iWorld
Twitter introduces Times Twitter Impact List: Shah Rukh Khan is most influential Bollywood actor
MUMBAI: For the first time, Twitter has come up with new matrix to judge the impact created on the social media platform based on engagement scores – and actor Shah Rukh Khan has emerged a clear winner.
Twitter in partnership with Times of India has compiled lists of rank well-known politicians, Bollywood actors, TV actors, musicians, sport stars, and media brands based on their new measuring unit.
“Over time, it becomes important to understand what impact these personalities have on their audience and what the true criterion on which their impact depends is. We thought it was important to put out the variety and the breadth of the creators and content producers on twitter who have the maximum impact on their lives,” said Twitter head of TV partnerships – India Viral Jani, adding that the list has been compiled based on absolutely organic reach and does not take into account any paid engagement.
Since its inception, Twitter has been a powerful platform and tool to gauge popular opinion, breaking news and bridging the gap between celebrities and popular personalities and their fans or start a social campaign. The number of followers any personality has always becomes the benchmark for their importance on the platform and their level of influence.
“We created a new index by measuring the engagement coming from an handle based on the number of replies, re-tweets and favourites the handle’s content gets and aggregating that into an impact score. It is the true extent of how much impact the person have on the platform, how viral their content gets, and their impact beyond twitter as several media organizations follow Twitter closely and report from information available on the platform, what is noticed in twitter travels to television, print and other digital platforms as well,” Jani added.
Going by the new Times Twitter Impact List that has been compiled for the year of 2015, Amitabh Bachchan is the Bollywood actor with the most number of followers but it is Shah Rukh Khan who rules the platform when it comes to engagement and impact, Actor Aamir Khan does not even feature in the top ten lists. Similarly the Quantico starrer Priyanka Chopra emerged as the Bollywood female actress with the most impact on her audience.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean that if one has a higher number of followers they also command the most amount of impact on their audience. The focus is on how they engage with their audience, how they keep them interactive to their profiles, etc,” Jani pointed out.
Among Television personalities, actor-comedian Kapil Sharma and actor-dancer Gauhar Khan steal the show.
When it comes to most influential politicians on Twitter, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi tops the list, followed by Subramaniam Swamy and Arvind Kejriwal. The most impactful business leaders are Mahindra Group’s chairman and MD, Anand Mahindra followed by Colors TV CEO Raj Nayak.
In sports, Sachin Tendulkar is the undisputed king of engagements among men, while Sania Mirza tops the list among women.
Based on the growing importance given to measurability of one’s social media influence, Twitter’s new ‘Impact Index’ may become the new currency to quantify virality, which makes the measurement and the list far more powerful for brands to map their social media presence. Brand managers and advertisers are sure to keep an eye on the lists as well.
Asked if Twitter is considering partnering with brands to share their impact scores with them, Jani said, “The key differentiator for this list is that it is meant for our users and the consumer. We may consider it if we want to get into the brand space later, but for now the lists are strictly consumer facing.”
Twitter is considering to add few more categories of lists the the current few depending on the reception of this new initiative.
Lists:
Bollywood Male Actors
Bollywood Female Actors
Directors
Music Artists
Indian Politicians
Cricketers and Other Sports personalities
Business Leaders
TV Male and Female personalities
TV channels
iWorld
OpenAI hits back at Elon Musk’s lawsuit ahead of trial
Company calls claims “baseless” and accuses Musk of trying to disrupt a rival.
MUMBAI: When the stakes are measured in billions and egos are involved, even Silicon Valley titans can turn a courtroom into a battlefield. OpenAI has issued a sharp public response to Elon Musk’s ongoing lawsuit, accusing the billionaire of filing the case to harass a competitor rather than address genuine concerns. In a strongly worded statement shared on its official X account, OpenAI described Musk’s allegations as “baseless” and suggested the lawsuit is an attempt to disrupt the company as the case heads toward trial later this month in Oakland, California.
The response comes after Musk’s legal team recently amended the complaint, proposing that any damages potentially exceeding $150 billion should go to OpenAI’s nonprofit entity rather than to Musk personally. OpenAI questioned the timing and motive behind this change, calling it a late-stage attempt to “pretend to change his tune” on the nonprofit structure.
The company further labelled the lawsuit a “harassment campaign”, arguing that Musk’s actions are driven by personal rivalry, ego, and a desire for greater control and financial upside.
At the heart of the dispute is Musk’s claim that OpenAI has abandoned its original nonprofit mission of developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. A co-founder who left in 2018, Musk is seeking governance changes, including the removal of CEO Sam Altman from the nonprofit board, and the return of certain financial gains linked to Altman and President Greg Brockman.
OpenAI has firmly rejected these allegations, maintaining that its current hybrid structure, a public-benefit corporation overseen by a nonprofit parent remains true to its long-term goals. The company has also previously accused Musk of anti-competitive behaviour aimed at weakening its leadership.
As the case prepares for a jury trial, this public exchange highlights the deepening rift between two of the most influential figures in the AI revolution and raises broader questions about governance, mission, and power in the fast-moving world of artificial intelligence.
In the high-stakes game of AI, it seems the real drama isn’t just inside the models, it’s playing out in courtrooms too.
