Elon's Super App!

Happy Sunday!

Welcome to the thirteenth edition of the Quantumics Weekly Roundup. This week, we’re taking a deep dive into Elon Musk’s visions for “X”, the everything app, after he went back on himself and decided to buy Twitter (again). We’ll also explore the latest news and information in data and AI, business and tech.

Let’s go! ??

X = Super App ??

Elon wants Twitter to be “maximum amazing”, or at least that’s what he texted Twitter CEO Parag back in April, when he agreed to join Twitter’s board. Fast forward almost half a year of chatter and legal battle between Elon and the social media platform, the Tesla CEO has now offered to buy Twitter again at a price of $54.20 a share. What does Elon plan to do with his new $44 billion side-hustle?

Elon has always had a love for the platform, understands its appeal and power, and seems to have loads of ideas on how to change it. What seems most likely is, as he tweeted earlier this week, using Twitter to build X, an everything app. X is clearly modelled after Chinese super app WeChat.

WeChat, which is owned by the Chinese tech giant Tencent, is absolutely essential to everyday life in China for hundreds of millions of users. It’s like a messaging app, an app store, and a web browser, all in one service; it’s basically the iPhone built into an app.

“There’s no WeChat equivalent outside of China,” Musk said?during a Q&A with Twitter employees ?in June. “You basically live on WeChat in China. If we can recreate that with Twitter, we’ll be a great success”

Elon’s also mentioned using Doge to cut down on bots, by requiring a micro-transaction of the cryptocurrency each time a tweet is made, but how likely this is to happen we’re unsure.

If you want to learn more about what Elon may have in store for Twitter, click?here .

USB-C for good ??

New iPhones will have to use a?USB-C connector ?in the EU from 2024, after the European Parliament finally approved a law that requires a single charging port for mobile phones, tablets, cameras, and other electronic devices.

The EU legislation was first?proposed in September 2021 ?after the European Parliament said it had spent years trying to get companies to voluntarily agree to rely on one type of connector.

This law, the first of its kind in the world, is intended to reduce e-waste and save consumers money. Apple’s iPhones currently use its proprietary Lightning port, while most Android models use USB-Cs.

It will also apply to laptops from 2026, giving manufacturers longer to adapt, although many already use USB-C.

News Bites ??

• US cannabis policy has been thrust to the fore after?President Joe Biden issued a blanket pardon for Americans federally convicted of possessing small amounts of the drug . The news came as a surprise, but it has set cannabis stocks ablaze.
• Several robotics companies, including Boston Dynamics, are pledging not to support the weaponisation of their products ?and are calling for others in the industry to do the same.
• Iran's state-run broadcaster was?apparently hacked on air on Saturday , with a news bulletin interrupted by a protest against the country's leader.

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That’s everything for now, catch you next week!