Elon Musk has no easy way out of his fight with the European Commission, which is investigating whether his social-media site X breached rules designed to limit illegal content and disinformation. The billionaire is facing determined adversaries in the relevant Commissioners Thierry Breton and Margrethe Vestager, who have a new legal tool. Musk may eventually conclude that pulling the plug makes sense.
The Commission last month issued a preliminary finding, opens new tab that X had breached the Digital Services Act (DSA), a sprawling new piece of legislation, opens new tab that aims to combat harmful online content. Among other things, Brussels took issue with the site’s blue user checkmarks, which it fears bestow a false credibility on some accounts. X said it disagreed with the Commission’s assessment. Another investigation, into the way Musk’s site moderates disinformation and illegal content, is ongoing.
Breton took the unusual step of reminding Musk publicly about the DSA on X, causing consternation in Brussels but also highlighting the Frenchman’s commitment to the case. The ultimate possible penalties include fines equivalent to 6% of revenue.
So the H1B system is a mess entirely of it’s own and that happens to folks who came via H1B visas at any job.
You’re not convincing me that we should feel bad for these specific people at SpaceX because of a systemic issue. I feel bad for them due to the nature of the system, not because they chose to work at SpaceX, specifically. That was still a choice, and while they’re still in their parent country, still a decision they can say “no” to. It’s a choice borne of exploitation at its core, and the fact that SpaceX employs so many H1B workers should be viewed as another negative against the company instead of another reason to let the company off the hook.