Grok Has Gone Wild

CREATOR NEWSLETTER

Issue #341 | May 15, 2025

Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot has seemingly gone rogue and can’t stop talking about South African apartheid. The bot is replying to completely unrelated tweets with commentary about “white genocide” and “kill the boer.”

On Wednesday, the account Discussing Film, which posts movie and film updates, posted on X about HBO renaming its app. A user replied, “@grok how many times has HBO changed their name?”

The bot gave a brief reply about HBO, and then entered into a rant about “white genocide” in South Africa, noting that some claim it’s real and that “truth is complex.” In the past hour, Grok has tweeted dozens of times about “white genocide.”

There is no explanation for why the bot might be malfunctioning.

– Taylor Lorenz, Passionfruit Contributor

PERSONALITIES

Beast Games Has Been Renewed For Two More Seasons

The announcement is hardly surprising.

By Charlotte Colombo, Passionfruit Contributor

A photo collage image of Mr. Beast on the first episode of his Amazon game show Beast Games.

→ READ THE FULL STORY

There’s a reason mobile home parks are getting so much institutional love

They remain one of the key affordable-housing sources nationally, have limited supply and high tenant retention (10-12Y). Investors can see tremendous upside with professionally-managed MHP portfolios such as Vintage Capital’s, which targets a 15-17% IRR and makes monthly distributions. Invest directly in individual deals or via a 10+ property fund. 1031s also available.

LEARN MORE

IN THE BIZ

  • Meta’s beef with the press is surfacing at its antitrust trial.

  • Pinterest apologized for a wave of moderation issues that led to mass bans.

  • TikTok is launching a meditation feature to help users get off the app and sleep.

  • YouTube announced that it has been the most-watched content distributor across TV and streaming in the U.S. since February.

PLATFORMS

TikTok Rolls Out a Suite of Accessibility Tools

This is the latest in a long line of accessibility features.

By Charlotte Colombo, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

photo collage of TikTok on phone and Non-Hearing Accessibility Icon

PLATFORMS

photo collage of Pink and yellow gradient music note and orange cloud logo

SoundCloud Updates Terms of Use Amid AI Scandal

Can the company recover from this?

By Charlotte Colombo, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

UPCOMING EVENTS

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

The Babish Culinary Universe has been putting out quality cooking content for years, often recreating recipes featured in film, television and video games.

In this video, Babish completed a Disney recipe marathon, including dishes like ratatouille from Ratatouille and tamales from Coco. Check it out!

Copyright © 2024 Passionfruit, All rights reserved.

You are receiving this email because you signed up to get the latest tips, tricks,
and trends in the creator economy from Passionfruit.

Have an idea for our next big story or want to get featured? Email us at tips@passionfru.it

Don’t want to hear from us anymore?
Click here to unsubscribe 

To view in your browser click here 

Content for Creators.

News, tips, and tricks delivered to your inbox twice a week.

Newsletter Signup

Latest Newsletters

  • 💌 Organizing the Largest-Ever Letter-Writing Campaign

    💌 Organizing the Largest-Ever Letter-Writing Campaign

    CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Together with: Issue 80 | November 3, 2022 Creators increasingly have power over a younger generation that often gets its news scrolling through social media feeds. This month, the White House invited more than 20 TikTok creators to meet President Joe Biden and discuss pressing political topics. And it isn’t the first…

    By

    ramon9

  • 💵 Girls Who Invest

    💵 Girls Who Invest

    CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #79 | Nov. 2, 2022 Reality television has a symbiotic relationship with the creator economy. As previously covered by Passionfruit, the reality TV star-to-influencer pipeline is real. Some reality TV stars are beloved pioneers in the creator world, some are notoriously successful social media monetizers, and others spark debate on controversial…

    By

    ramon9

  • 👾 Minecraft Creator Accused of Grooming

    👾 Minecraft Creator Accused of Grooming

    CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue 78 | October 25, 2022 After 78 issues and over a year of producing creator-focused content for Passionfruit, this is my last note to you, dear readers! To be clear, Passionfruit isn’t going anywhere—just me. From this point forward, the newsletter will be helmed by a familiar face (err, name): Grace…

    By

    Daysia Tolentino