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Elon Musk

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on Elon Musk:

Elon Musk sues Apple and OpenAI over ‘unfair competition’

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Elon Musk vs. Tim Cook
Elon Musk and Tim Cook appear headed for court.
Image: ChatGPT

Elon Musk’s xAI filed a lawsuit on Monday against Apple and OpenAI claiming they’re conspiring to stifle competition in artificial intelligence apps.

This comes two weeks after Musk took to social media to complain that the No. 1 Top Free App in the iPhone App Store at the time was OpenAI’s ChatGPT, not the Grok app from xAI, an AI startup that the billionaire owns.

Apple almost became a satellite internet provider

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Globalstar satellites
Today, your home internet might come from satellites and Apple, except the company changed its mind.
Photo: Globalstar

Your iPhone and home internet service could come beamed from satellites in orbit in a service provided by Apple — but no. The company reportedly spent millions investigating the idea before dropping it.

Instead, recent iPhones have limited access to satellite connectivity, and even that brought Apple into conflict with Elon Musk and Starlink.

Apple and Elon Musk go head-to-head over satellite connectivity

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Starlink Satellites
Elon Musk’s political clout might force Apple to use Starlink for satellite connectivity.
Photo: Starlink

Apple’s move to build satellite connectivity into the iPhone reportedly faces pushback from Elon Musk, owner of the rival Starlink satellite service.

Competition between similar services is nothing unusual, but the twist here is that Musk is the world’s richest man by a wide margin and has become extraordinarily powerful in President Donald Trump’s administration, to the point where some critics call him an unelected co-president. He’ll be a tough foe for Apple.

Elon Musk threatens to ban iPhones from his companies over Apple’s OpenAI deal

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An illustration of an iPhone tapping into Apple Intelligence, used to illustrate concerns that prompted Elon Musk to threaten an iPhone ban at his companies.
How safe is your iPhone on Apple Intelligence?
Image: Apple

After Cupertino confirmed rumors that it would integrate ChatGPT into iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia as part of its Apple Intelligence framework, Elon Musk threatened to ban iPhones and other Apple devices from his company’s offices over security concerns.

“If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies,” Musk — who runs Tesla, X and SpaceX, among other things — said on the platform formerly known as Twitter. “That is an unacceptable security violation.”

Change the X icon back to Twitter

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Give me back the bird!
Everyone’s favorite bird icon is back… kind of.
Image: Garrett Heath/Wikimedia Commons/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

If you miss the Twitter icon, you’re not alone. But there’s good news: You can easily change the app’s new X icon back to Twitter’s blue bird on your Home Screen by using a shortcut.

While it’s too late for Elon Musk to backtrack on many of the questionable business decisions he made since buying Twitter, you can at least patch over this latest one using my free downloadable Shortcut.

If you’re still using X, née Twitter, you might want the bright blue bird back on your Home Screen. I’ll show you how to get it.

Wozniak, Musk and leading researchers urge pause on ‘out of control’ AI

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The letter doesn't refer to the
The letter doesn't refer to the "rise of the machines" a la "Terminator," but it could have.
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

A new open letter signed by tech leaders urges a six-month pause on development of advanced artificial intelligence applications that may pose “profound risks to society and humanity.”

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, other tech execs and many AI academics signed the letter. It urges caution concerning “emergent” AI more powerful than GPT-4. We’re not talking Siri here (at least not yet).

Elon Musk vs. Apple: Tech battle for the ages! [The CultCast]

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Elon Musk versus Apple on The CultCast podcast: Well, that escalated quickly!
Well, that escalated quickly!
Image: Steve Jurvetson/Flickr CC/Modified by Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After new Twitter CEO Elon Musk began publicly questioning some of Apple’s policies, he went mano-a-mano with Tim Cook. Maybe Musk’s meme-y declaration of war was a bit premature …

Also on The CultCast:

  • The sad state of iCloud storage.
  • A Twitter phone? Really?!?
  • 2023 MacBook Pro benchmarks reveal a big fat surprise.
  • A totally weird tale about the dangers of walking the streets of New York City with hundreds of iPhones.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Elon Musk admits Apple never planned to kick Twitter out of iPhone App Store

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The world's richest person will soon have total control of Twitter.
Apple isn't threatening to delete Twitter from the App Store, no matter what Elon Musk said earlier.
Photo: Elon Musk/Twitter/Cult of Mac

Twitter CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday walked back his claim that Apple was threatening to remove Twitter from the App Store.

This comes after Musk said he engaged in a “good conversation” with Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Elon Musk declares war on Apple

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Elon Musk declares war on Apple over App Store rules.
1, 2, 3, 4 ... I declare a Twitter war.
Image: Steve Jurvetson/Flickr CC/Modified by Cult of Mac

Elon Musk declared war on Apple on Monday afternoon. A Twitter war, anyway. The new owner of Twitter very publicly objects to the 30% fee the iPhone-maker claims from purchases made through the iPhone software store, and also says Apple has threatened to pull the Twitter app from the App Store. He also asked, “Do they [Apple] hate free speech in America?”

An open conflict with Apple is a risky move by Musk, as Twitter needs Apple much more than Apple needs Twitter.

Elon Musk plans to end ‘Twitter for iPhone’ and Android labels

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Apple's Twitter account and other high-profile accounts hacked in massive Bitcoin scam.
Prepare to say goodbye to device labels on Twitter.
Photo: Ravi Sharma/Unsplash CC

Over the years, numerous celebrities have been caught promoting flagship Android phones on Twitter while tweeting from their iPhones. This could soon become a thing of the past, due to a change proposed by Twitter CEO Elon Musk.

The new Twitter owner plans to remove the “Twitter for iPhone” or “Twitter for Android” label below each tweet.

Elon Musk throws in towel, agrees to buy Twitter at original price

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The world's richest person will soon have total control of Twitter.
Looks like Musk will buy Twitter after all.
Photo: Elon Musk/Twitter/Cult of Mac

Elon Musk reportedly has stopped his efforts to get out of buying Twitter. He’s going to purchase the social media platform at his original price from April.

He spent the intervening months trying back out of the deal, which forces him to pay much more for the company than its current value.

Elon Musk puts Twitter acquisition on hold

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The world's richest person will soon have total control of Twitter.
He is still comitted to the deal, though
Photo: Elon Musk/Twitter/Cult of Mac

Elon Musk has put his Twitter acquisition on hold, he said early Friday in a tweet. Musk said he awaits further details and calculations confirming Twitter’s claims that spam accounts on the platform account for less than 5% of active users.

The move comes less than a month after Twitter accepted Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition offer.

Elon Musk buys Twitter for a cool $44 billion

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The world's richest person will soon have total control of Twitter.
The world's richest person will soon have total control of Twitter.
Photo: Elon Musk/Twitter/Cult of Mac

Twitter said Monday it accepted Elon Musk’s offer to purchase the company for $44 billion. That gives the billionaire — who is the world’s wealthiest person — absolute control of the social media platform after the deal is approved.

Elon Musk wants to take over Twitter by spending $41 billion

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Elon Musk
Elon Musk now wants to acquire the whole of Twitter
Photo: NORAD and USNORTHCOM Public Affair/Wikipedia CC

Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has offered $41 billion in cash to take over Twitter. He wants to take the social media company private to ensure it is able to thrive and “be the platform for free speech around the globe.”

The move comes less than two weeks after Musk spent $3 billion to become Twitter’s largest shareholder.

Elon Musk flip-flops on joining Twitter board

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A new Twitter threaded conversation layout might declutter the tweet machine.
Elon Musk changed his mind about joining the Twitter board of directors shortly before joining it.
Image: Twitter

Elon Musk is not going to be on the Twitter board of directors, despite what was announced a few days ago. The Twitter CEO says the change is “for the best.”

Musk is retaining his 9.2% stake in the company, though. And he’s has shown a lot of enthusiasm about Twitter recently. Why he’s not joining its board is unclear.

Twitter confirms it really is working on an edit button

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Twitter is working on an edit button
Twitter Blue subscribers will get to test it first.
Image: Twitter

Twitter is officially working on an edit button that will give users the ability to tweak tweets after they’ve been posted. It said Wednesday that the feature has been in development since last year — long before Elon Musk’s involvement.

Testing of the edit button will begin with Twitter Blue subscribers in the coming months before eventually rolling out to everyone.

Elon Musk bags a seat on Twitter’s board and teases an edit button

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Elon Musk joins Twitter's board
Musk paid almost $3 billion for a 9.2% stake in the social media company.
Image: Twitter

Elon Musk this week earned himself a spot on Twitter’s board after becoming the social media giant’s largest shareholder. It was revealed on Monday that the Tesla CEO purchased a 9.2% stake in the company, worth almost $3 billion.

Musk also teased an edit button for tweets, which has been one of the most-requested features among Twitter users for many years.

Elon Musk splashes $3 billion to become Twitter’s largest shareholder

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Elon Musk spends $3 billion on Twitter
What's next for Musk and Twitter?
Image: Elon Musk/Twitter/Cult of Mac

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has acquired a 9% stake in Twitter worth almost $3 billion. The purchase, revealed in a recent regulatory filing, gets Musk a whopping 73,486,938 shares in the popular social media platform.

Despite being described as a passive investment, one analyst believes the move is “just the start” of Musk’s involvement with Twitter.

Elon Musk: Don’t waste money on ‘silly’ Apple Polishing Cloth, buy our $50 Tesla whistle

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Tesla's $50 whistle
It's already sold out!
Photo: Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk thinks you should avoid wasting your money on a “silly” Apple Polishing Cloth and instead spend it on his company’s $50 Cyberwhistle.

Inspired by Cybertruck, the limited-edition collectible — which is not a joke — is made from medical-grade stainless steel with a polished finish. It also features “an integrated attachment feature for added versatility.”

This $8,400 iPhone 13 contains a real piece of Tesla car

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Tesla Electro iPhone 13
It also includes a portrait of Elon Musk.
Photo: Caviar

Caviar is back with another crazy (and wildly expensive) custom iPhone. Its latest model, which is dubbed the Tesla Electro, contains a real piece from a Tesla car and is available in iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max versions.

You can get yours with up to 1TB of storage, but be warned that prices can reach an eye-watering $8,380.

F**k you! How Tim Cook responded when Elon Musk demanded his job

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Elon Musk
Tesla’s Elon Musk allegedly once demanded to become Apple CEO. It didn’t go well.
Photo: NORAD and USNORTHCOM Public Affair/Wikipedia CC

Many people think Apple’s refusal to buy Tesla when the car-maker was struggling was a serious mistake. But it turns out there might have been a previously unknown condition of the deal that made Apple immediately end negotiations: Tesla’s Elon Musk reportedly wanted to become Apple CEO.

Elon Musk takes a couple of digs at Apple during Tesla earnings call

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Elon Musk
Hasn't always been nice about Apple in the past.
Photo: NORAD and USNORTHCOM Public Affair/Wikipedia CC

Elon Musk took a couple of potshots at Apple during Tesla’s Monday earnings call. The Tesla and SpaceX boss started by claiming that Apple uses more cobalt in its batteries than Tesla. He later on talked about “walled gardens” in tech, and fake-coughed while saying Apple’s name.

This isn’t the first time that Musk, who currently has a net worth of $160 billion, has dissed Apple.

Apple turned down offer to buy Tesla on the cheap

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The Tesla Model 3 is the company’s sedan
When Tesla was struggling to launch the Model 3, the CEO investigated selling the company to Apple.
Photo: Tesla

Apple could have bought electric automaker Tesla at a bargain price, according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk. But Apple’s chief executive wasn’t interested.

Musk revealed this historic bombshell Tuesday, alongside his comments on a recent report about Apple’s plans for a self-driving vehicle.

‘Embarrassingly late’ Tesla app update will introduce two-factor authentication

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A Tesla Model X similar to this one crashed in 2018.
Tesla's app lets owners remotely operate vehicle features.
Photo: Tesla

The official Tesla app is finally getting two-factor authentication (2FA) — in an update that Tesla CEO Elon Musk himself admits is “embarrassingly late.”

2FA is necessary for the Tesla app because it allows users to remotely control features such as locking and unlocking the vehicle, locating it, flashing its lights, and more. The addition of extra security is therefore something that would be extremely useful.

Celebrate Elon Musk’s SpaceX Mars ambitions with custom iPhone 12 Pro

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Musk on Mars phone
All yours for around $5,000.
Photo: Caviar

The iPhone 12 isn’t out yet, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has yet to fulfill his ambition of landing on Mars — but Russian luxury firm Caviar is getting ahead of the game.

This week, it announced a new limited series of 19 “Musk Be On Mars” iPhone 12 Pro handsets. Rather than being blinged out with gold and diamonds like previous Caviar iPhones, these special-edition units will feature “a piece from the SpaceX spaceship that was in space,” bas relief of the Dragon spacecraft, and a laser-engraved Musk signature.

All yours for a starting price of $4,990.