On April 20 every year, part of the internet lights up for Elon Musk. The Tesla founder is more willing than some – such as Donald Trump – to interact with followers and trolls on Twitter.
And on this date, he bonds with a chosen few of his fans on the platform. Known as 420 in America, it is a reference to one of the inventor's most notorious escapades. Critics allege that a series of tweets in 2018 about having the money to take Tesla private at $420 per share were written to manipulate the stock price, costing shareholders money.
The figure is linked to US slang for cannabis and triggered regulatory censure. Ordinarily, the South African-born magnate is known as one the world’s most savvy users of social media — sometimes sophisticated, sometimes not — but his conversations contribute to a devoted loyalty among his fans.
Among Mr Musk's army of 82 million Twitter followers are a relative few with whom he regularly interacts, often because they are customers, investors and influencers.
And most of them speak out supporting Tesla, its ambitions and products. It helps spread the word of Tesla and for the chosen few it is a bonding moment with their hero.
Pranay Pathole’s @Ppathole account has more than 125,000 followers. He has tweeted the Tesla chief repeatedly before gaining his attention for the first time in 2018. From Pune, India, he also fields requests to pitch business ideas to the magnate.
Omar Qazi is one of the people running @WholeMarsBlog, another of Mr Musk’s favourite Twitter accounts which has about 60,000 followers.
“The gravity of this guy and the impact he’s having in so many industries is so massive that you just get pulled in,” Mr Qazi said. “People are trying to attack you just for talking to him.”
Mr Qazi has been a vocal Tesla supporter since about 2018 and is also a customer.
There were “basically a lot of people, a lot of very smart and powerful and well-connected people, betting against Tesla”, he said.
German Vivien Hantusch was a student when she first managed to secure a podcast interview with Mr Musk to talk about Tesla.
Her @flcnhvy account had about 134,200 followers before it was deactivated. Videos posted online showed her with Mr Musk and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a factory opening last month.
Psychologist Earl Banning runs the @28delayslater with 70,100 followers. He is known for popularising a trend of taking photos of dogs on Tesla cars. Mr Musk was also tempted to share a photo.
“Once you’re kind of known as one of the people that Elon responds to, people want to follow you,” Mr Banning said.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
MATCH INFO
Watford 2 (Sarr 50', Deeney 54' pen)
Manchester United 0
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Arctic Monkeys
Tranquillity Base Hotel Casino (Domino)
RESULTS
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Without Remorse
Directed by: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Michael B Jordan
4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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The five pillars of Islam
If%20you%20go
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Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
