Before Elon Bought Twitter, He Tried His Own Version of 'The Onion' (Plus: What's Laci Mosley Into?)

Before his acquisition of Twitter, Elon Musk set his sights on another kind of media company: Thud. A longtime fan of The Onion — he once called it "the greatest publication in the history of all conscious beings, living or dead" — Elon helped two former Onion editors build a new satirical startup. But Elon pulled out of the company before its launch and Thud shuttered in 2019. So what happened? Sam chats with The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes about Elon's first foray into building his "intergalactic media empire" and what, if anything, it can reveal about his rule over Twitter. We also ask actress, comedian, and Scam Goddess podcast host Laci Mosley if she is into Meta hosting a Notorious B.I.G. VR concert. And we hear about the culture that's haunting us: Does will.i.am really believe you can catch amnesia? Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? And why? Email us a short voice memo at [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices