Elon Musk vs. Twitter: A Brief History
Above is a brief explanation of the history that exists between Elon Musk and Twitter. Confusing right? Continue reading to find out the exact sequence of events and what it means for the future of the social media application!
After his very public and media-attracting offer to buy Twitter for 44 billion dollars back in April of this year, Elon Musk has yet again become a hot topic in regard to the social media platform. After unveiling that he would be personally financing a portion and planning to gain another portion through a strategic financial plan, his offer was accepted. He was applauded for his ideas to remedy the lack of proper free speech and stated that: “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 goes on to state that he would like to make “Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features,” etc.
Multiple individuals came together to help Musk finance his offer and back up his claims that the acquisition will be “super focused on hardcore software engineering, design, infosec, and server hardware.” This process of acquisition, however, was promptly halted after Musk expressed his disappointment that Twitter was not citing their metrics honestly – he demands that they clean up their user base and implies that he is ready to back out of this deal if the issues he expressed his concern about are not fixed with swiftness.
On the other hand, Twitter executives would not take no for an answer. After all, the offer was a public ordeal that attracted the attention of people around the world. Twitter emphasized that they would pursue legal action to ensure that the acquisition was completed, eventually suing Musk for his inability to follow through on his agreement. In retaliation, Musk counter-sued Twitter – one of his biggest concerns was the bots that plagued the app and he has major concerns about how this will impede the progress of the company.
After whistleblower Peiter Zatko affirms that there are bot and security issues on the app, he is called to testify and this information further affirms Musk’s case. Zaiko’s claims raise concerning issues about Twitter’s safety for its users and whether or not it truly values the consumer or prioritizes profitability above all.
Finally, after countless back-and-forth situations, Musk decides that Twitter is actually the first step to creating his new “Everything App” and reconsiders his previous uncertainties – the deal is back on. Currently, both Twitter and Musk are working to come to an agreement on the acquisition that will hopefully no longer be prolonged in court.
In the days leading up to the end of October, the two must come to an agreement, as dictated by the Judge. The implications of this complicated journey suggest that Musk could be fickle in his plans to make Twitter a safer and more open space for free speech, or on the flip side it also suggests that the popular and still growing social media platform has major concerns about its safety for its user base – both situations affect us as consumers and are worth understanding as the next weeks progress.
