Joe Kinsey
Speaking Thursday at “TED2022: A New Era,” in Vancouver, Canada, Elon Musk addressed questions relating to his hostile takeover ambitions at Twitter where the billionaire has offered to buy all remaining outstanding shares of the company.
Musk filed a 13D with the SEC Wednesday where he offered the Twitter board a price of $54.20 for those remaining shares, which would add up to around $41 billion to buy the company and then take it private.
.@elonmusk: "Twitter has become kind of the de facto town square, so it's really important that people have both the reality and the perception that they're able to speak freely…so there's no sort of behind the scenes manipulation, either algorithmically or manually." pic.twitter.com/I1I9HDT4qh
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 14, 2022
“Twitter has become kind of the de facto town square, so it’s really important that people have both the reality and the perception that they’re able to speak freely…so there’s no sort of behind-the-scenes manipulation, either algorithmically or manually,” Musk told the TED Talk host.
“My strong intuitive sense is that having a public platform that is maximally trusted & broadly inclusive is extremely important to the future of civilization. I don’t care about the economics at all.
“I’m absolutely obsessed with truth,” Musk added.
What happens if the Twitter board denies his purchase offer? Is there a plan B?
“There is,” Musk said on the stage in Vancouver.
.@elonmusk: "Is someone you don't like allowed to say something you don't like? If that is the case then we have free speech." pic.twitter.com/BI9zaNmzlb
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 14, 2022
Thursday, fellow billionaire Mark Cuban addressed Musk’s business plan and noted that “Every major tech company, Google, [Facebook], et al is on the phone with their anti trust lawyers asking if they can buy Twitter and get it approved. And Twitter is on the phone with their lawyers asking which can be their white knight.
“Gonna be interesting,” Cuban added.
My conclusion, @elonmusk is fucking with the SEC. His filing w/the SEC allows him to say he wants to take a company private for $54.20 😂
Vs his "Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured" Price go up. His shares get sold. Profit⬆️ SEC like WTF just happened.— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) April 14, 2022
In other Twitter news, Saudi Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud, who is one of Twitter’s largest shareholders, has rejected Musk’s $54.20 offer.
“So left wing blue check marks on @twitter are now being protected by a Saudi prince who doesn’t like @elonmusk because he makes electric cars, which undercut the power of Saudi Arabian oil,” OutKick founder Clay Travis noted.
As expected, panic has set in for the blue checkmarks who fear a wide-open Twitter under Musk’s control.
As Mark Cuban noted, this is gonna be interesting.
So left wing blue check marks on @twitter are now being protected by a Saudi prince who doesn’t like @elonmusk because he makes electric cars, which undercut the power of Saudi Arabian oil. https://t.co/qui3CgX5Vn
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) April 14, 2022
"If in this case you are not successful, you know, the board does not accept your offer, you've said you won't go higher. Is there a plan B?"@elonmusk: "There is."
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 14, 2022
Cuban is woke weak mfer Musk V Cuban no contest it be like Einstein talking to a third grader