Mr. Musk, der durchgeknallte Superheld

Mit seinen Eskapaden auf Twitter fällt Elon Musk negativ auf. Immer wieder streitet er sich mit Kritikern. Die Investoren werden nervös. Gefährdet er den Erfolg von Tesla? Oder gehören solche Kontroversen dazu – bei einem wie Musk

Elon Musk – der Pionier mit Wurzeln in Südafrika musste sich zuletzt entschuldigen, weil er auf Twitter ausfällig wurde.

von Nikolaus jilch diepresse.com
21.07.2018 um 18:21

Bei Twitter kann jeder jedem alles an den Kopf werfen. Dort wird den ganzen Tag gestritten, über Sport oder Wirtschaft oder Politik, über nationale und internationale Themen, über richtig und falsch. Am Ende ist es alles ziemlich egal. Aber manchmal werden auf Twitter Karrieren gestartet und beendet. Donald Trump ist ein starker Nutzer, spricht dort Fans und Gegner direkt an. Twitter hat ihm teilweise zum Wahlsieg verholfen. Heute können 140 Zeichen aus seinen Fingern die Weltpolitik bewegen. Am anderen Ende sitzt die Schauspielerin Roseanne Barr. Die sah ihren zweiten Frühling abrupt beendet, nachdem sie einen rassistischen Tweet abgesetzt hatte und ihr Sender das Gleiche kurz später mit ihrer TV-Show machte. Und dann ist da noch Elon Musk. Der Unternehmer, Milliardär und Tesla-Chef ist bekannt dafür, in seiner 100-Stunden-Woche irgendwo auch Zeit für Twitter zu finden. Meist geht das gut. Manchmal gehörig daneben.

So wie sein Tweet in Richtung eines Tauchers, der bei der Rettungsaktion für die Burschen beteiligt war, die in einer Höhle in Thailand gefangen waren. Der Taucher Vern Unsworth kritisierte Musk, nachdem der ein Mini-U-Boot nach Thailand hatte schicken lassen. Das sei ein „PR-Stunt“, so Unsworth. Musk könne sich „sein U-Boot sonst wohin stecken“.

The City resigns itself to limited access to the EU

Date: 19-07-2018
Source: The Economist

Realism starts to sink in regarding post-Brexit opportunities for financial firms

FOR the City of London, the uncertainty around Brexit has been a quagmire. Its financial firms, deeply connected as they are to the rest of the European Union, have been forced into extensive contingency planning, including moving operations and staff, in order to be prepared for any possible Brexit scenario. The government’s white paper, published on July 12th, at last brought some clarity, representing Britain’s most detailed Brexit plan to date. But for some in the City, it also proved a bitter disappointment.

Passporting, which has allowed the City’s firms to trade across the EU without separate regulatory or capital requirements, is tied to membership of the single market, which was rejected early on by the British government. Since January 2017 the City has sought the next-best option, a deal based on “mutual recognition”, where Britain and the EU would recognise each other’s regulatory regimes and allow licence-free access in both directions. A detailed proposal was laid out last September by a group co-sponsored by TheCityUK, an industry body, and the City of London Corporation. Theresa May and her chancellor, Philip Hammond, said they would seek mutual recognition.

Amazon Closes in on Apple’s Top Spot

Date: 20-07-2018
Source: The Wall Street Journal

Amazon.com Inc. is making another run at the title of world’s most valuable company.

The e-commerce giant ended Wednesday’s trading session with a market value of $894 billion, according to the WSJ Market Data Group. That puts the Seattle-based company just $42 billion shy of Apple Inc.’s world-topping market capitalization.

Apple overtook Exxon Mobil Corp. in 2011 to claim the title of world’s most valuable company. The iPhone maker and oil giant swapped positions a few times in the following years before Apple retook the top spot in 2016.

But Amazon’s share-price surge in recent months is threatening to unseat Apple. Amazon’s stock is up 80% over the past year, while Apple shares have gained 27%. Both are far outpacing the S&P 500’s 14% gain over that period.

Donald Trump’s humiliation in Helsinki

Date: 19-07-2018
Source: The Economist

How to interpret a shameful press conference with Vladimir Putin

DONALD TRUMP likes to boast that he does things differently from his predecessors. That was certainly true of his trip to Europe. In Brussels he chided Germany for a gas deal that left it “totally controlled by Russia”. In England he humiliated his host, Theresa May, blasting her Brexit plan before holding her hand and hailing “the highest level of special” relationship. From his Scottish golf resort he called the European Union a “foe” on trade. And in Helsinki, asked whether Russia had attacked America’s democracy, he treated President Vladimir Putin as someone he trusts more than his own intelligence agencies. It was a rotten result for America and the world.

Americans were more than usually outraged. At the post-summit press conference in Helsinki, with the world watching and the American flag behind him, their head of state had appeared weak. He was unwilling to stand up for America in the face of an assault that had been graphically described three days earlier by Robert Mueller, the special counsel probing election meddling, in his indictment of 12 Russian military-intelligence officers. Republicans were among Mr Trump’s fiercest critics. “No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant,” wrote Senator John McCain. Even Newt Gingrich, normally a staunch defender, decried “the most serious mistake of his presidency”. The reaction forced Mr Trump into a convoluted series of climbdowns, which did little to repair the damage.