Twitter

Mr Musk may not have yet fully thought through his vision for Twitter, but if anyone can unlock its "extraordinary potential" it could well be him.

Mr Musk has put himself on the hook for billions, tied to his stock at Tesla. Can he find a business model that gives his social network a sense of direction? Perhaps in the back of his mind he has a plan to do this. Perhaps he could turn Twitter into a subscription service. Safe, but for one thing - this is Elon Musk we're talking about. Or are they supposed to welcome this proud demonstration of free speech, now that someone just as famous as them is in charge? That's like buying a bank, vowing to eliminate bank robbers, then publishing the floor plans of your vault.

Analysis: From founder Jack Dorsey to dotcom pioneer Martha Lane Fox … the big players in line for big payouts.

In 2021 they bought 2.2m shares at an average price of $31, for example, which would be worth a $50m profit at Musk’s offer price. Nonetheless, many now fear Musk’s acquisition will mean missing out on the long-term value of stock they hold. Twitter’s employees have benefited from a generous share scheme, introduced in 2013, taking as much as 50% of their earnings in stock options. Those securities would be worth over $2.2bn at Musk’s price. Other board members hold shares too, and would collect smaller amounts. Dorsey, who stepped down as chief executive last year after pressure from activist investor Elliott Management, still owns 18m shares, or almost 2.4% of its stock, worth $978m at Musk’s agreed offer of $54.20.

The Tesla and SpaceX chief executive reached an agreement to buy Twitter for $54.20 (£42.20) per share - about $44bn (£34.5bn)

So obviously there are some limitations on free speech in the US, and, of course, Twitter would have to abide by those rules.” But please know that this is certainly not entertainment for me.” Asking for a friend.” The politician received death threats after she offered support to freelance journalist Caroline Criado Perez, who was targeted over her campaign to have novelist Jane Austen featured on a new UK banknote. He added that he believed Mr Musk – who he called a “good man” – will “make improvements” to the platform. “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.

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.

Twitter's decision to engage with Musk shows it is exploring whether a sale is possible on attractive terms: Reuters.

In response, Musk has threatened to launch a tender offer that he could use to register Twitter shareholder support for his bid. Short term-minded investors such as hedge funds want Twitter to accept Musk’s offer or ask for only a small increase, the sources said. Twitter has not yet decided if it will explore a sale to put pressure on Musk to raise his bid, according to the sources. Twitter is also looking into whether regulators in any of the major markets it operates would object to Musk owning the company, the source added. Musk’s insistence that his bid for Twitter is his “best and final” has emerged as a hurdle in the deal negotiations, the sources said. The company’s decision to engage with Musk, taken earlier on Sunday, does not mean that it will accept his $54.20 per share bid, the sources said.

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.”

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.