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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
David Smith in Washington

Failure to launch: Twitter glitches deal double blow to Elon Musk and Ron DeSantis

For the billionaire, it was a reckoning with the tech karma gods; for the governor, a reflection on his self-touted efficiency.
For the billionaire, it was a reckoning with the tech karma gods; for the governor, a reflection on his self-touted efficiency. Composite: AFP/Getty Images

The screen kept saying “Preparing to launch”. But this wasn’t one of Elon Musk’s space rockets that soars through the stratosphere and settles into a comfortable orbit. This was one that blew up on the pad in a dazzling ball of flame.

The eccentric billionaire had invited Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, to the somewhat niche Twitter Spaces – a dedicated audio streaming feature on the social media platform – to announce his run for the Republican nomination for president in 2024.

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