Massive Effigy of Elon Musk Raised Over Times Square to Protest Grok
Key takeaways
- The location was strategically chosen—right in front of the Nasdaq and the offices of JP Morgan, one of the banks participating in the IPO.
- SpaceX is currently valued at $1.77 trillion, making it the largest company ever to debut on the stock market, with a starting price of $135 per share.
- “This IPO is a liability shift,” they say. “Elon is responsible for all of this.
Why this matters: a development in AI with implications for how people work, create, and decide.
Photograph: Charly Triballeau/Getty Images Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story In the middle of New York City’s Times Square, a massive, inflatable effigy of billionaire Elon Musk towered over tourists and commuters earlier today. It was surrounded by black banners with statements alleging “Grok makes AI child porn” and “Space X owns Grok,” referring to the Musk-owned AI chatbot whose image-generation tool was used to create a flood of sexualized images of minors earlier this year. Masked attendants stood nearby, handing out flyers with additional information, but they would not speak with the media.
The demonstration was helmed by Safe AI Now (SAIN), which describes itself as “a coalition of faith leaders, family advocates, child development experts, online safety organizations, educators, legal professionals, technologists, and concerned citizens,” ahead of SpaceX’s initial public offering on Friday. The location was strategically chosen—right in front of the Nasdaq and the offices of JP Morgan, one of the banks participating in the IPO.
SpaceX is currently valued at $1.77 trillion, making it the largest company ever to debut on the stock market, with a starting price of $135 per share. Though the public is able to buy shares in the company, Musk will retain the majority of voting power, giving him the ability to almost unilaterally make decisions for the company. The IPO could also make him the world’s first trillionaire.