways are available to you.

Enhanced AI will act like an invisible gatekeeping system on the American internet, showing or hiding internet outcomes according to your definitions.  It’s not that the offramp (a specific pathway on the internet) doesn’t exist, it’s an issue of you not being able to see any off ramp.  Your experience online is modified according to the definitions, that are applied to you.   This is why Enhanced AI is needed to (a) monitor and define; then (b) control the pathways of your travel.

Currently, your experience with Twitter is contingent upon your definitions.  Very soon, that same process will apply to the larger internet.

There really is no other phrase that seems to adequately describe the future for online life in the United States than to describe it through the prism of the previously discussed shadow banning that takes place on the X-platform for specifically wrong-thinking users.

It is important to begin with the end in mind.  Perhaps some people are unaware that internet services, meaning the actual experience of using the internet for communication and commerce, are not the same in every nation.  In fact, it is quite a different experience depending on where on the globe you are located.  The differences are driven by internal controls, the intranet of the regional internet per se.

The internet in China is not the same as the internet in Europe, which is not the same as the internet in Australia, which is not the same as the internet in North America, which is not the same -at all- as the internet that now exists within Russia.  Even in some continents, the internet traffic flows are controlled at different levels within each nation. The “world wide web” is a format, but when you get down to the national level, things change.

This baseline helps to understand that internet freedom is defined by access to information and commerce.

To the extent the information or commerce is defined as against the interests of the authority structure, or potentially a threat to the national security interest of the government therein, the internet content is filtered, modified, censored, removed or just simply blocked from view.  This is one layer in the information control system.

Another layer is the flow of commerce that floats atop the flow of information.  This is where advertising, product sales, purchasing and general e-commerce takes place. This layer represents another option for control; therefore, this e-commerce layer should be considered running in parallel to the information, albeit perhaps indirectly attached.

When western government applied economic sanctions against Russia via financial restrictions writ large, the layer of internet commerce control merged with the information and national security control systems of the internet.

Russian citizens were blocked from e-commerce access, specifically from western nations in alignment with the sanctions, and the mechanisms of online purchasing were restricted.  However, the entire world did not participate in the sanctions, and there is a massive amount of e-commerce that takes place, even with the systems of western control financial blocks in place.

Additionally, there is a large black-market system for commerce and financial transactions that started organically in the aftermath of the Russian sanctions.  Crypto currency, as a financial transaction mechanism, was predictable; however, over time people became even more strategic and alternate transfer systems were created.  You can purchase advertising in Russia, but are you really purchasing advertising – or are the purchasers really just transferring funds?  Think about it.

I share that Russia example, because I do not want people to get too disheartened in what is going to happen here in the United States.  There will always be a market for information, regardless of the control systems that are created to stop it.  Additionally, there will always be smart rebellious people who think of ways to subvert the intents of the control mechanisms.  Freedom may be diminished from a raging fire to a small burning flame, but it will never be fully extinguished.  WE just need to learn to adapt.

It took me over two years to assemble The Benghazi Brief, because the background story was so large and complex that it took time, research and retrospection to appropriately contextualize the truth of the issue. {GO DEEP}  The Benghazi attack was a small, albeit deadly outcome, of a much larger story.  The brief walks through everything in context.

In a similar construct, the Shadowbanning of The United States internet is a big and complex story, and I am only about halfway through the assembly of all the data to put context to it.  However, as time becomes critical, it is important for me to push the information forward – because many of the timelines in the construct are likely to surface before I am complete with the fully assembled story.

I am going to drop some links that will help serve as a flashlight into the rabbit hole.  Each story may seem initially disparate or disconnected.  However, I would encourage you to think big picture with each of the puzzle pieces that are presented.  This is likely to become a series, and I will create a new “Internet” category on the side bar where I will tag any future elements.

Please keep in mind, the issues of e-commerce: ie. information monetization, advertising, deplatforming and debanking, are not disconnected from the issues of information control.  The same larger national security system that has mandated (and will mandate), information blocks, content censorship, content restrictions, content removal and various platform control elements, is all part of one interconnected compliance system.  Electronic Commerce and Electronic Information are all subject to the online control process.  This is a public-private partnership on the internet.

The origin of the public-private partnership goes all the way back to the origin of the tech system in relationship to the DARPA programs and government sponsored research labs.  The outcome of the modern partnership is evident in the Dept of Homeland Security (DHS) collaboration with the various communication platforms or pipes of information. Systems like the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism’s (GIFCT) database, are simply outcomes of the partnership.  There are hundreds more.

There is a rush now to provide context because Artificial Intelligence (AI), or smart data systems, are launching into the United States internet control mechanisms almost daily.  We are close to the time when AI will be triggered to help control the content of the internet under the guise of national security.

The timeline for full deployment of the modern United States internet control system, is likely around late fall and early winter this year, in advance of the 2024 U.S. election cycle.

Everything will change.  Every route of online traffic including Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) to filters and rerouting on Domain Name Systems (DNS), to the Internet Protocol (IP) itself will be subject to change in the form of background shadow banning.  If the DHS partnership is successful, you will not initially notice – much like a shadow banned platform user doesn’t notice their new defined status.  The shift will become more obvious over time.

One odd outcome will be a regional targeting system.  Depending on where you are in the USA, your online experience will be different. There will also be enhancements to your internet travel based on your profile.  Good thinking users will have benefits that enhance the experience of the user and supports the interests of the national security guardians.

♦ Deployment of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is irrelevant in this construct.  A VPN is like you renting a car without a license plate.  You travel past all the Automatic License Plate Readers, arrive at your destination, leave the keys in the ignition and just abandon the car.  Your personal travel was essentially invisible to the APLR system.  However, when the internet roads are controlled by the national security state, and there is no longer an offramp to the destination, your VPN use is irrelevant – you cannot reach your destination.  That’s part of the shift.

You will notice I use the term “definition” quite often.  That is because the root of every control mechanism is grounded upon defining things.  When you accept the terms ‘disinformation’, ‘misinformation’, and/or ‘malinformation’, you are buying into the process that permits definitions to determine your travel. Those who define both you and your destination, ultimately control your online experience.

Now, before getting to a recent example of this construct as it is being built, it is important to return to the e-commerce aspect and overlay the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) index into the world of online commerce.

♦ Right now, you can physically boycott Bud Light by choosing another brand.  However, for total goods and services the amount of online purchasing is now exceeding the amount of purchasing in real life (brick and mortar shopping).   Overlay the economic control system (think Russian sanctions approach) with the national security requirements for DEI, amid all online commerce, and apply that layer of analysis.  In the e-commerce world, choosing not to buy Bud Light will become a little more difficult; and those who do support the boycott become subject to the previously mentioned “definitions”.

I’m jumping ahead, because there was a big development a few weeks ago. As you read this, do not think small as presented – think bigger.  Think beyond the use of AI moderation on a platform and think of AI moderation on the U.S. Internet System.  Online moderation conducted by AI:

OPEN AI – […] GPT-4 is also able to interpret rules and nuances in long content policy documentation and adapt instantly to policy updates, resulting in more consistent labeling. We believe this offers a more positive vision of the future of digital platforms, where AI can help moderate online traffic.

[…] Content moderation demands meticulous effort, sensitivity, a profound understanding of context, as well as quick adaptation to new use cases, making it both time consuming and challenging. Traditionally, the burden of this task has fallen on human moderators sifting through large amounts of content to filter out toxic and harmful material, supported by smaller vertical-specific machine learning models. The process is inherently slow and can lead to mental stress on human moderators.

We’re exploring the use of LLMs to address these challenges. Our large language models like GPT-4 can understand and generate natural language, making them applicable to content moderation. The models can make moderation judgments based on policy guidelines provided to them. (read more

Do you remember me telling you about what I noticed in the most recent Google spider crawls?

“The Alpha/Google spiders are not crawling around with their enhanced AI looking for words, phrases or content issues.  Enhanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) has given the spiders the ability to look for context.  The new Alpha/Goog AI spiders are crawling the internet looking for information provided with a detrimental and accurate context.  Those who are applying truthful context are the subversive voices that must be targeted.  Keep this in mind.”

Google Spider Crawl Result, CTH Subversive Content, July 2023

As we have shared, the crawl is not headlines, the crawl is in content.  Yes, even content in the comment section is now flagging to the control systems.  Why? Because we operate a proprietary constructed private commenting system that doesn’t have a backdoor and protects you, the user.

The Google Spiders are newly enhanced with AI instructions, dispatched looking for content and ‘context’ that is against the interests of the Vanguard, Blackrock, Larry Page (Alpha/Goog owners), and the public-private partnership.   This content is considered “dangerous or derogatory”. Think about that for a moment.

Do not get alarmed, get informed.

I share this information with you so that you understand what is being constructed and what is about to be deployed on a large scale throughout the U.S. internet operating system.  The U.S. internet will be different.  The social media restrictions became more prevalent and noticeable in the past several years; now it is time for DHS to expand that process to the entire U.S. internet.

When I wrote about Jack’s Magic Coffee shop, people initially thought I was crazy – but the guys inside the coffee shop didn’t.  Eventually DHS control over Twitter was revealed in the Twitter files.  The same background is true here.  The entire American online apparatus is going to change, quite soon.

More will follow….

RESOURCES:

Using AI for Content Moderation

Facebook / META / Tech joining with DHS

Zoom with allow Content Scraping by AI 

AI going into The Cloud

U.S. Govt Going into The Cloud With AI

Pentagon activates 175 Million IP’s

Big Names to Attend Political AI Forum

7 Weeks and the Faustian Deal Hits the Table


Posted originally on the CTH on August 20, 2023 | Sundance

I’m not always right.  Sometimes events change and intersections take place on the path toward the predicted outcome.  However, when ancillary events -mostly driven by human intervention in an effort to avoid what’s coming- do not cross the directional path, we arrive at the predicted destination.

At the end of May CTH shared the motive behind a series of events we should see unfold on the Twitter platform.  By the time we arrived in June, there was enough actual data to solidify a timeline {GO DEEP}. Shortly after, the New York Times published leaked revenue side documents allowing us to calculate an accurate burn rate {Go Deep} for the situation around Elon Musk.  Through this accurate financial prism, everything that Elon Musk has done lines up in sequence {Go Deep}.

Cliff Notes Version:  Musk has a deficit burn rate of around $250 to $300 million per month.  Musk runs out of working capital in Sept/Oct, depending on how quickly Yaccarino was/is able to enhance revenue.

Regardless of revenue, and because she just can’t generate it fast enough, approximately, seven weeks from now Musk has to secure another roughly $5 billion, to give himself enough breathing room to continue operations.

Musk has lost the $30 billion he put in.  The current estimates are that Twitter is now worth between $12 to $15 billion.   There is debt of $12.5 billion from the initial purchase structure still in place.  The asset is worth its debt, not much more.

With a current debt service of $100+ million per month, adding another $50 million/month ($5 billion loan) is tenuous at best. And that’s IF he can secure that investment loan.  Musk has admitted he is personally limited in leverage using Tesla.  He is approaching an inflexion point.  1 million subscribers paying $8/month is pittance ($8 million).

Recently X-Corp:  (1) Linda Yaccarino introduced the novel concept of speech that was “lawful but awful” and must be suppressed. (2) Their desire to remove the block function. (3) Restrictions on visibility, “freedom of speech, not freedom of reach.” (4) and hired back a platform censorship team.  All of these measures are designed to make “safe spaces” for advertisers to return.   In essence, they are all revenue decisions.

People inside tech, and even people inside the X-Corp organization, who initially did not think my analysis was accurate, are now starting to admit it is the most likely scenario.

This arc of directional travel is not going to change, especially with Musk needing to go back into the capital markets for more working cash.  Everything we are seeing is a result of this financial dynamic and the desperation is starting to show.

Yesterday Musk admitted they may indeed fail.  However, he is portraying himself as a victim in this – which is profoundly disingenuous.

Musk has known this critical financial flaw from the outset.  All the intellectually honest people who understand the situation, debts, obligations and the dynamics of social media revenue when contrast against the ideology of the gatekeepers, also know this.  None of this is a surprise.

Musk is getting increasingly anxious about it, and when people start to get desperate – they start to say stupid things.

Now, here’s my warning…

I am pretty certain about the prior timeline.  There’s about 7 weeks left (+/-) before the critical crisis point hits, depending on events that may slightly delay or speed up the timing.  Put his motives, intents and disposition off the table for a moment.  Accept things in their most common construct.  This situation makes Musk vulnerable.

There is only one deal, one specific version of agreement, that I can think of – that would generate the capital he needs.  An agreement to leverage his platform along with META, Insta, Alpha/Goog, etc to influence the 2024 election.  Agreeing to join that effort, more vociferously than previous, will get him the capital he needs…

…. so, watch out.

The only apolitical platform currently operating in the U.S. social media sphere is Tik Tok.   The inability of the US govt to control the platform, is a large part of the reason why U.S. govt interests on both sides want it removed and black-listed.  Pro MAGA voices have a big footprint on Tik Tok.

Repeating what I said in July:

Keep in mind, long before people realized the Dept of Homeland Security (FBI, DHS, CISA etc.) had a portal into Twitter, I was explaining how transparently obvious it was. {Go Deep – Jack’s Magic Coffee Shop} In part, the transparency of the problem is driven by CTH understanding of the costs associated with Twitter as a very unique platform in the sphere of social media. {Go Deep – Understand the Costs}

With the latest revelations we shared about the financial position of Twitter {Go Deep on FINANCIALS}, all of the moves now underway make sense.  Musk was on track to hit a date in/around October of this year where Twitter would be insolvent. If you had read those previous “Go Deep” links, you will easily see the problem.

Approximately seven weeks.

Keep your eyes open.

Musk States X Platform Making Progress on Letting Users See Their Shadow Banning Status


Posted originally on the CTH on August 17, 2023 | Sundance 

Shadow Banning is the term given to social media backroom activity that uses computer algorithms to shrink user account engagement without informing the user.  The process involves putting friction upon the account to block amplification and control engagement.  The user doesn’t see the process, they just notice a severe drop in the engagement by other users on the platform.

Last year, Elon Musk promised to start letting the account holders see what level of friction they were assigned to by letting the users see their shadow ban status.  However, that promise was never fulfilled.  Musk was questioned about why the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, has not followed through on the transparency pledge.

Continuing the process of pretending not to know things, Musk says transparency is hard.

(Washington) –  The long-hated process of shadow-banning on X, formerly Twitter, soon will change, according to owner Elon Musk. 

At the Viva Tech conference this week, the billionaire said he plans to address the issue soon. He said the company is working on a plan that will let people see if their account was affected by the Twitter system. 

“Sorry it’s taking so long,” Mr. Musk posted. “There are so many layers of ‘trust & safety’ software that it often takes us hours to figure out who, how and why an account was suspended or shadow-banned. A ground up rewrite is underway that simplifies the X codebase dramatically.”

Shadow-banning is a practice where users have their accounts partially silenced without their knowledge. If users are shadow-banned, they can still post but they will notice engagement drops significantly. Since there is no way to officially know that a user is shadow-banned, the issue has been politicized. Conservative accounts consistently claimed they were shadow-banned for speaking out against vaccines or the 2020 election.  (read more)

This statement from Musk follows on the heels of X-Corp CEO Linda Yaccarino saying, “If you are going to post something that is illegal or against the law, you’re gone. Zero tolerance. But more importantly, if you are going to post something that is lawful, but it’s awful, you get labeled.  You get labeled, you get deamplified, which means it cannot be shared, and it is certainly demonetized. … So, they [advertisers] are protected from the risk of being next to that content.”…

It doesn’t take a deep thinker to understand why X-Corp (Twitter) would not want users to know the reason for their shadow banning or deamplification.  Once people become aware of the content they generate that assigns them a label, the control units within X-corp then need to justify their labeling.   Transparency runs counter to the intentions of those who control information; that’s why Musk has never followed through.

In the bigger picture, there are legal ramifications when this shadow banning, labeling and definition system is rolled out for the entire North American internet.  This is the conversation taking place now in the closed-door meetings of DHS and the various organizations conscripted to develop the process.

Elon Musk is not John Galt.  Remember that!

Elon Musk has one prism that is at the forefront of his decision making, money.   From my calculations, there are less than eight weeks remaining before Musk and Yaccarino need to go back into the capital markets looking for additional funding.  Watch what happens over the next two months.

X-Corp CEO Linda Yaccarino: “If it is lawful but it’s awful, it’s extraordinarily difficult for you to see it, and you get labeled”…


Posted originally on the CTH on August 10, 2023 | Sundance 

X-Corp, formerly known as Twitter, CEO Linda Yaccarino appeared on CNBC to discuss the new direction of the platform and affirm her complete autonomy to control the decision making within the corporation.

It’s important to note the timing for the first CEO appearance of Yaccarino against the backdrop of CTH financial analysis of the company.  According to my calculations X-Corp will run out of working capital, the actual cash needed to pay expenses, in mid to late October; roughly two months from now.  At that point Elon Musk and Linda Yaccarino will need to go back into the market for more cash.

After asserting her complete unilateral control over all decision making within the company, Yaccarino then went on to discuss how information will be defined according to new operational standards she is helping to implement.  The pertinent part of the conversation happens at the 01:16 point of the video segment below. WATCH: 

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…”if you are going to post something that is illegal or against the law, you’re gone. Zero tolerance. But more importantly, if you are going to post something that is lawful, but it’s awful, you get labeled.  You get labeled, you get deamplified, which means it cannot be shared, and it is certainly demonetized. … So, they [advertisers] are protected from the risk of being next to that content.”… 

The position essentially seems reasonable, I guess. However, I still don’t trust any of the cattle car valets with DHS authorizations and credentials.

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