X being 'overrun by trolls and lunatics' after Musk takeover: Wikipedia founder – CNBC

LISBON — Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales slammed X, formerly known as Twitter, after its takeover by Elon Musk, saying the social media service is losing users and has been “overrun by trolls and lunatics.”The comments continue a war of words between the two high-profile technology figures that goes back to last year.Responding to a question about what Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter means for the social media landscape, Wales responded on Tuesday: “It’s a huge problem.””I think a lot of people are fleeing Twitter, a lot of thoughtful and serious people are fleeing Twitter,” Wales told CNBC at the Web Summit tech conference in Lisbon.”Twitter was, and now I guess X sort of is, in a way, the default public square for the world. And if it’s being overrun by trolls and lunatics, it’s not good for any of us.”X did not respond to a request for comment when contacted by CNBC. Research from analytics firm Similarweb shows engagement metrics are down for X compared to last year.Wales’ comments come after Musk offered Wikipedia $1 billion if it changes its name to “Dickipedia.”The spat between the two goes back to last year when Musk alleged Wikipedia has “a non-trivial
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