TLDR

  • Elon Musk claimed X (formerly Twitter) was hit by a “massive DDoS attack” just before his scheduled interview with Donald Trump.

  • The interview was delayed by about 30 minutes but eventually proceeded with over 1 million listeners.

  • Despite expectations, neither Bitcoin nor cryptocurrencies were mentioned during the two-hour interview.

  • Prediction markets on Polymarket had given high odds of crypto being mentioned, with significant bets placed.

  • The interview covered topics such as immigration, the economy, AI, and global warming, but avoided discussion of crypto.

A highly anticipated interview between former President Donald Trump and X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk faced some initial hiccups on August 12, 2024, as technical issues delayed the start of the event.

Musk claimed that X was hit by a “massive DDoS attack” just as the interview was set to begin, causing a 30-minute delay and limiting access for some users.

“There appears to be a massive DDoS attack on X. Working on shutting it down,” Musk posted on the platform. A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack aims to overwhelm a network or service with traffic, disrupting access for legitimate users.

However, the veracity of this claim has been called into question, with The Verge reporting that a source gave a “99 percent chance Musk was lying” about the attack.

Despite the initial setbacks, the interview proceeded with over 1 million listeners tuning in to the X Spaces event. Musk addressed the technical issues at the start of the interview, stating, “As this massive attack illustrates, there’s a lot of opposition to people just hearing what President Trump has to say.”

The two-hour conversation covered a wide range of topics, including illegal immigration, the economy, artificial intelligence, and global warming. However, notably absent from the discussion was any mention of Bitcoin or cryptocurrencies, despite high expectations from crypto enthusiasts and prediction markets.

On Polymarket, a popular prediction market platform, bettors had given a 65% chance of “crypto” being mentioned during the interview, with over $600,000 staked on the topic.

A separate market for the mention of “bitcoin” peaked at 69% probability, with approximately $330,000 in bets. These predictions proved incorrect, as neither Trump nor Musk broached the subject of digital assets.

The absence of crypto discussion came as a surprise to many, given Trump’s recent appearance at the BTC 2024 conference in Nashville, where he announced crypto policy as part of his campaign platform. Additionally, Musk is known for his long-standing interest in Dogecoin and has been a vocal supporter of cryptocurrencies in the past.

Instead, the conversation focused on other pressing issues. Trump discussed, among other topics, an alleged attempt on his life, his views on illegal immigration, and foreign relations. He also took the opportunity to criticize President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, his potential rivals in the upcoming presidential election.

The event attracted attention beyond the crypto community. Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for Internal Market, warned Musk in a letter that the interview with Trump carried “a risk of amplification of potentially harmful content” and reminded him to comply with EU laws. X CEO Linda Yaccarino responded, characterizing Breton’s letter as “an unprecedented attempt to stretch a law intended to apply in Europe to political activities in the US.”

This is an unprecedented attempt to stretch a law intended to apply in Europe to political activities in the US. It also patronizes European citizens, suggesting they are incapable of listening to a conversation and drawing their own conclusions. https://t.co/RmxL4VFuvV

— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) August 12, 2024

While crypto enthusiasts may have been disappointed by the lack of discussion on digital assets, one Polymarket user, identified as ‘bama1234’, managed to win approximately $1 million by correctly predicting most of the words Trump would or would not say during the interview. Their largest stake was on Trump not mentioning “crypto,” which netted them $336,918.

The post Trump-Musk Interview on X: Prediction Markets Miss the Mark as Trump Skips Crypto Discussion appeared first on Blockonomi.