Elon Musk has told people not to donate to Wikipedia following $50 million diversity initiatives.
The tech mogul is urging people not to give money to the nonprofit behind Wikipedia.
His reasoning is because the organization spent over $50 million on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
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Elon Musk has told people not to donate to Wikipedia (ANGELA WEISS/Getty Images)
Taking to his own social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Musk wrote: “Stop donating to Wokepedia until they restore balance to their editing authority.”
This tweet was in response to a post uploaded by the ‘Libs of TikTok’ account who shared a pie chart that claimed 29% of Wikipedia’s budget for 2023-2024 was spent on targets for equity, safety and inclusion.
According to the Wikipedia Foundation website, the organization has a goal of spending $31.2 million on equity and $20.5 million on safety and inclusion.
$86.1 million was spent on infrastructure while $39.2 million went on effectiveness.
The nonprofit also said: “Supporting equity represents the second largest part of our programmatic work, with grants and Movement support representing the majority of the budget within the equity goal.”
According to a report by the Manhattan Institute titled ‘Is Wikipedia politically biased?’, it said the site has a ‘mild to moderate tendency…to associate public figures ideologically aligned right-of-center with more negative sentiment than public figures ideologically aligned left-of-center’.
Wikipedia is run by a nonprofit organization (Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
In another tweet shared by Musk, one user wrote: “WIKIPEDIA BLOWS $50M ON WOKENESS.
“Turns out nearly 30% of Wikipedia’s budget last year went to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. That’s $50 million for DEI instead of, you know, improving the actual site.
“Critics are calling it ‘Wokepedia,’ accusing the platform of prioritizing ideology over function.
“Meanwhile, the internet’s collective eye-roll is almost audible.
“Sure, inclusion is nice, but maybe they could use some of that money to ensure they’re a reliable source of information first? Just a thought.”
Reposting the tweet, Musk added: “Where your donation to Wikipedia goes.”
Larry Sanger, who played a crucial role in launching Wikipedia back in 2001 alongside Jimmy Wales, has claimed that ‘nobody should trust Wikipedia’, arguing that it has an army of left-leaning volunteers who cut out news that doesn’t fit their political agenda.
Sanger spoke to Unherd.com in 2021 where he said that ‘teams of Democratic-leaning volunteers’ remove content that they don’t agree with.
He added: “Can you trust it to always give you the truth? Well, it depends on what you think the truth is.”
Featured Image Credit: Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto/ANGELA WEISS/Getty Images
Elon Musk sued British television company for $171,000 over one bad Tesla review
It helped shape the Tesla we see today
As the richest man in the world, Elon Musk has made quite a name for himself. With more money than most of us could ever spend, you’d be wise to try not to get on Musk’s bad side in terms of legal matters. Let’s be honest, he’s got the money to sue you into oblivion.
The Tesla CEO has proved this time and again, with the likes of his ongoing custody battle with Grimes, arguments with Twitter staff over severance pay, and offering to fund Gina Carano’s lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company for her termination from The Mandalorian.
Musk proved he wasn’t to be messed with when Tesla tried to sue the BBC over a 2008 episode of Top Gear. The famous car series was at its peak back then, with then-lead host Jeremy Clarkson reviewing the Tesla Roadster.
Jeremy Clarkson and Top Gear got into hot water with Tesla in 2008 (BBC)
Released in 2008, the Tesla Roadster was based on the Lotus Elise chassis and grabbed headlines as the first highway-legal, all-electric car that used lithium-ion battery cells. Clarkson praised the Roadster’s acceleration and handling by calling it ‘biblically quick’, but claimed that it suddenly ran out of charge after just 55 miles. There’s even footage of the production crew pushing the Roadster back to the garage, although Tesla claimed that’s not what happened at all.
Tesla engineers reviewed the footage and claimed that the car’s logs proved it never dropped below 20% charge. The brake failure was apparently a blown fuse, but as the controversy rumbled on and major outlets started to report on it, the BBC released the following statement: “The tested Tesla was filmed being pushed into the shed in order to show what would happen if the Roadster had run out of charge.
“Top Gear stands by the findings in this film and is content that it offers a fair representation of the Tesla’s performance on the day it was tested.”
Clarkson wrote a blog entry for The Times and referred to filming as ‘muddy’, while reruns continued to be aired without editing. Tesla also said that the script was written before filming had happened, suggesting the issues were created for production.
The $171,000 lie that could have killed Tesla: Top Gear, the world’s biggest car show, faked a negative review of the Tesla Roadster. Most companies would have stayed quiet. Tesla chose war. Here’s the full story:
Tesla sued the BBC for libel and malicious falsehood in March 2011, saying it had lost $171,000 in sales, also launching the TeslaVsTopGear.com. website. When it headed to the High Court, Judge Martin Moore-Bick sided with the BBC and said that no one watching the series would think it’s a real-world representation of Tesla because it’s an ‘entertainment’ series. Tesla appealed, but as things went to the Court of Appeal, a three-judge panel upheld Moore-Bick’s decision and ordered Tesla to pay the BBC’s $ legal costs of £100,000 ($172,000 in today’s money).
Despite the loss, this David vs Goliath case is actually thought to have helped the young electric vehicle company. As well as exposing how some car reviews might not be genuine, it also sparked the debate on electric cars and the future of driving. With Tesla doubling down on transparency and releasing performance data, it also asked independent testers to verify claims and grew into the EV giant we see today.
Featured Image Credit: Chris Unger/Contributor / Dan Kitwood/Staff / Getty
Chris Rock’s joke about Elon Musk makes SNL ‘crowd groan’ during opening monologue
It all got a bit awkward
He might be the richest man in the world, but that hasn’t bought Elon Musk many favors.
From making his millions on the back of PayPal being sold to eBay back in 2002, Elon Musk’s wealth has soared as he’s put his efforts into the likes of SpaceX and Tesla.
While he might’ve seemingly backed the wrong horse with his bold reinvention of Twitter into X, what’s a few lost millions between friends?
With Musk on track to be the world’s first trillionaire, his mind-boggling bank balance continues to grow in a post-election world.
Still, having all the money in the world doesn’t make you any more popular, with Musk’s controversial nature even spilling over into comedy.
Musk and Trump were the butt of SNL’s opening monologue (Kevin Dietsch / Staff / Getty)
It’s over to Saturday Night Live to make fun of Elon Musk, and while the comedy showcase normally nails it, Chris Rock’s latest opening monologue has led to audible groans from the crowd.
Putting Musk and his relationship with Donald Trump in his crosshairs, Rock cut a little close to the bone.
Discussing Trump’s astronomical return to fame in 2024, Rock joked about his July assassination attempt, victory over Kamala Harris, and being named as Time’s Person of the Year. Rock quipped: “It could happen to a nicer guy.”
Putting the heat on Musk, he added: “[Trump’s] working with the number one African American in the world. The richest African American in the world: Elon Musk.
“That’s right. He is African American. Elon’s got more kids than the Cleveland Browns. That’s right. Nobody knows how to get rid of people like a South African.”
Continuing about Trump’s promises of mass deportations as soon as he’s back in the White House, Rock said: “Oh, he’s serious. Trump is not playing. He’s got Elon. They’re gonna put them on a rocket ship, call it Space Mex.”
Chris Rock’s monologue!
He later mentioned the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and although he gave condolences to his family, Rock joked that “sometimes drug dealers get shot.”
Other hot topics included the Jake Paul and Mike Tyson fight, the resentencing hearing of the Menendez brothers, and Hunter Biden being pardoned.
Not everyone was impressed with Rock’s monologue, with one person writing: “I don’t know if I’ve changed or he’s changed, but Chris Rock isn’t really all that funny to me anymore. He used to have me rolling. But now the most he gets from me is an occasional slight grin.”
Another added, “I really wanted to laugh but Chris didn’t seem himself,” and a third said, “I’m cool with whatever he says but it’s just not funny.”
Although Rock managed to cover pretty much every piece of relevant news from the week, it seems that not all of his jokes landed quite like he would’ve wanted.
Featured Image Credit: NBC / Contributor / Pool / Pool / Getty
Elon Musk teases new threat for billions of Gmail users with ‘Xmail’ rival
Musk has hinted at a ‘rethinking’ of traditional email
Elon Musk has reignited conversations surrounding the previously hypothesized ‘Xmail’, as he argues that we need to ‘rethink’ how email works – especially in opposition to Gmail.
Google has long remained at the top of the email food chain with ‘Gmail’, as it currently holds around 1,800,000 active monthly users that find the service an essential part of their work and personal lives.
Of course, there are other services – most notably Microsoft‘s Outlook as well – but many opt to stay within the confines of Gmail out of preference, ease, and perhaps a bit of consistency too.
Some have suggested that they’d be willing to drop the years they’d spent with Google’s electronic mailbox for an Elon Musk-led competitor, and the tech billionaire seems to think he’s ready to enter another industry.
X user Nia Owji posted that “having an @x.com email address is the only thing that can stop me from using Gmail.” Musk shortly quoted this statement, declaring:
“Interesting. We need to rethink how messaging, including email, works overall.”
Interesting. We need to rethink how messaging, including email, works overall.
Having an @x.com email address is the only thing that can stop me from using Gmail!
While this is not a direct statement of intent, it does certainly seem to suggest that the Tesla owner is willing to step into the world of email and come up with his own ‘ideal’ platform to ‘change’ the space.
He’s certainly familiar with email, having exchanged some rather scathing remarks with the Twitter team prior to his $44 billion purchase, and you have to wonder whether his time with the social media platform has informed his ideas on messaging further – although he might not want to sink another hefty investment so soon.
This is far from the first time that Musk has hinted at a move into the email space either, as it was only back in February 2024 that he replied “It’s coming” to the suggestion of an ‘Xmail’.
This was especially in light of false news that Gmail was shutting down, and it seemed to some that Musk was willing to quickly fill the space that Google was allegedly vacating.
Gmail certainly isn’t backing down any time soon though, having recently introduced much-requested features to help you protect your online identity, and it might take a lot to draw away a loyal fanbase.
This is shown no better than on the r/Gmail subreddit, in which users push back against the theorized idea of a Musk-owned email platform.
Many would struggle to depart from the Gmail they know and love (Jaque Silva/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“To be worth even considering, Xmail would have to compete on a wide range of services,” explains one commenter, “Gmail’s spam filter is world class’ you can use it to handle emails for various domains; it has a number of superb extentions…
I strongly doubt that Xmail would be a serious competitor any time soon. One day, perhaps, but not yet.”
Another points out the almost redundant need for a ‘rethinking’ of email: “I’m not interested,” they outline, “email is a utility service like the light switch on the wall. I just want it to work and be dependable.”
Whether Musk’s plans come to fruition are still yet to be seen – as is the case for many of his ideas that initially form as posts on X. It could certainly pose as a threat within the email industry though, yet you can only wonder what he’d have to do to convince most to make the jump.
Featured Image Credit: Anna Moneymaker / Staff / NurPhoto / Contributor / Getty
Elon Musk launches new mission to create his own city in bizarre 2-page letter
The tech mogul’s latest idea has left people shocked
A new city could be on the way in Texas as Elon Musk has submitted a request to a judge to form a base around SpaceX operations in the southern US state.
Elon Musk is certainly an ambitious individual, and recent news has seen him advocate for the solution to America’s health crisis, alongside a bizarre investment that you might not expect of the billionaire.
SpaceX remains one of his key priorities though, and with his new role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) we could see major enhancements to the private space company that might be the most valuable of its kind in the world.
With this boost in funds comes inevitable expansion though, and seemingly top of the list is the establishment of a new city, which Musk has requested in a formal letter to Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño.
SpaceX HQ will now officially be in the city of Starbase, Texas!
SpaceX submits letter to Judge Treviño asking to officially incorporate Starbase, Texas, as its own city.
“On behalf of the entire Starbase community,” the letter begins, “I am pleased to submit this petition requesting an election to determine whether Starbase, Texas, should be incorporated as a city.”
Currently, Starbase is home to the SpaceX launch site, and is largely an industrial complex that isn’t exactly what you’d typically recognize as a city.
However, the letter argues: “To continue growing the workforce necessary to rapidly develop and manufacture Starship, we need the ability to grow Starbase as a community.”
Plans outline the development of ‘world class’ housing that would proving a living situation for the ‘hundreds’ that currently call the area home alongside incoming prospective workers that would continue to grow SpaceX operations.
Musk has announced in a quoted post of the letter that SpaceX will also be moving its headquarters to the location if it is indeed certified as an official city, which would be a big change from the current location of Hawthorne, California.
Starbase is currently more industrial than home friendly (Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images)
One of the biggest reasons for this jump as argued in the letter, outside of simply expanding SpaceX business, is the continued push towards Mars.
It claims that this move is to work towards “the goal of making South Texas the Gateway to Mars,” and it’s clear that this is an operation of vital importance to Musk and his company.
The social media reaction has been positive to this news too, with one user remarking: “This is how fast things move today. Elon Musk is building a city in space, starting in Texas.”
“I just love this,” another expresses, “A new community of people dedicated to the future.”
Hopefully these plans are a little more realistic than others proposed by Musk, which have seen the richest man in the world theorize about a rapid transatlantic train, or a flight across the world in just half an hour.
Featured Image Credit: Brandon Bell/Staff / Torsten Asmus / Getty
