Elon Musk Twitter

2022 - 4 - 26

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Image courtesy of "ABC News"

Elon Musk will soon own Twitter. Who is he, and how did he get to ... (ABC News)

He's a space rocket mogul, an electric car salesman, a madcap inventor, and a celebrity entrepreneur. Oh, and he's the world's richest person.

Mr Musk also agrees to step down as chairman of Tesla's board. With the purchase of Twitter, he has direct control over a platform populated by millions of users and global leaders. - 2018: Mr Musk's behaviour becomes increasingly erratic. On climate issues, Mr Musk has argued for a carbon tax to better reflect the cost of fossil fuels to the environment, and publicly criticised then president Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Agreement. This is the side that courts controversy and enjoys the adulation of his numerous followers, who appear to like his edgy, irreverent persona and are inspired by his bold visions for the future. Mr Musk has donated to both Democrats and Republicans while declaring himself a "moderate" and a "socialist". - 2021: Top economists accuse Mr Musk of market manipulation by using his Twitter presence to pump up the price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies - April 2022: Mr Musk Becomes Twitter's largest shareholder and then makes a successful offer to buy the social network - 2008: Becomes CEO and product architect of Tesla after staging a boardroom coup that ousts Martin Eberhard, who co-founded the company in 2003 with Marc Tarpenning - 1995: Receives Bachelor in Physics and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania And the move comes as the world is keenly aware of the potential for data mining, election hacking, and other campaigns of disinformation and influence. Elon Musk has done, or become, all these things in the space of a decade.

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Image courtesy of "The New Yorker"

Why Elon Musk Bought Twitter (The New Yorker)

Musk, the C.E.O. of Tesla and the richest man on earth, plans to take the social-media company private, and has said that he wants Twitter to adhere more ...

And I think people are recognizing that Elon Musk has created a lot of value for his companies by being unhinged on Twitter. And I think there are imitators, and I think we’re kind of early in the game. If you are the richest person in the world, and annoying, and you constantly play a computer game, and you get a lot of enjoyment and sense of identity from that game, maybe a little addicted, then at some point you might have some suggestions for improvements in the game.” At one level, this is a more personal account of his desire to buy Twitter. And then there is the more financial, or business, account, which you have just explained. But, at the same time, it almost seems like it’s impossible to disaggregate those two things, unless you think that all of his behavior is some elaborate performance or something, which I don’t think anyone really believes. He might say, “Look, I get so much value out of this direct access to the public.” Owning that direct access to the public—owning that thing that creates so much value for Elon Musk and Tesla—it has to be valuable somehow, whether it’s by increasing the value that it creates for Tesla, or whether it’s by finding a way to monetize the value that it creates for sports stars and celebrities and Donald Trump and lots of other people. It’s not obvious how the company would, but if you’re sitting on top of a thing that can create that much value, surely, if you’re really smart then you can extract some value out of it. And those expectations are probably helped by having a charismatic, noisy founder who makes a lot of jokes online and is sort of a science-fiction character himself, and portrays himself as a science-fiction character, and who appeals to people who like that by making jokes. The value of his company is enhanced by his being a very strange public figure on Twitter, and so he clearly sees a lot of value in tweeting, and probably wants to own that for himself. And the stock-market value of Tesla, which makes Elon Musk the richest person in the world, comes from a lot of extreme optimism about Tesla’s future ability to make more cars and become the dominant player in car-making as cars become more electric. And so the value of these companies in the market is largely derived from expectations around how much money they’ll make in the future, as opposed to how much money they’ve made in the past. It’s not obvious to me how, if he bought Twitter, he would then be better able to get his message out, or better able to tell a story in a way that is good for Tesla and good for his economic interests. So how much do you connect Tesla’s worth to Elon Musk as a person and the way he orients himself toward the world, especially on Twitter? To talk about Musk and what the future holds for his newest acquisition, I spoke by phone with Matt Levine, a Bloomberg Opinion columnist who has been comprehensively reporting on and analyzing this story over the past month in his newsletter.

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Image courtesy of "The Verge"

Elon Musk's Twitter plans are a huge can of worms (The Verge)

After Twitter agreed to a buyout deal from Tesla and SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk, Musk outlined a series of plans for changing the platform.

Even if a name isn’t revealed to other users, collecting information on real identities offers a trove of information for governments to request, and it’s vulnerable to hacks or security flaws. It could refer to people having to pass some kind of captcha-style “am I a human” test to post — although, as with spambot bans, if there were an easy way to do this without affecting good-faith users, Twitter would probably have done it already. Musk has indicated that “spam and scam bots” and “bot armies” are Twitter’s new Public Enemy No. 1. Bots are a long-standing and beloved part of Twitter, and separating a good bot from a bad bot might be harder than Musk thinks. In a TED interview, he indicated that Twitter should “match the laws of the country,” which suggests he could continue practices like region-locking certain content and follow rules like India’s social media regulations. And a strict automation crackdown could block bots that perform interesting and valuable services on Twitter — like Big Tech Alert, which tracks who Silicon Valley’s big players (including Musk) are following and unfollowing, or Editing TheGrayLady, which illuminates how The New York Times tweaks its headlines and copy over time. But virtually every site that claims a “free speech” banner ends up banning something that makes it deeply unpleasant for users, advertisers, or the site owners themselves — so it’s premature to say how far his commitment will go. Musk has a lot more leeway over changing Twitter’s policies around what kinds of content are banned, of course, and when users are suspended. He’s indicated that he would rather err on the side of “time-outs” and leave borderline content online. Online speech is a minefield, and if Musk really intends on a minimally moderated Twitter worldwide, he could expect huge fights in countries that restrict things like hate speech and false information. “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” he said. “I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans.”

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Image courtesy of "Sky News"

Elon Musk's Twitter takeover expected to be agreed within hours (Sky News)

There is every chance that Twitter's board will have extracted an improved offer or terms from Elon Musk as an announcement on a deal is expected later on ...

According to the media outlet, both sides met on Sunday to discuss the proposal - and the social network "is more likely than before to seek to negotiate". Musk argues that the social network needs to be taken private in order to grow and become a genuine platform for free speech. He has offered to buy the social network for $43bn (£33.5bn) and placed the right to uphold free speech at the forefront of his argument for a deal, accusing Twitter of failing its users to date.

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Image courtesy of "Quartz"

Why Twitter reconsidered Elon Musk's buyout deal (Quartz)

When Elon Musk offered to buy Twitter for $43 billion 10 days ago, the platform didn't welcome him with open arms. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO is in some ways ...

Among them is Ben Thompson, the writer of the popular newsletter Stratechery, who believes that Twitter should go private—even if that means a transformation engineered by Musk, which could mean less moderation and more acrimonious discourse, as well as a larger focus on subscriptions. Twitter’s board had to justify rejecting a generous offer, more than 10% above the company’s current stock price. On April 21, Musk said he has the funding to get this deal done quickly.

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Image courtesy of "The Independent"

Twitter expected to accept Elon Musk's bid to buy company (The Independent)

Twitter had originally enacted an anti-takeover measure known as a poison pill that could scuppor a takeover attempt by making it too expensive, but apparently decided to negotiate following an updated proposal from Mr Musk. The board apparently wants to ...

And she added: “Our concerns are not new. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The proposed transaction will deliver a substantial cash premium, and we believe it is the best path forward for Twitter’s stockholders,” said Bret Taylor, Twitter’s independent board chair. In a statement the company said that the deal had “been unanimously approved by the Twitter board of directors” and that it was expected to close in 2022, if approved by shareholders. “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Mr Musk said in the company statement. Twitter has tremendous potential – I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.”

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Image courtesy of "Ars Technica"

Twitter reportedly “set to accept” Elon Musk's offer to buy the company (Ars Technica)

Twitter's board of directors is reportedly on the verge of accepting Elon Musk's offer to buy the company, according to news reports. "Twitter is poised to agree a sale to Elon Musk for around $43 billion in cash" and "may announce the $54.20-per-share ...

Twitter needs to be transformed as a private company." Still, Twitter would be allowed to accept an offer from another party by paying Musk a break-up fee, the sources added." The Wall Street Journal reported that "Twitter is in advanced discussions to sell itself to Elon Musk and could finalize a deal Monday," after "the two sides worked through the night to hash out a deal." in hopes that they could sway the company’s decision." Bloomberg similarly wrote that Twitter and Musk are "in the final stretch of negotiations... Reuters cited "people familiar with the matter."

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Image courtesy of "Gizmodo"

Elon Musk Might Actually Buy Twitter, Like for Real (Gizmodo)

Twitter is gearing up to accept Musk's original $43 billion offer. Apparently he wasn't just trolling.

Musk first announced his offer to buy the social media company at around $54.20 per share on April 14. In premarket trading, they reached about $51.50 per share, but at the time of writing, had fallen to around $50.7. Although the deal is unconfirmed, both the Times and Reuters reported that sources tell them a deal could be finalized and made public later today. If Musk makes the purchase, Twitter would no longer be a publicly traded company, but instead, private. Important to point out though, it literally isn’t. The first amendment doesn’t protect anyone’s right to post on Twitter. Though Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, seemingly doesn’t understand that. Any moment now, a deal between between Twitter’s 11-member board and Elon Musk could be announced.

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Image courtesy of "Livemint"

Twitter Deal With Musk In Final Lap | Mint (Livemint)

Turn of events comes days after the billionaire unveiled his $43 billion bid for the social-media company.

Mr. Musk said he sees no way Twitter management can get the stock to his offer price on its own, given the issues in the business and a persistent inability to correct them. Mr. Musk has indicated that if the current bid fails, he could sell his stake, which totals more than 9%. Mr. Musk already has said he is considering taking his bid directly to shareholders by launching a tender offer. The firm last bought Twitter shares in February and owns about 950,000 overall, which accounts for about 11% of its portfolio. “I’m not sure what that can be at this stage besides finding a higher bid," he said. Twitter had been expected to rebuff the offer, which Mr. Musk made April 14 without saying how he would pay for it, and put in place a so-called poison pill to block him from increasing his stake. Remove some to bookmark this image. The company is attempting to do so again at this year’s annual meeting set for May 25. He also pledged to solve the free-speech issues he sees as plaguing the platform and the country more broadly, whether his bid succeeds or not, they said. “He is the catalyst to deliver strong operating performance at Twitter." Minneapolis-based Thrivent has a roughly 0.4% stake in Twitter worth $160 million and is also a Tesla shareholder. The conversations between the two sides were expected to focus on issues including what Mr. Musk would pay should an agreed deal fall apart before being consummated. Assuming there isn’t a last-minute snag, the deal is expected to be announced after the market closes Monday, if not sooner.

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Image courtesy of "ABC News"

Elon Musk to buy Twitter for $61.4 billion (ABC News)

US billionaire Elon Musk strikes a deal to buy the social media platform, ending its run as a public company.

Twitter said the deal was expected to close some time this year and was subject to the approval of Twitter stockholders and regulators. "The President has long talked about his concerns about the power of social media platforms, including Twitter and others, to spread misinformation." "Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated," Mr Musk said in a statement following the purchase. He said it needed to be transformed as a private company in order to build trust with users and do better at serving what he calls the "societal imperative" of free speech. The outspoken Tesla chief executive has said he wanted to buy Twitter because it was not living up to its potential as a platform for "free speech". Elon Musk has clinched a deal to buy Twitter for $US44 billion ($61.4 billion), in a transaction that will shift control of the social media platform populated by millions of users and global leaders to the world's richest person.

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Image courtesy of "The Australian Financial Review"

Elon Musk buys Twitter in $US44 billion deal (The Australian Financial Review)

Elon Musk has agreed to buy Twitter for $61.4b using one of the biggest leveraged buyout deals in history to take the 16-year-old social networking platform ...

Twitter on April 15 adopted a shareholder rights plan – a measure known as a poison pill – to fend off unwanted bidders. The 50-year-old billionaire himself mused at a TED event the day it was announced that even he had doubts about its prospects. The deal was unanimously approved by the company’s board and is expected to be completed later this year. After rejecting an invitation to join the company’s board, he offered to take Twitter private on April 14. Investors will receive $US54.20 for each Twitter share they own, the company said in a statement. The price is 38 per cent more than the stock’s close on April 1, the last business day before Mr Musk disclosed a significant stake in the company, sparking a share rally.

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Image courtesy of "The Mandarin"

Twitter set to be purchased by Tesla billionaire Elon Musk (The Mandarin)

Musk intends to make Twitter's algorithms open source to increase trust, defeat the spambots, and authenticate all humans using Twitter.

“Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world. Twitter has tremendous potential – I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.” “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” said Musk.

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Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Elon Musk's Twitter takeover: what will change, is free speech at risk ... (The Guardian)

Billionaire's buyout of social media company reignites debate about leaving the platform but is it too soon to act – and where could you go?

The easiest way to do that is through the “Settings and privacy” tab in the menu of the Twitter app. It really comes down to why you used Twitter in the first place. It’s partially why Musk might have been motivated to buy Twitter rather than starting his own social media site, like others, including Trump, have attempted. If you’ve stuck with what many people call “the hell site” for this long, it’s questionable whether Musk taking it over will be some sort of final straw. The Guardian asked Twitter what data was retained once a user permanently deletes their account. Musk has suggested he is a “free speech absolutist”.

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Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Jeff Bezos questions China's influence over Elon Musk's Twitter (The Guardian)

Amazon founder raises concerns after Tesla boss strikes $44bn deal to buy social media platform.

The Musk takeover has been unexpected and controversial among Twitter employees. The tweet said China may now have a way of holding leverage over “My own answer to this question is probably not.

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Image courtesy of "The Sydney Morning Herald"

Why is Elon Musk set to buy Twitter? What would he do with it? (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Elon Musk says he would crush Twitter bots and make the social media platform more trustworthy platform. How?

A second major change that Musk has foreshadowed involves the algorithm that Twitter uses to decide who sees what and when. They work by processing huge amounts of data, and it seems impractical for Twitter provide the public with access to its vast collection of user information. Would Twitter want to deal with the implications of holding that data? Musk has said that Twitter should be all about free speech, which he thinks the company has failed to uphold. Earlier in April he became one of the company’s largest shareholders with a 9.2 per cent stake, and Twitter announced he would become a member of its board. The service’s influential role in political discourse and the dissemination of news has made it a target of criticism.

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