Tech

Musk is at odds with Twitter over his buyout agreement

akhila balakrishnan May 18, 2022

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, promised that taking over Twitter would allow him to rid the social media platform of its vexing “spambots.” Now he’s arguing, without providing any evidence, that there may be too many automated accounts for the $44 billion deal to proceed. According

Business

Musk puts Twitter buy ‘on hold,’ casting doubt on $44B deal

Editorial Bureau May 14, 2022

DETROIT — Tesla billionaire Elon Musk has put his plan to buy Twitter on what he called a temporary “hold,” raising fresh doubts about whether he’ll proceed with the $44 billion acquisition. Musk tweeted early Friday that he wanted to pinpoint the number of spam and fake accounts on the social media platform. He has […]

Tech

Tesla, Twitter shares drop as Elon Musk’s legal issues grow

Editorial Bureau May 13, 2022

DETROIT — Shares of Tesla and Twitter have tumbled this week as investors deal with the fallout and potential legal issues surrounding Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his $44 billion bid to buy the social media platform. Of the two, Musk’s electric vehicle company has fared worse, with its stock down almost 16% so far this […]

Tech

Managers fired from Twitter amid Musk buyout turmoil

Editorial Bureau May 13, 2022

Twitter fired two of its top managers Thursday, the latest sign of internal turmoil amid Tesla billionaire Elon Musk’s planned buyout of the company. One Twitter general manager, Kayvon Beykpour, is leaving after 7 years. In a series of tweets Thursday, Beykpour said CEO Parag Agrawal “asked me to leave after letting me know that […]

UK

Elon Musk asked to testify on Twitter by UK Parliament

Editorial Bureau May 4, 2022

LONDON — A British parliamentary committee scrutinizing draft online safety legislation has invited Elon Musk to discuss his plans to buy Twitter and the changes he’s proposing for the social media platform. Parliament’s digital committee asked the Tesla CEO on Wednesday to give evidence about his proposals “in more depth.” Musk said it’s too early […]

Tech

Musk sells $8.5B in Tesla stock as he readies to buy Twitter

Editorial Bureau April 30, 2022

In the three days after Elon Musk engineered a deal to buy Twitter, he sold roughly $8.5 billion worth of shares in Tesla to help fund the purchase Musk reported the sale of 9.6 million shares in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday and Friday. The trades were made at prices ranging […]

Business

Elon Musk quest to scrap deal over 2018 tweets is rejected

Editorial Bureau April 28, 2022

DETROIT — Elon Musk’s request to scrap a settlement with securities regulators over 2018 tweets claiming he had the funding to take Tesla private was denied by a federal judge in New York. Judge Lewis Liman on Wednesday also denied a motion to nullify subpoenas of Musk seeking information about possible violations of his settlement […]

Tech

Twitter abuse victims fear Musk’s plans, but may not quit

Editorial Bureau April 28, 2022

Perhaps no group of people is more alarmed about Elon Musk’s apparent plan to make Twitter a free speech free-for-all than those most likely to be targeted for harassment: women, racial minorities and other marginalized groups. They fear that a more hands-off approach to policing the platform will embolden purveyors of hate speech, bullying and […]

Tech

Musk’s Twitter ambitions to collide with Europe’s tech rules

Editorial Bureau April 27, 2022

LONDON — A hands-off approach to moderating content at Elon Musk’s Twitter could clash with ambitious new laws in Europe meant to protect users from disinformation, hate speech and other harmful material. Musk, who describes himself as a “free speech absolutist,” pledged to buy Twitter for $44 billion this week, with European Union officials and […]

Business

Elon Musk is buying Twitter. Soon the hard part starts

Editorial Bureau April 27, 2022

Tesla CEO Elon Musk stands to be the next owner of Twitter, having pledged roughly $44 billion to buy the social platform and take it private. Assuming that happens, next up on his agenda will be planning how to fulfill his promises to develop new Twitter features, open its algorithm to public inspection and defeat […]