Trigger warning: This article contains references to sexual assault.
Wednesday: A crispy sunbaked desert in the middle of the workweek. The oasis of the weekend might seem like a lifetime away, as your head swoons with other melodramatic thoughts.
However, The Headlines has got your back. This article is going to drench you with some interesting knowledge that’ll keep you going for the next few days. Don’t believe me? Well, here are some of Wednesday’s biggest stories anyway:
Elon Musk Wants Verified Twitter Accounts to Cost Cash
The tech billionaire and internet celebrity Elon Musk caused quite a ruckus when he bought Twitter on October 27. This online drama has continued with Musk deciding that verified blue check marks should cost $8.00 USD each month.
“Power to the people! Blue for $8/month,” said Musk on his new platform.
These verified users would also potentially get priority when replying to someone, half as many ads, and the ability to post longer videos on the platform.
The blue tick was originally devised by Twitter to make impersonating someone else more difficult.
Earlier this week, some internal Twitter planning documents stated that they might charge $19.99 USD a month to verify its users. This caused a whack of backlash on-site. Musk has confirmed that he’s walking Twitter’s price back in response to this outcry. Whether or not Musk’s new plan yields the same negativity is yet to be determined.
This isn’t the first time that Musk has run into resentment or controversy. For instance, earlier this year, Musk’s implant company Neuralink killed some monkeys by inserting Bluetooth chips into their brains. Additionally, on a very serious note, Musk has been accused of sexually assaulting one of his former SpaceX employees.
Mike Cannon-Brookes Goes Off on AGL Energy — Here’s Why
Speaking of rich people, Mike Cannon-Brookes is a billionaire, co-founder of the tech company Atlassian, and the largest shareholder of AGL Energy. Cannon-Brookes has been pushing for AGL Energy to move away from selling coal and gas power to instead sell renewable forms of power. AGL Energy has been combative and resistant to this change.
In Cannon-Brookes and AGL Energy’s most recent stoush, the energy company has questioned if they need four new directors on its board. These four director nominees were chosen by Cannon-Brookes’ private vehicle Grok Ventures.
AGL’s Chairman, Patricia McKenzie, said that Cannon-Brookes’ nominees might not provide any “additional experience and skills necessary to ensure the successful implementation of the board’s strategy.”
This frustrated Cannon-Brookes, who also alleged that the board said that his nominees would threaten its independence.
“They meet every single legal definition of being independent,” said Cannon-Brookes.
“There is no connection, no contract, no legal agreement with any of them. Some of them I haven’t even spoken to.”
The nominees that Grok Ventures put forward are:
- Swinburne University’s Chancellor, John Pollaers
- CSR’s Director, Christine Holman
- The former director of Tesla Energy, Mark Twidell
- The former board chair of Energy Security, Kerry Schott
“Now, as a shareholder, I want to build a great growth company that goes and attacks this decarbonisation opportunity and really profits from it. It has a huge potential to do so, given the assets it has, and we need great talent to go do that,” said Cannon-Brookes.
Related: AGL Caves to Mike Cannon-Brookes — So What’s Next?
Related: 2,755 Billionaires — How The World’s Richest Got Richer During the Pandemic
Surfer Andrew Bau Has Thanked His Rescuers In Person
In some good news, Sydneysider Andrew Bau has at last been able to meet Ted Strong and Will Pamplin in person. Eight months ago, these two Surf Life Saving Australia teenagers pulled Bau’s unconscious body out of the ocean at Cronulla. Bau had not been able to meet his rescuers up until now because they live in Port Macquarie and he received a medical ban from driving.
Bau has said that he is incredibly grateful that he got to meet Strong and Pamplin and thank them for their work.
“For me, getting the chance to go back and talk with them and say that I don’t have brain damage, to say I don’t have broken ribs, I don’t have internal organ damage, and that what you trained [for] and what you applied in my case worked, so that was certainly, I think, helpful for me and certainly good for them,” said Bau.
“Not that the boys know yet, but I think that there could be a surprise show at the 18th and at the 21sts and all of those wonderful things that they have in front of them.”
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a sexual assault, please contact the Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence National Help Line on 1800 Respect (1800 737 732) or head to The Australian Human Rights Commission for a list of state by state resources.
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