'Hire me': Star Trek star, others ping Elon Musk for jobs at Twitter

Although Elon Musk’s deal to acquire Twitter is still months away from closing, some of Musk’s fans are soliciting future employment at the social media platform via his Twitter feed. Considerable turnover is likely, at least based on Musk’s twitter feed, which is often critical of leadership. So Musk’s followers are taking their shot. 

“Hire me to run Twitter as VP of Product,” tweeted Nikita Bier, co-founder of a positivity-focused polling app called tbh that was acquired by Meta Platforms. 

“I’ve been building social apps for 11 years — and not in a way that leads products to decay like a typical BigTech ‘product director dad.’” Antonio Garcia Martinez, the author of the tech insider tell-all “Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley,” nominated himself for a job at Twitter and even listed a brief resume fit for the platform’s 280-character tweet limit. 

Even William Shatner, the actor best known for his role as Captain James T Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the Star Trek franchise, is vying for a job as “the face of Twitter.” He’s got experience; Shatner was paid in equity to be the spokesperson for Priceline.com in the early 2000s, and reportedly missed out on millions in gains by selling his stake too early. But it’s MIT Research Scientist Lex Fridman’s job solicitation, which taps into Musk’s well-documented affinity for jokes including the numbers 420 or 69, that perhaps has the best chance of getting the billionaire’s attention. 

“This tweet is my official job application to Twitter for the position of Chief Love Officer (CLO). request a monthly salary of $69, preferably paid in crypto,” Fridman said in a tweet. Bloomberg

Tesla delays filing as investors await word on any stock split

Tesla needs more time to file a regular disclosure ahead of its annual shareholders’ meeting, pushing back a potential detailing of plans for issuing new shares and a possible stock split. Elon Musk’s electric-car-market leader said on Monday in a securities filing that it wouldn’t be able to file a proxy statement until sometime later this year, without providing a specific timeline. Tesla faced an April 30 deadline for filing its shareholder proxy after the end of its fiscal year on December 31. Investors are awaiting details on an anticipated request for a share-issuance vote the company announced in a March 28 tweet. Bloomberg

Pfizer falls after Covid pill fails in preventive therapy

Pfizer fell in early trading after Paxlovid, its pill for treating Covid-19, failed to show benefit as a preventive therapy in a trial. Paxlovid is poised to become one of the fastest-selling drugs of all time, with $24 billion in projected 2022 sales, according to analytics group Airfinity. Pfizer has also reaped billions in global sales from its Covid-19 vaccine. The company said on late Friday that the drug failed to hit its main goal of reducing the risk that adults exposed to the coronavirus through contact with a household member would become infected. Bloomberg

Despite curbs, Shanghai’s Covid battle faces setback

China's commercial capital of Shanghai was dealt a blow on Monday as authorities reported 58 new Covid-19 cases outside areas under strict lockdown, while Beijing pressed on with testing millions of people on a May Day holiday few were celebrating. Tough coronavirus curbs in Shanghai have stirred rare public anger, with millions of the city’s 25 million people stuck indoors for more than a month, some sealed inside fenced-off residential compounds and many struggling for daily necessities. Bloomberg

Spain PM’s phone attacked with Pegasus spyware in ’21

The cellphones of Spain's prime minister and defence minister were infected last year with Pegasus spyware, which is available only to countries' government agencies, authorities announced on Monday. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s mobile phone was breached twice in May 2021, and Defence Minister Margarita Robles’ device was targeted once the following month, Cabinet Minister Félix Bolaños said. The breaches, which resulted in a significant amount of data being obtained, were not authorised by a Spanish judge, which is a legal requirement for national covert operations. AP