TWITTER TWAT QUITS : Dick Costolo Job Was Safe A Month Ago Before Client Spamming Campaign

Perhaps the incoming CEO will have the brains and balls to put a stop to spamming (so-called "monetizing") their own clients without payment or even so much as an advance notice; Costolo should have stuck with being a comedian as he sure as hell can't run a successful company: BOYCOTT TWITTER UNTIL THEY STOP PAID SPAMMING OF CLIENT ACCOUNTS  

FORTUNE
By Laura Lorenzetti
06/11/2015

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo announced Thursday afternoon that he will be stepping down as of July 1, handing the reins over to cofounder Jack Dorsey, who will serve as interim CEO. That’s a drastic turn of events given his comments at the Re/Code Code Conference just a month ago.

Costolo, who has led the social media company since October 2010 after taking over for Evan Williams, was asked point blank by host Kara Swisher if he expected to have his job by January given the tumultuous year Twitter’s had so far. 

Indeed, many analysts and investors have been speculating if it was time for a leadership change.

But Costolo blew off the concerns, Business Insider reports:

The board and I are totally in sync about what we need to do — we have a very clear strategy that we’ve articulated and that we’re following. I don’t worry about whether I’ll be there at the end of the year.

Costolo said that if anything, he’s an over-communicator, making sure the Twitter TWTR 0.17% board is always aligned on strategy and expectations. It seems like that alignment shifted course in recent weeks, leaving Costolo behind.

When Costolo, a one-time comedian who’d had modest successes as an entrepreneur, became Twitter’s chief operating officer in 2009 (and the next year, CEO), he shook things up. He replaced the entire board, including prominent investors Fred Wilson and Bijan Sabet, to halt leaks. He oversaw the hiring of Adam Bain, who created Twitter’s entire advertising business. When Twitter filed its Form S-1 to go public, it reported 198% year-on-year revenue growth. Costolo was popular among employees, who on Thursday gushed with support of him on Twitter using the hashtag #thankyoudickc as if he’d died rather than resigned.

Moronic, money-grubbing dickhead: Costolo

should have stuck with being a comedian

But as a public company with a $32 billion valuation, Costolo’s early credit quickly turned to blame. Twitter’s shares took their first hit on January 9, 2014 after three analysts downgraded the stock prior to the company’s ever first quarterly earnings report. Twitter has been playing defense ever since, and the company’s stock price has languished as a result.

It’s a stark turnaround from Twitter’s cushy life as a well-funded private company, where a lack of profits is something to celebrate and turnover of key employees could be brushed off as “growing pains.” It’s also a warning sign to any so-called “unicorn” startup that expects its big exit to be an IPO. 

As venture investor Alan Patricof likes to say, these companies will have to be valued on a multiple of their earnings at some point. It explains why very few companies—tech or otherwise—have gone public this year, and the most valuable ones, like Uber, don’t intend to.

The lesson of Dick Costolo’s Twitter tenure is clear: Do not go public unless you are wildly profitable and growing like gangbusters. That strategy has worked out well for Facebook, its stock rising 31% each year and its a bungled IPO a distant memory. Others, like Etsy, On Deck Capital, and Castlight Health are all learning this lesson the hard way. In December, Twitter co-founder Evan Williams scolded Wall Street short-termism. “Wall Street does not have a sophisticated understanding of what creates value in this world,” he told Fortune.

Wall Street’s complaints for Twitter are myriad. It isn’t profitable. Its key metrics, including monthly active users, aren’t growing. It isn’t mainstream enough, like Snapchat or Instagram. The product is confusing. The ads aren’t that compelling. Even Chris Sacca, an early Twitter investor who says he “bleeds” Twitter’s signature aquamarine, has a college essay’s worth of strongly worded suggestions for improvement. It’s beginning to feel like Twitter is doomed to live forever as company that can’t fulfill its potential.

Twitter is stealing your intellectual property - your Twitter feeds - to make money on forced, embedded "promotional ads" better known as SPAM that cannot be removed, while clients do not receive a dime for it or even notice that it is going to happen to THEM

Costolo’s attempts to address the complaints in the public’s eye—subject to more intense scrutiny than Twitter had as a private company—have fallen short. With regard to its primary product, for example, Twitter has struggled to create meaningful improvements. As my colleague Mathew Ingram pointed out on Thursday:

"There have been no less than five heads of product at Twitter, and none were able to put together a consistent vision and get buy-in from a board and a CEO who were more concerned about protecting the stock price and their venture backers."

Costolo failed at doing the things that protect a stock price, too. Twitter doubled its revenues every year it was a public company, which is an impressive feat. But it never turned a profit, which is what investors demanded.

Worse, Twitter lost its magic ability to lure in new users—the very thing that propelled it through its rocky early years. Costolo even tried to shift the narrative on user growth, pointing to the number of people who see Tweets embedded around the Web (500 million) instead of how many people actually use Twitter (just under 300 million). The company announced plans to begin monetizing those “logged-out” users.

Investors didn’t buy the strategy. It’s not clear even Costolo bought it. Before his resignation this week, Costolo offered to resign last November, and again in February, he said on a media call Thursday. The third time, the board agreed.

See you later, Dickhead, good riddance and 

don't let the door hit you on the ass

It’s possible no one could have done a better job at cleaning up Twitter and taking it public than Dick Costolo. It’s also possible anyone could do a better job of making investors happy than him. The only clear thing is that investors decided long ago that they’d lost faith in Costolo. Once that happens, it wouldn’t have mattered what he did. For a public company as high profile and highly valued as Twitter, it’s nearly impossible for a CEO to win the faith back. Investors are fickle, so if there’s a target on your back, you’re as good as dead. Want proof? Twitter shares were up 4% in after-hours trading on the news of Costolo’s resignation.

This news bureau contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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Australia Has Hit "New Low" Amid Claims Of Payment To People Smugglers

Doofus PM tries to pull a Bush/Obama tough-guy act, fails miserably; Abbott's main problem is Indonesians and Australians are not American sheep and see straight through his transparent lies and bogus bullshit

THE GUARDIAN
06/13/2015

Australia would have stooped to a “new low” if reports its navy paid people-smugglers bound for Australia thousands of dollars to turn back their boat are true, an Indonesian government official said on Saturday. 

Elephant-eared, idiot PM thought he could pull

Bush/Obama bullshit act and get away with it

A boat captain and two crew members arrested this week on suspicion of human trafficking told Indonesian police that Australian authorities had paid each of them $US5,000 ($A6450) to turn back their vessel with 65 migrants on board. 

“Under Australian’s push-back policy we have been consistently saying they are on a slippery slope,” Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Armanatha Nasir said.

“Should this situation be confirmed and it turns out to be true, it would be a new low for the way the government of Australia handles the situation on irregular migration.”

Nasir said it would be the first time such an incident occurred involving Australian authorities.

Not buying it: Indonesian Foreign Ministry
spokesman Mr. Armanatha Nasir

Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi raised the issue with Australia’s ambassador to Indonesia, Paul Grigson, on the sidelines of a foreign policy conference in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

“He promised to bring my question to Canberra,” Marsudi told reporters. “We are really concerned, if it is confirmed.”

Indonesia plans to ask Australia for clarification, he said. 

Australian authorities could be accused of people smuggling over the issue, an international law expert says.

The prime minister, Tony Abbott, did not deny the claims when questioned about it on Friday.

Mr. Abbott and his immigration minister, Peter Dutton, have repeatedly refused to discuss the specifics of how the Australian authorities deal with asylum-seekers at sea. The government has pledged to turn migrant boats around to stop them from entering Australia’s territorial waters, and it holds migrants at offshore detention centers to discourage others from attempting the journey to Australia.

Abbott trying on Obama technique in attempting to "punish" Indonesian government for recently executing AU drug smugglers, using boat refugees as pawns

Human rights groups and the United Nations have strongly criticized Australia’s immigration policies.

Professor of international law at the Australian National University, Don Rothwell, says if proven the activity could be tantamount to people smuggling under current regional protocols.

Abbott stands accused of paying human traffickers to divert 

boats to Indonesia

“People smuggling is defined with the protocol and to that end the provision of monies to people who are engaged in people-smuggling activities to take persons from a place on the high seas to another place, such as Indonesia, is clearly a people smuggling-type activity,” he told the ABC.

He said the claims also raised questions because Australia was a party to the 2000 protocol to disrupt people smuggling.

Rothwell said a lot would depend on how Australia’s regional partners responded to the allegations.

The Indonesian government appeared to be taking them seriously, he said.

“We’ll no doubt hear from Indonesia in the future about this.”

Abbott did not deny the allegations in a radio interview but he did say officials were being “incredibly creative” in following Australia’s policy to turn back the boats.

“What we do is stop the boats by hook or by crook,” Abbott said.

“We have stopped the trade and we will do what we have to do to ensure that it stays stopped.”

He repeatedly declined to confirm whether Australia was investigating the claims. 

Abbott needs to hire spare Obama propagandists

The finance minister Mathias Cormann said the allegation was not an accurate reflection of what was happening. “The prime minister has essentially stuck to his very long-standing practice of not to provide a running commentary on operational matters,” he told Sky News on Saturday.

“He didn’t confirm or deny, he didn’t make comment one way or the other. He certainly didn’t indicate that payments have been made.”

Labor has called on Abbott to emphatically deny Customs paid people smugglers to turn back asylum seeker boats.

The opposition immigration spokesman Richard Marles said Abbott’s refusal to deny the practice had left the door wide open to the idea the government was handing wads of taxpayer’s cash to smugglers.

Moronic PM so out of touch with reality he believes that not only Australians but Indonesians will buy into his bullshit 

“Really it leaves one with the only possible assumption that that may well have been exactly what happened,” he told reporters in Melbourne on Saturday.

Richard Marles, the opposition Labor Party’s spokesman for immigration, said Saturday that Mr. Abbott’s refusal to clearly deny having paid human traffickers “leaves one with the only possible assumption that that may well have been exactly what happened.”

The minority Greens Party said it would submit a motion in the Senate, possibly as early as Monday, demanding that the government produce any documents related to the interception of the boat.

“Paying cash bribes to boat crews amounts to people trafficking,” Sarah Hanson-Young, a Greens senator, said Saturday in a statement. “The government does not have a mandate to break the law or a blank check to allow handing over wads of cash in the middle of the ocean.” She said Parliament had a responsibility to find out what had happened.

Reuters, Australian Associated Press and the New York Times contributed to this report.

This news bureau contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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South Korea Mers Outbreak Is "Large And Complex" Says WHO, As 14th Victim Dies

This as WHO urges air travel into South Korea, schools to re-open; DO NOT LISTEN TO THE WHO LIARS, THEY ARE PROMOTING A PANDEMIC: In addition to Ribavirin (Copegus) 200mg, oxygen recommended for home quarantine patients displaying symptoms along with strict sanitation and a 50% chlorine/water solution for disinfecting all surfaces, burn/bury infected clothing, linen; NO NOT FLY, DO NOT TRAVEL IN ASEAN  

THE GUARDIAN
06/13/2015

The outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome in South Korea is “large and complex” and more cases should be anticipated, experts have warned.

MERS

World Health Organisation officials made the comments after a review of the Mers outbreak which has now claimed 14 lives.

The latest fatality was a 68-year-old woman who contracted the virus at a hospital in Pyeongtaek, 65km (40 miles) south of Seoul, the health ministry said on Saturday.

It said all the 14 deceased had pre-existing health conditions, with the most recent fatality suffering from hypertension and hypothyroidism.

Twelve new infected patients brought to 138 the total number of confirmed cases, in the largest outbreak of Mers outside Saudi Arabia.

Continue to keep children out of school until outbreak has demonstrably subsided

One of the 12 new cases of the outbreak of included an ambulance driver who moved a 75-year-old infected woman to Samsung Medical Centre in southern Seoul on 7 June, where she died three days later. 

DO NOT LISTEN TO OR FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS 

OF THE WHO LIARS

At a news conference in Sejong, south of the capital, Seoul, the WHO’s assistant director general, Keiji Fukuda, said there was also no indication that the MERS virus in South Korea had changed to make it more transmissible. 

“Because the outbreak has been large and is complex, more cases should be anticipated,” said Fukuda. 

He said he was encouraged that South Korea’s control measures were having an impact. 

The 68-year-old businessman who brought Mers back to South Korea visited several health centres for a cough and fever before he was diagnosed, leaving a trail of infection in his wake.

All of South Korea’s cases have been linked to health facilities. 

“At present, the mission has found no evidence to indicate there is an ongoing transmission in the community,” Fukuda said. 

Avoid public areas

Authorities have sealed off at least two hospitals and about 3,500 people are in quarantine, either at home or in medical facilities. Quarantine has been widened to isolate and test anyone who may have come into contact with a MERS patient. 

DO NOT FLY. This image says it all: WHY are these airline workers wearing Hazmat suits during routine cabin cleaning operations between flights?

Out of 133 people whose contacts have been traced, the largest single group of 60 people have contracted the disease at Samsung Medical Centre, one of the largest hospitals in Seoul.

Think you are overreacting? Just ask yourself these simple questions: If MERS is not airborne or possibly airborne, then WHY are MERS hospital patients in negative airflow rooms? WHY are hospital workers wearing BSL-3 level suits? And WHY are public sanitation workers wearing Hazmat suits while disinfecting public areas?

Five other cases are being investigated to find out how and where the patients were infected.

This is a welcome addition to primary infection control, however chlorine is cheaper, easier to use, more readily available and WILL KILL this virus - stock it, at least two gallons and keep two gallons in reserve should it suddenly become unavailable, it is non-perishable

This news bureau contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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