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- 🚨 Telegram's CEO arrested in Paris
🚨 Telegram's CEO arrested in Paris
PLUS: SpaceX to rescue two stranded astronauts; X's true owners revealed
Steven Van & Jacob Goldschein
August 26, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
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TOP STORY
🚨 Telegram’s CEO arrested in Paris
📸 AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana
Over the weekend, Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram's multi-billion-dollar messaging app, was arrested near Paris.
Did we have a little too much Pinot in Paris (Pah-ree), Mr. Durov?
Nah, not quite. The billionaire was "apprehended on a warrant related to an investigation" because French authorities believe Telegram's lack of moderation "enabled criminal activity to continue unchecked on the app."
Telegram is worth over $30 billion and has at least 900 million users.
📸 Mother Jones / Unsplash
Maybe Durov should take it as a compliment that his app is just so darn easy to use that everyone wants to use it, even criminals.
Despite the obvious flaws that come with it, Telegram prides itself on the hands-off approach to moderation.
Unlike most social media platforms, Telegram focuses on privacy and free speech.
It lets users control their own groups with little interference from Telegram.
Think of Discord just on a much, much larger scale.
But… this decentralized way of running the platform allows many bad apples to roam free and unchecked.
It’s really a give-and-take; free speech does come at a cost.
Group admins and channel owners are responsible for moderating content, which can lead to inconsistent or inadequate moderation.
What’s next?
Durov is reportedly expected to appear in court in the coming days, so we’ll have to wait and see.
Pavel was charged with 12 counts by French authorities.
💬 Pavel Durov has a $15.5 billion net worth.
SPACE
👨🚀 SpaceX to rescue two stranded astronauts
📸 NASA / AP
If you’ve ever gotten lost on a school trip, you know how scary it is to think you may be left behind.
Well, two astronauts have been living that nightmare out… in space.
Earlier this week, NASA announced that they’ve finally found a way to get astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back from the International Space Station.
The legendary space agency has asked SpaceX, Elon Musk’s private space company, to bring home the two astronauts who have been stuck on the ISS since early June.
Did they miss their flight or something? Close.
📸 Inverse
Their Boeing spacecraft ran into several problems mid-flight during what was supposed to be a “routine” eight-day mission, leaving the duo stranded and the aircraft obviously unable to take them home.
Is Boeing screwing up an aircraft?
Par for the course at this point—it’s no surprise they needed the SpaceX bailout.
Thankfully, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be catching a ride back to Earth on an upcoming SpaceX Crew Dragon launch, known as Crew-9, in February.
📉 Boeing ($BA) stock is down -31.09% this year.
The Starliner experienced problems on its way to the ISS, including leaks of helium, which pushes fuel into the propulsion system. Several thrusters also did not work properly.
📸 John Raoux / AP
Thank goodness, but why has it taken so long to bring them back home?
I get it, 'safety is our number one priority,' classic.
It’s great that these astronauts will come home, but do you expect anything different from Boeing?
Seems like they have the opposite of the Midas touch right now—everything they touch turns to sh*t.
💬 The Crew-9 flight is currently scheduled to lift off on Sept. 24 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Wilmore and Williams will be able to fly back in the open seats at the end of the Crew-9 mission in February 2025.
💬 “Spaceflight is risky—even at its safest and even at its most routine—and a test flight, by nature, is neither safe nor routine. The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed is a result of a commitment to safety,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
💬 “Boeings Starliner had already been delayed for several years because of setbacks in the spacecraft’s development. Previous un-crewed flights also suffered technical problems.”
SOCIAL MEDIA
🔍️ X's true owners revealed
📸 Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg - Getty Images, Chesnot - Getty Images, Chesnot - Getty Images
Last week, Elon Musk was forced to reveal the investors who actually own X (formerly known as Twitter).
What do you mean? I thought Musk owned X himself.
Well, you see, while Musk is the prominent owner of X, he had to bring in other investors first to help fund the initial purchase and, second, to help keep the company running smoothly.
✅ Check and ✔️almost check.
Since acquiring X, Musk had argued for this owners list not to be released as a matter of "routine practice and policy."
However, a federal judge in California decided to unseal the list of the site's owners last week.
See, even billionaires need some help sometimes.
And now, for the first time, X has been forced to disclose its top investors due to a lawsuit from former Twitter employees accusing the company of breaching employment contracts.
Here are the most famous of the 95 co-owners:
Bill Ackman
Elon Musk
Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud
Jack Dorsey
Larry Ellison
Sean "Diddy" Combs
Silicon Valley VCs, including 8VC, Andreessen Horowitz, and Sequoia
Damn, are we sure that’s the list of equity partners and not the invite list for the Met Gala? Kidding, of course.
But back to it—why not tell the world about its investors?
Sure, I guess “policy” is essential, but this is a pretty star-studded list and could be great publicity for X.
Well, it might be because X has lost nearly 72% of its value since the takeover in November 2022 through this past January.
Maybe these investors and X would rather NOT have their dirty laundry—i.e., bad investments—known to the world.
But hey, remember, guys, you can’t win ’em all.
💬 The Twitter takeover is officially the worst financing deal for banks since the 2008 financial crisis.
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