Latest news with #LindaYaccarino
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Grok's behavior isn't surprising – but we needn't settle for Musk's vision of the future
Elon Musk's chatbot Grok went on a hateful tirade earlier this month. The AI-powered account praised Hitler and posted a series of antisemitic comments over X, the digital platform also owned by Musk. The company's CEO, Linda Yaccarino, resigned the next day – though it's unclear whether her exit was directly related to the bot's rant. Posting on X, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said Grok's behavior was 'irresponsible, dangerous and antisemitic'. xAI and the Grok account on X apologized for the incident, but days later released two chatbot 'companions', including an NSFW anime avatar available to children and a red panda character built to issue crude insults. Musk, meanwhile, chalked Grok's behavior up to it being 'too eager to please' and to responding to user-generated prompts. He said that the issue had been fixed. US politicians and platform advertisers said little, unlike past responses to similar incidents on X. Their silence and Musk's downplaying of the event speak louder than if we had heard significant public denunciations of the chatbot's actions from the powers that be. The relative quiet at the top is illustrative of two things. First, Grok's behavior is not surprising. At this point, it's predictable. Second, little about Grok, X, or xAI is likely to change in the short term. Grok sharing hateful content is Grok working precisely as it was designed to. Before the inflammatory chatbot was 'born' and launched on X in late 2023, Musk spoke about the need for AI alternatives to ChatGPT, which he deemed too politically correct. He has consistently referred to his anti-woke AI as 'TruthGPT'. Grok was deliberately built to be provocative – and 'to tell it like it is'. Grok is a fitting representation of the current culture of X and, more broadly, of social media and those at its reins. In the years since Musk purchased the internet platform, originally named Twitter, many have pointed out that it has devolved into a space rife with 'racism, misogyny, and lies'. It's also full of spam and scams. Shortly after the platform changed names and hands, most of the people behind content moderation and platform trust and safety were unceremoniously fired. Extremists and conspiracy theorists who had been deplatformed from Twitter were reinstated on X. In late 2024, the social media organization's first transparency report in years revealed serious problems with this new laissez-faire approach, including unsettling new instances of child exploitation. According to Musk, Grok was built to seek and reveal truths beyond the supposedly sanitized content seen on competing generative AI systems or prior social media platforms. But Grok what actually does is tell the 'truth' of the current hands-off, malignant, version of X, and of other social media platforms and tech leadership. Since Musk's acquisition of X – and the deregulation of content that followed – other platforms have followed suit. These shifts follow an executive order and other moves from the Trump administration aimed at curtailing 'censorship' through digital content moderation and, seemingly, the collaborative study of social media propaganda. Meanwhile, social media and AI companies are getting more cozy with Washington: xAI just signed a $200m contract with the Pentagon to provide 'Grok for government'. In past research, I've found that billionaires' and global political leaders' claims about striking down digital media censorship and preserving free speech online are often suspect at best. At worst, and closer to what I've encountered in my analyses, such claims are self-serving for those in power. These figures not only own a significant stake in the digital information environment; they have also purposefully and steadily cultivated the online space to be favorable to their goals and ideas. They seek to artificially control what trends, or what people see as popular behavior, and to make such statements or actions acceptable. But an online world where hate, spam and scams run rampant is only one version of what the internet and digital media technology can be. The opposite, as Musk and others in Silicon Valley and Washington have rightfully pointed out, is an overtly censored online space. China's internet and social media platforms, for instance, have been tightly controlled by the government since the outset. We do not have to accept either extreme. Empirical research and lessons from recent history show us that we can indeed have healthier, more connective, communication tools. We can have social media platforms that are sensibly and systematically moderated from both the top down and bottom up. But to have such spaces we must demand better, more thoughtful, content moderation and tool design from technologists and policymakers. We must also break big tech's stranglehold on innovation in the social media space. Too much power online is consolidated in the hands of too few companies and individuals. We need new digital platforms that genuinely center human rights, pluralism and democratic discourse, and better policies that allow for such an experience. Samuel Woolley is the author Manufacturing Consensus: Understanding Propaganda in the Era of Automation and Anonymity and co-author of Bots. He is a professor at the University of Pittsburgh
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Grok's behavior isn't surprising – but we needn't settle for Musk's vision of the future
Elon Musk's chatbot Grok went on a hateful tirade earlier this month. The AI-powered account praised Hitler and posted a series of antisemitic comments over X, the digital platform also owned by Musk. The company's CEO, Linda Yaccarino, resigned the next day – though it's unclear whether her exit was directly related to the bot's rant. Posting on X, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said Grok's behavior was 'irresponsible, dangerous and antisemitic'. xAI and the Grok account on X apologized for the incident, but days later released two chatbot 'companions', including an NSFW anime avatar available to children and a red panda character built to issue crude insults. Musk, meanwhile, chalked Grok's behavior up to it being 'too eager to please' and to respond to user generated prompts. He said that the issue had been fixed. US politicians and platform advertisers said little, unlike past responses to similar incidents on X. Their silence and Musk's downplaying of the event speak louder than if we had heard significant public denouncements of the chatbot's actions from the powers that be. The relative quiet at the top is illustrative of two things. First, Grok's behavior is not surprising. At this point, it's predictable. Second, little about Grok, X, or xAI is likely to change in the short-term. Grok sharing hateful content is Grok working precisely as it was designed to. Before the inflammatory chatbot was 'born' and launched on X in late 2023, Musk spoke about the need for AI alternatives to ChatGPT, which he deemed too politically correct. He has consistently referred to his anti-woke AI as 'TruthGPT'. Grok was deliberately built to be provocative – and 'to tell it like it is'. Grok is a fitting representation of the current culture of X and, more broadly, of social media and those at its reins. In the years since Musk purchased the internet platform, originally named Twitter, many have pointed out that it has devolved into a space rife with 'racism, misogyny, and lies'. It's also full of spam and scams. Shortly after the platform changed names and hands, most of the people behind content moderation and platform trust and safety were unceremoniously fired. Extremists and conspiracy theorists who had been deplatformed from Twitter were reinstated on X. In late 2024, the social media organization's first transparency report in years revealed serious problems with this new laissez-faire approach, including unsettling new instances of child exploitation. According to Musk, Grok was built to seek and reveal truths beyond the supposedly sanitized content seen on competing generative AI systems or prior social media platforms. But Grok what actually does is tell the 'truth' of the current hands-off, malignant, version of X, and of other social media platforms and tech leadership. Since Musk's acquisition of X – and the deregulation of content that followed – other platforms have followed suit. These shifts follow an executive order and other moves from the Trump administration aimed at curtailing 'censorship' through digital content moderation and, seemingly, the collaborative study of social media propaganda. Meanwhile, social media and AI companies are getting more cozy with Washington: xAI just signed a $200m contract with the Pentagon to provide 'Grok for government'. In past research, I've found that billionaires' and global political leaders' claims about striking down digital media censorship and preserving free speech online are often suspect at best. At worst, and closer to what I've encountered in my analyses, such claims are self-serving for those in power. These figures not only own a significant stake in the digital information environment; they have also purposefully and steadily cultivated the online space to be favorable to their goals and ideas. They seek to artificially control what trends, or what people see as popular behavior, and to make such statements or actions acceptable. But an online world where hate, spam, and scams run rampant is only one version of what the internet and digital media technology can be. The opposite, as Musk and others in Silicon Valley and Washington have rightfully pointed out, is an overtly censored online space. China's internet and social media platforms, for instance, have been tightly controlled by the government since the outset. We do not have to accept either extreme. Empirical research and lessons from recent history show us that we can indeed have healthier, more connective, communication tools. We can have social media platforms that are sensibly and systematically moderated from both the top down and bottom up. But to have such spaces we must demand better, more thoughtful, content moderation and tool design from technologists and policy makers. We must also break big tech's stranglehold on innovation in the social media space. Too much power online is consolidated in the hands of too few companies and individuals. We need new digital platforms that genuinely center human rights, pluralism, and democratic discourse and better policies that allow for such an experience. Samuel Woolley is the author Manufacturing Consensus: Understanding Propaganda in the Era of Automation and Anonymity and co-author of Bots. He is a professor at the University of Pittsburgh
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CEO of Twitter Suddenly Departing After Grok's "MechaHitler" Crisis
After spending just over two years justifying Elon Musk's disastrous ownership over X-formerly-Twitter, CEO Linda Yaccarino has finally had enough. The former media exec announced her resignation on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after Musk's Grok AI chatbot went on an incredibly racist tirade, calling itself "MechaHitler" and attacking Black and Jewish people in astonishingly hateful terms. "When Elon Musk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry out the extraordinary mission of this company," Yaccarino tweeted. "I'm immensely grateful to him for entrusting me with the responsibility of protecting free speech, turning the company around, and transforming X into the Everything App." It's a baffling new development, especially considering the timing. While we still don't know the exact reason for her sudden departure, it's entirely possible Grok's latest Nazi meltdown could've been a factor. Since Musk bought the platform for a whopping $44 billion in 2022, the site has become unrecognizable. Twitter, which Musk renamed to X in 2023, opened up the floodgates to hate speech and disinformation by systematically dismantling its already woefully inadequate guardrails and content moderation efforts. Yaccarino, a former NBCUniversal executive, was brought on at a time when the site's ad sales started cratering. Adverstisers were spooked by Musk's repeated antisemitic outbursts and were unhappy being associated with literal Nazis on the platform. The subsequent advertiser exodus left an enormous hole in the company's already precarious finances, culminating in Musk admitting defeat in a January note to staff. "Our user growth is stagnant, revenue is unimpressive, and we're barely breaking even," he wrote at the time. In other words, Yaccarino, brought on as a fixer of broken relationships, had her work cut out to encourage advertisers to return to Musk's hate speech incubator. Mere months into her stint as the company's CEO, colleagues from the advertising industry were already privately advising Yaccarino to jump ship to save herself following Musk's hateful outbursts. "I think the advertising community is now working to save the reputation of a beloved member of our industry who does not share Elon Musk's views and certainly did not know them when she accepted the role of CEO," marketing consultant Lou Paskalis told Axios in 2023. Yaccarino went on to serve as X's CEO for another year and a half, repeatedly siding with Musk throughout numerous crises, many of which were the direct result of the billionaire's own actions. In short, the legacy Yaccarino leaves behind is bizarre and contradictory, much like Musk himself. Last month, Yaccarino claimed that 96 percent of advertising clients prior to Musk's acquisition had come back to the platform, promising that the company would return to its 2022 advertising goals "super soon." But especially now that she has abruptly left the company, and Grok calls for a "second Holocaust," that goal seems as distant as ever. More on Twitter: Grok Mocks Its Developers as They Try to Delete Its Incredibly Racist Posts Solve the daily Crossword
Bloomberg
17-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Stocks Charge to Fresh Record After Strong Treasury Auction
Good morning. The S&P 500 breaks through the ceiling again. Linda Yaccarino's departure may mark a new dawn for X. And the original Birkin bag sells for a record €8.58 million at auction. Listen to the day's top stories. The S&P 500 raised the bar again. The index hit another high, lifted by soaring airline stocks and Tesla's Robotaxi-fueled gains. A $22 billion sale of 30-year Treasuries showed no letup in longer-term debt appetite despite concerns about a ballooning US deficit and the impacts of Donald Trump's tariffs. Bitcoin extended its record-breaking rally for a second day, with options traders already setting their sights on much higher prices.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Linda Yaccarino Stepping Down As CEO Of X
Linda Yaccarino is exiting X. The former NBCUniversal exec who made headlines two years ago by jumping to X, formerly Twitter, in the wake of Elon Musk's $44 billion acquisition of the platform, announced her departure Wednesday in a post. More from Deadline WGA East & West Leave Elon Musk's X Following "Racist And Antisemitic Language" From AI Tool Grok Elon Musk's AI Chatbot Grok Praises Hitler & Makes Other Offensive Remarks On X Tubi Hires Two Snap Inc. Alums For Key Ad Sales Positions 'After two incredible years, I've decided to step down as CEO of X,' Yaccarino posted on X. 'When @elonmusk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry out the extraordinary mission of this company. I'm immensely grateful to him for entrusting me with the responsibility of protecting free speech, turning the company around, and transforming X into the Everything App.' Musk's terse reply: 'Thank you for your contributions.' The exit came less than a day after Grok, the chatbot created by sister company xAI, stirred up an online furor by spewing antisemitic and Hitler-praising content on X. Speculation swirled Wednesday about the connection between the hate speech episode and Yaccarino's departure, but her role had already been affected by Musk merging X with xAI last March. That deal valued X at $33 billion, Musk said at the time. When Musk let slip that Yaccarino was coming aboard X (in the middle of rehearsals for NBCU's annual upfront presentation at Radio City Music Hall, no less), the news stunned her colleagues and much of the media, tech and business world. Since the beginning, Twitter's financial health had never been particularly robust. Even so, Musk's acquisition came as a shock, or rather a series of jolts. It was preceded by legal battles as he fought to extricate himself from the proposed deal, and then caused thousands of job losses and chaos on the platform, taking a toll on ad revenue, though it has recently been on the rise. Yaccarino came in as a widely respected rainmaker in the traditional ad business, but even her most ardent supporters questioned how her energy would mesh with the brute force of Musk. Given Musk's stature as the world's richest person, maximizing profits has never been the primary goal, but his off-the-cuff style and propensity for tweeting dozens of times a day created non-stop challenges for Yaccarino. With an army of 222 million followers, his social voice and willingness to traffic in objectionable content or conspiracy theories proved a major hurdle to advertisers. After a number of them, including Disney, backed away, Musk taunted them at the 2023 New York Times DealBook conference, telling anyone boycotting the platform to 'go f–k yourself.' Yaccarino made efforts to expand the scope of X's revenue, amplifying video and rolling out subscriptions, but the company has fallen well behind Meta, TikTok and other social rivals. She made a series of content deals with high-profile personalities to host shows on Twitter and renewed a major content agreement with the NFL. She took heat as X ended most content moderation efforts and welcomed back a host of disreputable users whose accounts had been deactivated by the previous owners. Yaccarino made things more difficult for herself in September 2023 with a poorly reviewed appearance at the Code conference, which spurred rumors that she was unlikely to last in the CEO role. Here is Yaccarino's full farewell message: Best of Deadline 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 'Wednesday' Season 2: Everything We Know About The Cast, Premiere Date & More
