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1. A riveting dive into Elon Musks twitter
   Extremely Hardcore” by Zoe Schiffer is an electrifying portrayal of the tumultuous journey of Twitter employees amidst the enthralling saga involving none other than Elon Musk. From the very first page, Schiffer effortlessly captivates readers with her immersive storytelling, making it nearly impossible to put the book down.One of the most commendable aspects of Schiffer’s narrative is her ability to delve deep into the intricacies of Silicon Valley culture, providing readers with a rare glimpse behind the curtains of tech giants like Twitter. Through vivid descriptions and compelling character development, she brings to life the challenges and triumphs of the individuals navigating this high-stakes environment.What truly sets “Extremely Hardcore” apart is its relevance to real-world events, particularly the gripping encounters between Twitter employees and Elon Musk. Schiffer masterfully intertwines factual accounts with gripping storytelling, shedding light on the human side of corporate conflicts and the impact they have on those involved.As a reader, I found myself completely immersed in the world Schiffer has created, rooting for the characters as they navigate the complexities of power, ambition, and betrayal. The pacing is relentless, each chapter leaving me eager for more, and the payoff is immensely satisfying.In conclusion, “Extremely Hardcore” is a must-read for anyone fascinated by the inner workings of Silicon Valley and the captivating drama that unfolds within. Zoe Schiffer’s storytelling prowess shines brightly in this gripping tale, making it a truly irresistible read from start to finish.

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2. great summary/overview, wish it followed-up a bit more on some things
   This is a brisk, readable account of Musk’s takeover of twitter and his first year running it, told by Platformer managing editor Zoe Schiffer, who covered many of the developments as they unfolded. Thanks in part to that original reporting, anyone interested in reading this will probably be familiar enough with most of it to wonder why some of the juicier details got left out (like Elon’s mommy tweeting her opposition to his fight with Zuckerberg, or the attempt to pwn Matt Binder by giving him a bluecheck). Nevertheless, there’s value in collecting this all in one volume, and Schiffer fills in details and backstory from insider sourcing that only became available to her later.The most notable example of that is former twitter engineer Randall Lin. The book’s title comes from a memo that Musk sent to everyone left at twitter after a round of layoffs, demanding that they commit to being “extremely hardcore” going forward. Lin emerges as the face of that work-ethic. It’s not a flattering picture. He looks down on his coworkers as lazy and lacking ambition. He welcomes Musk’s takeover and seizes every opportunity to suck up to the new boss. He applauds the mass-firings. Oh, and he has a “long-distance girlfriend” who is “an OnlyFans star” (make of that what you will).Anyway, spoiler alert, Musk rewards Lin’s striving and obsequiousness by firing him too, allegedly for leaking in violation of his NDA. Lin then contacted Schiffer and agreed to be a source for this book—not to be “vindictive,” but only “to clear his name.” By that, he seems to mean he wants to convince everyone that he never betrayed Musk and never would. He certainly convinced me. Even a worm will turn, but not Randall Lin. I don’t know what behind-the-scenes details he provided for Schiffer, but if the way he comes across is any indication, he badmouthed his coworkers, said flattering things about Musk, and bragged about how extremely hardcore he was.Of course, Lin is supporting cast. Musk is the main character. Suffice it to say, he comes across like a “complete piece of s—,” in the words of JP Doherty, a formerly high-ranking twitter engineering director. (Unlike Lin, Doherty left on his own terms out of utter disgust and loathing for Musk, despite considerable financial incentive to stay. He actually expresses remorse for staying as long as he did, though no one could blame him in light of his family’s severe healthcare expenses.)One complaint I have with this book is that Schiffer sometimes gives us the “how it started” by recounting a consequential development early in the takeover without always following up with a “how it’s going” status update at the time of writing (October 2023), almost a whole year later. The most egregious examples of this are some “cost-saving” directives Musk issued back in December 2022—to terminate all janitorial services, and to stop paying rent on all twitter offices. In both cases, the big, obvious question is, “Then what?” Schiffer quotes a twitter employee about the state of headquarters soon after the janitor layoffs: “Inside on the 10th floor it started to really stink as garbage, toilets were dirty.” I would be curious to read a brief update on how and why over the course of the next ten months that situation got either better or worse.With a stoppage on all rent payments, the stakes would seem even higher. Surely twitter couldn’t just not pay rent on any of its offices for the better part of a year without landlords taking some action—penalties, suits, even evictions? I’ve seen other reporting that at least one landlord won an eviction judgment in court against twitter’s offices in Boulder, CO (twitter subsequently filed a countersuit alleging that the eviction was wrongful and that the landlord actually owed twitter money from a previous contractual obligation). It’s hard to imagine that’s the only development to the rent story, though I’m not aware of any others. A “how it’s going” follow-up overview of twitter’s relations with its landlords, significant pending legal proceedings, etc., would have been nice.With the main office in San Francisco, nonpayment of rent only begins to scratch the surface. Schiffer ticks through a whole litany of ways that twitter violated that lease and local building codes at Musk’s direction, from unlicensed plumbers adding unapproved bathrooms to the ridiculous strobing X installed on the rooftop. Reading all that, I can’t help wondering why the landlord hasn’t booted twitter from the premises, but again, Schiffer doesn’t address that question.This is not a complaint (more of a compliment, actually), but Schiffer’s reporting also exposes something that calls for further reporting beyond the scope of this book because it concerns Musk’s whole business empire. He came to twitter after the acquisition with a “Transition Team” of trusted lieutenants from his other companies: Tesla, SpaceX, Boring, and Neuralink. One consistent theme that jumps out—whether from employee anecdotes, court documents, or any other of Schiffer’s sources—is that Musk and his people routinely, comfortably, and as a united front directed twitter employees to violate laws, regulatory codes, the consent decree, contracts, leases, etc.After the head of one twitter division raised some legal concerns in an email, the *girlfriend* of the Boring Company’s CEO paid him a visit and “emphatically instructed” him “never to put anything about the project in writing again.” She “appeared surprised and distressed that [he] did not understand that this was not a project for which Musk and the Transition Team wanted a written record.” She wasn’t even there in any official capacity, and yet here she is talking down to a high-level twitter officer like Stringer Bell from THE WIRE berating a junior gang member for taking notes on a criminal conspiracy.The clear impression and inescapable implication is that such blatant disregard and outright criminality are absolutely rampant and indeed the prevailing culture throughout Musk’s family of businesses. Reuters just won a Polk award for a series of reports detailing abuses at three of those companies: safety violations leading to injuries and death at SpaceX, animal testing violations at Neuralink, and numerous consumer safety violations at Tesla. That much flouting of law and regulation across Musk businesses isn’t just happenstance. It speaks to a rotten culture of lawlessness that flows down from Musk as the head of them all. I hope Schiffer and other journalists continue to dig deeper, with this bigger picture in mind.

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3. An Extremely Insightful Description of Twitter 2.0
   Zoë has crafted an excellent narrative in this book, providing readers with a deep dive into Musk’s involvement with Twitter, alongside the history of key individuals associated with the platform in the years leading up to and following Musk’s takeover.The book offers a fascinating and insightful exploration of the period when Musk acquired Twitter and evolved it into what is known today as “X” (Xitter as I call it). I highly recommend it to anyone who has ever used Twitter and seeks to understand the developments during the era dubbed “Twitter 2.0.” A must-read. Rating: 5/5

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4. Insightful and fast-paced recounting of Twitter takeover
   This was a really engaging narrative of Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, both the months preceding the deal and the aftermath. The writing style and chapter structure really made this a page turner. I had kept up with a lot of developments as they were happening, and I still learned a lot of new information from this book. Zoe also did a great job of focusing on the struggles and resiliency of individual workers. Would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in how Twitter changed so rapidly after Elon’s takeover and more generally to anyone interested in messy behavior in businesses.

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5. Breezy, entertaining look at a clown
   Schiffer is a reporter I respect, so I chose her book over the already numerous on the X.com debacle. It’s good and a fast easy read. Silicon Valley continues to be the modern day hellmouth.

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6. The definitive chronicle on Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover
   Zoe Schiffer’s coverage of Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter is a must-read for those fascinated by the intersection of tech, business, and social media. The content offers an insightful look into one of the most discussed takeovers in recent times. Zoe’s storytelling ensures that readers, whether seasoned in the nuances of a hostile takeover or newcomers, can easily dive into the complexities of the deal.For those looking to deepen their understanding of Musk, I recommend beginning with Isaacson’s biography. His work offers a deeper background that complements Schiffer’s narrative. But Schiffer’s book stands on its own. Even without prior knowledge of Musk’s life and career, most will find the book easy to digest and full of engaging insights.

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7. Thanks to the good writing skills of Ms. Schiffer, I could immerse myself in the Twitter world as if I were there.I hope that that it does not turn out to be a prescient account of the future X Corp.

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