19 Comments
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Cara Uyl's avatar

Interesting article, amazing how much media is changing. I am not sure the change is good, but it does seem like there is no going back. Side note… I believe Musk has more than 200 million real people following him as much as I believe Trump/Bondi saved 258 million people from Fentanyl overdose.

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Eric Mayne's avatar

Fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how journalism is changing. One thing I miss about “legacy” media is civility. Glib, trashy allegations like the ones raised in William Thiele’s comment here would never have seen the light of day in the glory days of print journalism. FYI, I’ve known John Stoll for decades and he is a man of genuine character. And civility.

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Suzanna de Baca's avatar

Fascinating article about a unique leader. Love learning about people’s winding paths. And great quotes.

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Eleanor (Lynn) Holland-Lynch's avatar

I admit I’ve never been on X, so my ideas about it and its content come mainly from mainstream media. I was wondering if you knew Stoll before the interview and, if yes, for how long? If you’ve known him for any length of time, were you surprised with his very positive views of his boss? My personal opinion of Musk is so colored by the havoc he has wrought in the last 100+ days and the fact that Musk seems gleeful over the cruelty of so much of it.

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Phoebe Wall Howard's avatar

Yes, I knew John Stoll before the interview. We first spoke when he was a columnist at the WSJ. We talked about news and the industry years ago. I valued his kind nature, his perspective and his professionalism.

As for his views on his current boss? I was not surprised because a team only succeeds if everyone is on the same page.

Thank you, Eleanor, for the thoughtful note. I appreciate the exchange.

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Christopher Ottenbreit's avatar

I read your note from Neil P. Thank you for sharing. I was not going to read the article until I saw this. You did well. The article was very illuminating.

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Phoebe Wall Howard's avatar

Thank you for reading and offering feedback. Always appreciated.

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Ice Cube Press, LLC's avatar

Bunging. Like it

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BH's avatar

Illuminating interview - moreso with what wasn't said than with what was said. I'll leave it at that.

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Phoebe Wall Howard's avatar

Illuminating seems to be the word of choice ...

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BH's avatar

Articles like this force me not to judge and, instead, to open my mind and heart. Thank you for that.

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Mary C. McCarthy's avatar

I am not an X user nor a fan of Musk for many reasons. John has his big job being a comedic information broker. Phoebe, I usually get good vibes from your writing, this piece, not so much. Straight talk from Iowa.

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Phoebe Wall Howard's avatar

Thank you for reading and sharing feedback. I appreciate it all.

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Char's avatar

I’m having a hard time liking this guy. He’s a father of 7 and is in his dream job”another rich guy who enjoys throwing his money around to get what he wants, no matter who he hurts. I didn’t get the joke related to the tv show, but I’m old and not as smart or wealthy.

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Phoebe Wall Howard's avatar

Thank you for reading and sharing feedback.

The TV show is fantastic -- a pop culture reference for many. Catch it if you can.

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William Thele's avatar

Is he on Ketamine? There’s something weird about him.

The whole article gives the vibe of just being an infomercial for Twitter/X.

I was not impressed.

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Phoebe Wall Howard's avatar

John took the time to share his thoughts unfiltered. I respect your opinion re: "not impressed" but I think you missed the purpose of the article: To learn something about a key player at X and their vision. The tone of your first sentence seems unfair and unnecessary.

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Sharon Beebe's avatar

X has become a hellscape.

And, forgive me for being the grammar police, but as a writer, he should know that "her and I" is not correct grammar when used as an object in a sentence. The correct form is "her and me," as in "The teacher called her and me." 🤦🏼‍♀️

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Phoebe Wall Howard's avatar

Great word, "hellscape."

As for grammar, well, in this AI era, I prefer authenticity. I don't clean up how people speak. No one is perfect. And, for me, writing is very different than talking.

Always appreciate feedback.

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