<p>It hasn't even been a week since Tesla CEO Elon Musk purchased Twitter and made headlines. But then, the eccentric billionaire has never been a stranger to them; from his tiff with Bill Gates to his involvement in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial, he definitely maintains his presence in news and on social media.</p>

<p>Looks like Musk's shopping list doesn't end with Twitter; he recently expressed interest in purchasing Coca-Cola and once again, adding cocaine,&nbsp;just like the drink was made back when it was launched.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Next I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in</p>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1519480761749016577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>Now, netizens are advising him to purchase fresh choices. Some are doing it for enjoyment, while others have their own motivations.</p>

<p>The world's wealthiest man, famed for his innovative ideas and financial acumen, is currently a trending topic on social media, particularly on Twitter. Since the news of his purchase of Twitter surfaced, he's been trending. Despite his $44 billion purchase of Twitter, people now advising him on ways to spend some more 'Mula'.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Social media networks such as Twitter and Snapchat, as well as countries, are among the suggested purchases. Let's have a look at some of the outrageous ideas:</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Elon musk, please buy swiggy so they can deliver on time. <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/swiggy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#swiggy</a></p>
— Shubman Gill (@ShubmanGill) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShubmanGill/status/1520093399348506625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">can you buy fox I want another season of “firefly”</p>
— Shibetoshi Nakamoto (@BillyM2k) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillyM2k/status/1519484064859758592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We need more Battlestar Galactica!</p>
— DrRamblings (@DrRamblings) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrRamblings/status/1519505090842808322?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/elon-musk-reveals-intentions-to-monetize-tweets-and-cut-salaries-as-part-of-his-pitch-to-bank-lenders-474812">Elon Musk reveals intentions to monetize tweets and cut salaries as part of his pitch to bank lenders</a></strong></p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Can you buy Indonesia?<br />
<br />
Make it fast! Because the price will go up in Monday.</p>
— Duke of Condet (@LordCondet) <a href="https://twitter.com/LordCondet/status/1519503788205572096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Can you buy Greece and put my brother Alexis Tsipras as Prime Minister ;</p>
— Zanet (@Zanet_Tsipa) <a href="https://twitter.com/Zanet_Tsipa/status/1519546533385015296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/elon-musk-responds-to-dell-founders-cryptic-1137-tweet-after-twitter-takeover-474826">Elon Musk responds to Dell founder's cryptic '1/137' tweet after Twitter takeover</a></strong></p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Buy Tik-tok and Snapchat and delete them.</p>
— Mo-Mo💙 (@Morris_Monye) <a href="https://twitter.com/Morris_Monye/status/1519560079040778241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Watch | Social media giant Twitter gained 12 million new users</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/social-media-giant-twitter-gained-12-million-new-users-474799/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="und">😂😂😂😂 <a href="https://t.co/TOd05srbpo">pic.twitter.com/TOd05srbpo</a></p>
— ABsulley (@TheEsperance) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheEsperance/status/1519480887032926209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>Some YouTube users want the dislike option restored, and they've requested Musk to acquire the platform so that it may be revived:</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Then after that, buy youtube to get back the dislike button</p>
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) <a href="https://twitter.com/WatcherGuru/status/1519481421752152065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Can you buy YouTube? It’s as bad as Twitter. You should buy ESPN and make it about sports again too. Also, buying me a house would be cool too.</p>
— Lisa Boothe (@LisaMarieBoothe) <a href="https://twitter.com/LisaMarieBoothe/status/1519523102635474944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE:</strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<p class="MsoNormal">And that's not all: individuals are requesting Musk to acquire car companies so that they can make certain changes, and one user even begged him to buy Volkwagen so that his favourite curry could be added to the corporate canteen's menu:</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Elon, can you buy Mercedes Amg Petronas F1 Team and fix their car?</p>
— Samuel Pancher (@SamPancher) <a href="https://twitter.com/SamPancher/status/1519492834713350144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Please buy Volkswagen to put Curry-Wurst again on the menu of the canteen.</p>
— Liberal Mut (Inflationscoach) (@LiberalMut) <a href="https://twitter.com/LiberalMut/status/1519533283192840192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>Given Elon Musk's penchant for the unconventional, we're excited to see what his next acquisition will be. Do you have any suggestions for him?</p>


It hasn't even been a week since Tesla CEO Elon Musk purchased Twitter and made headlines. But then, the eccentric billionaire has never been a stranger to them; from his tiff with Bill Gates to his involvement in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial, he definitely maintains his presence in news and on social media.

It hasn't even been a week since Tesla CEO Elon Musk purchased Twitter and made headlines. But then, the eccentric billionaire has never been a stranger to them; from his tiff with Bill Gates to his involvement in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial, he definitely maintains his presence in news and on social media. Looks like Musk's shopping list doesn't end with Twitter; he recently expressed interest in purchasing Coca-Cola and once again, adding cocaine, just like the drink was made back when it was launched. Next I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 28, 2022 × Now, netizens are advising him to purchase fresh choices. Some are doing it for enjoyment, while others have their own motivations. The world's wealthiest man, famed for his innovative ideas and financial acumen, is currently a trending topic on social media, particularly on Twitter. Since the news of his purchase of Twitter surfaced, he's been trending. Despite his $44 billion purchase of Twitter, people now advising him on ways to spend some more 'Mula'. Social media networks such as Twitter and Snapchat, as well as countries, are among the suggested purchases. Let's have a look at some of the outrageous ideas: Elon musk, please buy swiggy so they can deliver on time. @elonmusk #swiggy — Shubman Gill (@ShubmanGill) April 29, 2022 × can you buy fox I want another season of “firefly” — Shibetoshi Nakamoto (@BillyM2k) April 28, 2022 × We need more Battlestar Galactica! — DrRamblings (@DrRamblings) April 28, 2022 × Also read | Elon Musk reveals intentions to monetize tweets and cut salaries as part of his pitch to bank lenders Can you buy Indonesia? Make it fast! Because the price will go up in Monday. — Duke of Condet (@LordCondet) April 28, 2022 × Can you buy Greece and put my brother Alexis Tsipras as Prime Minister ; — Zanet (@Zanet_Tsipa) April 28, 2022 × Also read | Elon Musk responds to Dell founder's cryptic '1/137' tweet after Twitter takeover Buy Tik-tok and Snapchat and delete them. — Mo-Mo💙 (@Morris_Monye) April 28, 2022 × Watch | Social media giant Twitter gained 12 million new users 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/TOd05srbpo — ABsulley (@TheEsperance) April 28, 2022 × Some YouTube users want the dislike option restored, and they've requested Musk to acquire the platform so that it may be revived: Then after that, buy youtube to get back the dislike button — Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) April 28, 2022 × Can you buy YouTube? It’s as bad as Twitter. You should buy ESPN and make it about sports again too. Also, buying me a house would be cool too. — Lisa Boothe (@LisaMarieBoothe) April 28, 2022 × WATCH WION LIVE HERE: And that's not all: individuals are requesting Musk to acquire car companies so that they can make certain changes, and one user even begged him to buy Volkwagen so that his favourite curry could be added to the corporate canteen's menu: Elon, can you buy Mercedes Amg Petronas F1 Team and fix their car? — Samuel Pancher (@SamPancher) April 28, 2022 × Please buy Volkswagen to put Curry-Wurst again on the menu of the canteen. — Liberal Mut (Inflationscoach) (@LiberalMut) April 28, 2022 × Given Elon Musk's penchant for the unconventional, we're excited to see what his next acquisition will be. Do you have any suggestions for him?

After Twitter takeover, what else do netizens want Musk to buy!?

<p>As per a new development in the Twitter-Elon Musk story, the Tesla CEO has reportedly informed the banks sponsoring the takeover bid of his plans to reduce executive and board member salaries in order to save money.</p>

<p>Musk also mentioned a plan to monetise tweets, as per Reuters.</p>

<p>He made these pitches to the lenders as he tries to secure a debt days after submitting a bit to Twitter on the 14th of April.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/tech-visionary-turned-social-media-king-elon-musks-a-list-enterprises-and-how-much-they-are-worth-473896">Tech visionary turned social media king Elon Musk's A-list enterprises and how much they are worth</a></strong></p>

<p>Musk had to persuade the banks that Twitter's cash flow was sufficient to service the loan he was seeking. In the end, he was able to acquire $13 billion in loans secured against Twitter, as well as a $12.5 billion margin loan secured against his Tesla equity. He promised to pay the balance of the payment with his own money.</p>

<p>Earlier too Musk had spoken about his plan to eliminate the salaries of Twitter board directors, which in his opinion can save up to $3 million in cost savings.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Board salary will be $0 if my bid succeeds, so that’s ~$3M/year saved right there</p>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1516056299376623626?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Watch |&nbsp;Crackdown on hate: How will Elon Musk deals with new EU law?</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/crackdown-on-hate-how-will-elon-musk-deals-with-new-eu-law-474752/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>As per Reuters anonymous source, Musk also pointed out Twitter's gross margin which is much lower than Meta's Facebook and Pinterest, adding that this leaves plenty of space to run the company cost-efficiently.</p>

<p>Bloomberg had earlier reported that Musk's pitch to the banks also included job cuts, although he isn't expected to make a decision on that until he assumes ownership of the firm.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/elon-musk-sells-usd-4-billion-worth-of-tesla-shares-to-bolster-twitter-acquisition-474777" hreflang="en">Elon Musk sells USD 4 billion worth of Tesla shares to bolster Twitter acquisition</a></strong></p>

<p>His plans for monetisation include developing features to grow business revenue, by making use of viral tweets. Among his ideas is charging a fee for third-party websites to quote or embed a tweet by verified accounts.</p>

<p>In his earlier tweets, he had suggested a raft of changes including slashing Twitter blue premium's subscription service. In another tweet he had deleted, he suggested reducing Twitter's dependence on advertising for revenue.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


As per a new development in the Twitter-Elon Musk story, the Tesla CEO has reportedly informed the banks sponsoring the takeover bid of his plans to reduce executive and board member salaries in order to save money.

As per a new development in the Twitter-Elon Musk story, the Tesla CEO has reportedly informed the banks sponsoring the takeover bid of his plans to reduce executive and board member salaries in order to save money. Musk also mentioned a plan to monetise tweets, as per Reuters. He made these pitches to the lenders as he tries to secure a debt days after submitting a bit to Twitter on the 14th of April. Also read | Tech visionary turned social media king Elon Musk's A-list enterprises and how much they are worth Musk had to persuade the banks that Twitter's cash flow was sufficient to service the loan he was seeking. In the end, he was able to acquire $13 billion in loans secured against Twitter, as well as a $12.5 billion margin loan secured against his Tesla equity. He promised to pay the balance of the payment with his own money. Earlier too Musk had spoken about his plan to eliminate the salaries of Twitter board directors, which in his opinion can save up to $3 million in cost savings. Board salary will be $0 if my bid succeeds, so that’s ~$3M/year saved right there — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 18, 2022 × Watch | Crackdown on hate: How will Elon Musk deals with new EU law? As per Reuters anonymous source, Musk also pointed out Twitter's gross margin which is much lower than Meta's Facebook and Pinterest, adding that this leaves plenty of space to run the company cost-efficiently. Bloomberg had earlier reported that Musk's pitch to the banks also included job cuts, although he isn't expected to make a decision on that until he assumes ownership of the firm. Also read | Elon Musk sells USD 4 billion worth of Tesla shares to bolster Twitter acquisition His plans for monetisation include developing features to grow business revenue, by making use of viral tweets. Among his ideas is charging a fee for third-party websites to quote or embed a tweet by verified accounts. In his earlier tweets, he had suggested a raft of changes including slashing Twitter blue premium's subscription service. In another tweet he had deleted, he suggested reducing Twitter's dependence on advertising for revenue. (With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk reveals plans to monetise tweets and cut salaries as part of his pitch to bank lenders

The world's richest man Elon Musk has started liquidating assets to help fund his bid to buy Twitter. Tesla's chief executive officer has sold $4 billion worth of shares recently. As per reports, Musk is planning to monetise tweets.

United States: Elon Musk's $44 billion Twitter buyout, sells Tesla shares worth $4 billion

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal faced the heat of his employees after Musk's takeover of the company. He chaired a company-wide meeting where Twitter staff demanded answers regarding the mass exodus policy following the completion of acquisition deal with Elon Musk

Twitter Acquisition: Twitter CEO faces employee anger

<p>Twitter didn't have as many users as it believed, a situation that may have prompted the company to immidiately accepting Elon Musk's $44 billion offer to take the firm private.</p>

<p>According to its Q1 2022 earnings report, which was released this morning, Twitter admitted that it had been overcounting the number of users on its site for at least three years due to a technical issue affecting linked accounts.</p>

<p>For three years, Twitter has exaggerated the number of daily users on its site, overstating by up to 1.9 million users per quarter.&nbsp;</p>

<p>These incorrect usage numbers were given for Q1 2019 through Q4 2021.</p>

<p>This isn't the first time Twitter has done something like this.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Twitter also discovered in 2017 that it had been overstating its user numbers by around 1 million to 2 million users for the previous three years.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
<strong>Watch | Gravitas: What will Elon Musk's Twitter look like?</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-what-will-elon-musks-twitter-look-like-474154/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>The reoccurring error was discovered today in Twitter's first-quarter 2022 earnings announcement.</p>

<p>Even when compared to last quarter's inflated estimate, Twitter now has 229 million daily users, an increase of more than 10 million.&nbsp;</p>

<p>They are, however, one last embarrassing gaffe for Twitter as it negotiates a deal to be taken private, at which point it will no longer be required to reveal these numbers publicly.</p>

<p>Twitter reported a $128 million operating loss on $1.2 billion in revenue, which was in line with the company's own forecast for the quarter.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Twitter cited "headwinds linked to the war in Ukraine" for a 16 percent increase in revenue year over year.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Twitter didn't have as many users as it believed, a situation that may have prompted the company to immidiately accepting Elon Musk's $44 billion offer to take the firm private.

Twitter didn't have as many users as it believed, a situation that may have prompted the company to immidiately accepting Elon Musk's $44 billion offer to take the firm private. According to its Q1 2022 earnings report, which was released this morning, Twitter admitted that it had been overcounting the number of users on its site for at least three years due to a technical issue affecting linked accounts. For three years, Twitter has exaggerated the number of daily users on its site, overstating by up to 1.9 million users per quarter. These incorrect usage numbers were given for Q1 2019 through Q4 2021. This isn't the first time Twitter has done something like this. Twitter also discovered in 2017 that it had been overstating its user numbers by around 1 million to 2 million users for the previous three years. Watch | Gravitas: What will Elon Musk's Twitter look like? The reoccurring error was discovered today in Twitter's first-quarter 2022 earnings announcement. Even when compared to last quarter's inflated estimate, Twitter now has 229 million daily users, an increase of more than 10 million. They are, however, one last embarrassing gaffe for Twitter as it negotiates a deal to be taken private, at which point it will no longer be required to reveal these numbers publicly. Twitter reported a $128 million operating loss on $1.2 billion in revenue, which was in line with the company's own forecast for the quarter. Twitter cited "headwinds linked to the war in Ukraine" for a 16 percent increase in revenue year over year. (With inputs from agencies)

Twitter shared wrong data: Admits overstating daily active users since 2019

Elon Musk's bizarre tweets are triggering confusion over what the social media platform will look like under him. Musk joked about buying Coca-Cola and adding cocaine to the classic soda. Palki Sharma tells you why Musk's antics are dangerous for free speech.

Gravitas: Elon Musk's bizarre tweets trigger confusion

<p>Tesla CEO Elon Musk sold 4.4 million shares of the electric carmaker, showed US securities filings on Thursday. The shares are worth USD 8.5 billion. This mover from the billionaire is likely to help him to generate funds for his proposed acquisition of Twitter.</p>

<p>In a tweet, Musk said that there were no plans to share more Tesla shares.</p>

<p>Musk has offered to but social media giant Twitter for USD 44 billion. Market watchers and speculators are watching Musk's moves very closely for a sign that he might backtrack on his offer to buy Twitter.</p>

<p>In past, Elon Musk has backtracked after making mega-announcements. He declined to take up a seat on Twitter's board at the last minute earlier this month. In 2018, Musk had declared that he would take Tesla private. He even said that he had "funding secured" for USD 72 billion deal. But he didn't move ahead with the offer.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tesla-ceo-elon-musks-purchase-of-initial-9-stake-in-twitter-under-scrutiny-says-report-474755">Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s purchase of initial 9% stake in Twitter under scrutiny, says report &nbsp;</a></strong><br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>If Musk wants to walk away from Twitter acquisition, he would have to pay UD 1 billion acquisition fee. Although the amount appears huge, it is a but a sliver of Musk's estimated total wealth of USD 240 billion.</p>

<p>On Thursday (April 28), Twitter shares climbed after having reported mixed earnings.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

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<p>Near 1850 GMT, shares in the microblogging company stood at $49.18, up 1.1 percent from Wednesday, but well below the $54.20 price in the agreement between Twitter and Musk.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Tesla CEO Elon Musk sold 4.4 million shares of the electric carmaker, showed US securities filings on Thursday. The shares are worth USD 8.5 billion. This mover from the billionaire is likely to help him to generate funds for his proposed acquisition of Twitter.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk sold 4.4 million shares of the electric carmaker, showed US securities filings on Thursday. The shares are worth USD 8.5 billion. This mover from the billionaire is likely to help him to generate funds for his proposed acquisition of Twitter. In a tweet, Musk said that there were no plans to share more Tesla shares. Musk has offered to but social media giant Twitter for USD 44 billion. Market watchers and speculators are watching Musk's moves very closely for a sign that he might backtrack on his offer to buy Twitter. In past, Elon Musk has backtracked after making mega-announcements. He declined to take up a seat on Twitter's board at the last minute earlier this month. In 2018, Musk had declared that he would take Tesla private. He even said that he had "funding secured" for USD 72 billion deal. But he didn't move ahead with the offer. Also Read | Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s purchase of initial 9% stake in Twitter under scrutiny, says report If Musk wants to walk away from Twitter acquisition, he would have to pay UD 1 billion acquisition fee. Although the amount appears huge, it is a but a sliver of Musk's estimated total wealth of USD 240 billion. On Thursday (April 28), Twitter shares climbed after having reported mixed earnings. WATCH WION LIVE HERE × Near 1850 GMT, shares in the microblogging company stood at $49.18, up 1.1 percent from Wednesday, but well below the $54.20 price in the agreement between Twitter and Musk. (With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk sells USD 8.5 billion worth of Tesla shares to bolster Twitter acquisition

<p>As Tesla CEO Elon Musk takes steps to complete the process to buy Twitter, US Senators of the Democratic Party are mulling calling the billionaire to testify before US Congress.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“We’re thinking about it,” Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell said as quoted by Bloomberg.</p>

<p>Elon Musk has offered to buy social media giant Twitter for USD 44 billion. This is the third biggest acquisition in the tech world. Twitter has reached an agreement with Musk. The entire process is likely to take six months.</p>

<p>News of Musk taking over Twitter has elicited positive reactions from politicians of Republican Party.</p>

<p>There are voices in the tech world and outside expressing worry over Musk's acquisition of Twitter. It is being observed warily whether Elon Musk intends to loosen control on content on Twitter, the control measures that have been designed to reduce spread of disinformation.</p>

<p>When Musk made his offer, Twitter initially tried adopting 'poison pill' strategy. This strategy enables companies to flood the market with expensive shares making hostile acquisition impossible.</p>

<p>However, Twitter later on decided against this approach and struck an agreement with Elon Musk.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Musk has sold 4 billion dollar worth of his Tesla shares apparently to bolster fund generation for Twitter acquisition.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


As Tesla CEO Elon Musk takes steps to complete the process to buy Twitter, US Senators of the Democratic Party are mulling calling the billionaire to testify before US Congress.

As Tesla CEO Elon Musk takes steps to complete the process to buy Twitter, US Senators of the Democratic Party are mulling calling the billionaire to testify before US Congress. “We’re thinking about it,” Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell said as quoted by Bloomberg. Elon Musk has offered to buy social media giant Twitter for USD 44 billion. This is the third biggest acquisition in the tech world. Twitter has reached an agreement with Musk. The entire process is likely to take six months. News of Musk taking over Twitter has elicited positive reactions from politicians of Republican Party. There are voices in the tech world and outside expressing worry over Musk's acquisition of Twitter. It is being observed warily whether Elon Musk intends to loosen control on content on Twitter, the control measures that have been designed to reduce spread of disinformation. When Musk made his offer, Twitter initially tried adopting 'poison pill' strategy. This strategy enables companies to flood the market with expensive shares making hostile acquisition impossible. However, Twitter later on decided against this approach and struck an agreement with Elon Musk. WATCH WION LIVE HERE × Musk has sold 4 billion dollar worth of his Tesla shares apparently to bolster fund generation for Twitter acquisition. (With inputs from agencies)

US Senators mull calling Elon Musk to testify

Will Twitter be better under its new owner Elon Musk? Will it allow more free speech or will it be more profitable? WION discusses all this with Mr Manish Maheshwari, Founder and CEO of Invact Metaversity.

Will Twitter be better under Elon Musk?

European Union has passed the digital services act that would force social media giants like Facebook, Twitter, and others to combat misinformation and disclose how their services amplify divisive content. Now, the question arises, how will Elon Musk deals with the new EU law?

Crackdown on hate: How will Elon Musk deals with new EU law?

<p>Elon Musk has been dominating headlines with his buyout of Twitter and there has been no dearth of opinions from various sectors. Musk was able to finalise the deal to buy social media platform for a massive $44 billion in cash and said that he has plans to make it a private company.</p>

<p>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/elon-musk-reveals-intentions-to-monetize-tweets-and-cut-salaries-as-part-of-his-pitch-to-bank-lenders-474812">Musk unveils plans to monetize tweets, cut salaries in his pitch to lenders</a></p>

<p>Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell took to Twitter to compare Musk’s actions with his own company going private in 2013 and EMC going private in 2016.</p>

<p>On the social media site, Dell tweeted - “Here are the similarities and differences between @elonmusk take private of @Twitter and our @Dell take private in 2013 and @EMC take private in 2016. 1/137."</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Here are the similarities and differences between <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> take private of <a href="https://twitter.com/Twitter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Twitter</a> and our <a href="https://twitter.com/Dell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dell</a> take private in 2013 and <a href="https://twitter.com/emc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EMC</a> take private in 2016<br />
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1/137 🧵</p>
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<p>Dell managed to get out of a tough situation in 2013 as they became a private company and with help from with Silver Lake and Microsoft, the founder was able to take the company private.</p>

<p>In 2016, Dell took over data management company EMC for $67 billion and together, they are currently known as Dell Technologies.</p>

<p>Although the tweet was marked ‘1/137’, it remains to be seen whether there will be more tweets to follow as a lot of Twitter users were left confused by the lack of a thread.</p>

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— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1519830218319486986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>In response, Elon Musk just posted a laughing emoticon under Dell’s tweet.</p>

<p>Earlier, Musk decided to sell 4.4 million shares of his car company – Tesla – in order to fund his massive acquisition of Twitter. The sell of the shares worth $3.9 billion was confirmed on the US securities filings. However, Musk made it clear that he will not be selling any more Tesla stocks.</p>


Elon Musk has been dominating headlines with his buyout of Twitter and there has been no dearth of opinions from various sectors. Musk was able to finalise the deal to buy social media platform for a massive $44 billion in cash and said that he has plans to make it a private company.

Elon Musk has been dominating headlines with his buyout of Twitter and there has been no dearth of opinions from various sectors. Musk was able to finalise the deal to buy social media platform for a massive $44 billion in cash and said that he has plans to make it a private company. Also read | Musk unveils plans to monetize tweets, cut salaries in his pitch to lenders Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell took to Twitter to compare Musk’s actions with his own company going private in 2013 and EMC going private in 2016. On the social media site, Dell tweeted - “Here are the similarities and differences between @elonmusk take private of @Twitter and our @Dell take private in 2013 and @EMC take private in 2016. 1/137." Here are the similarities and differences between @elonmusk take private of @Twitter and our @Dell take private in 2013 and @EMC take private in 2016 1/137 🧵 — Michael Dell (@MichaelDell) April 28, 2022 × Dell managed to get out of a tough situation in 2013 as they became a private company and with help from with Silver Lake and Microsoft, the founder was able to take the company private. In 2016, Dell took over data management company EMC for $67 billion and together, they are currently known as Dell Technologies. Although the tweet was marked ‘1/137’, it remains to be seen whether there will be more tweets to follow as a lot of Twitter users were left confused by the lack of a thread. 🤣 — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 29, 2022 × In response, Elon Musk just posted a laughing emoticon under Dell’s tweet. Earlier, Musk decided to sell 4.4 million shares of his car company – Tesla – in order to fund his massive acquisition of Twitter. The sell of the shares worth $3.9 billion was confirmed on the US securities filings. However, Musk made it clear that he will not be selling any more Tesla stocks.

Elon Musk responds to Dell founder's cryptic '1/137' tweet after Twitter takeover

<p>Even as the sale of Twitter has been confirmed to billionaire Elon Musk for $44 billion, the purchase of initial 9% stake in the company before the takeover is being probed, said a news report. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The investigation is being carried out by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), said a report of The Information on Thursday. &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/judge-rejects-elon-musk-bid-to-free-tweets-from-oversight-474662" hreflang="en">Judge rejects Elon Musk bid to free tweets from oversight</a></strong></p>

<p>This comes as the sale was announced recently. The shareholders are reportedly going to receive $54.20 in cash for each share of Twitter stock they own as per the deal. &nbsp;</p>

<p>So, what is the FTC looking for? It is checking the compliance of an antitrust reporting requirement by Musk while buying the stake in Twitter in early April, the report said, citing people familiar with the development. &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch | Crackdown on hate: How will Elon Musk deals with new EU law?</strong></p>

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<p>If the rules about reporting significant stock purchases is not followed, the companies can be fined up to $43,792 per day. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The inquiry of the FTC focusses on whether Musk bought the stake to influence management of Twitter or he wanted to be a passive shareholder, the report said. &nbsp;</p>

<p>However, Musk had characterised his stake as passive in his April 4 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>


Even as the sale of Twitter has been confirmed to billionaire Elon Musk for $44 billion, the purchase of initial 9% stake in the company before the takeover is being probed, said a news report.

Even as the sale of Twitter has been confirmed to billionaire Elon Musk for $44 billion, the purchase of initial 9% stake in the company before the takeover is being probed, said a news report. The investigation is being carried out by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), said a report of The Information on Thursday. Also Read: Judge rejects Elon Musk bid to free tweets from oversight This comes as the sale was announced recently. The shareholders are reportedly going to receive $54.20 in cash for each share of Twitter stock they own as per the deal. So, what is the FTC looking for? It is checking the compliance of an antitrust reporting requirement by Musk while buying the stake in Twitter in early April, the report said, citing people familiar with the development. Watch | Crackdown on hate: How will Elon Musk deals with new EU law? × If the rules about reporting significant stock purchases is not followed, the companies can be fined up to $43,792 per day. The inquiry of the FTC focusses on whether Musk bought the stake to influence management of Twitter or he wanted to be a passive shareholder, the report said. However, Musk had characterised his stake as passive in his April 4 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. WATCH WION LIVE HERE (With inputs from agencies)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s purchase of initial 9% stake in Twitter under scrutiny, says report  

<p>And just like how you and I pick items off the supermarket shelves, the world's richest man Elon Musk buys companies. Yes, just like that.</p>

<p>On Thursday Musk took to Twitter to say "Next I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in"&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Next I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in</p>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1519480761749016577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Hold on, before it's looked at as a controversial statement. The beverage in its early days contained cocaine in a small proportion which was later reduced, and ultimately eliminated.</p>

<p>This tweet garnered a lot of attention and Twitterati couldn't keep calm. One user even tweeted an image of a 1894 Coke bottle which contains 3.5 grams of cocaine.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This is the first publicly sold bottle of Coca-Cola in 1894 which contained 3.5 grams of cocaine. Bring it back. <a href="https://t.co/Q05JqrCrel">pic.twitter.com/Q05JqrCrel</a></p>
— Pranay Pathole (@PPathole) <a href="https://twitter.com/PPathole/status/1519493570973298688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>This is not the first time the Tesla owner spoke about purchasing, he has pretty much been on a shopping spree and adding companies in his cart.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Earlier this week, he reached a deal of purchasing Twitter for about $44 billion. The micro-blogging site in its statement released on April 25 said, "Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an entity wholly owned by Elon Musk, for $54.20 per share in cash in a transaction valued at approximately $44 billion. Upon completion of the transaction, Twitter will become a privately held company."</p>

<p><strong>Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Twitter CEO to get $42 million if sacked</strong></p>

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<p>Here's a little trivia on Coca-Cola:<br />
According to US National Institute of Drug Abuse, the inventor Coca-Cola John Pemberton’s recipe included cocaine in the form of an extract of the coca leaf.</p>

<p>Also, when the beverage was invented, cocaine was legal and a commonly used ingredient in medicines. Back in the days, people thought of it as safe to use in small amounts.</p>

<p><br />
<em>(With inputs from Agencies)</em></p>


And just like how you and I pick items off the supermarket shelves, the world's richest man Elon Musk buys companies. Yes, just like that. On Thursday Musk took to Twitter to say "Next I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in" Next I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 28, 2022 × Hold on, before it's looked at as a controversial statement.

And just like how you and I pick items off the supermarket shelves, the world's richest man Elon Musk buys companies. Yes, just like that. On Thursday Musk took to Twitter to say "Next I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in" Next I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 28, 2022 × Hold on, before it's looked at as a controversial statement. The beverage in its early days contained cocaine in a small proportion which was later reduced, and ultimately eliminated. This tweet garnered a lot of attention and Twitterati couldn't keep calm. One user even tweeted an image of a 1894 Coke bottle which contains 3.5 grams of cocaine. This is the first publicly sold bottle of Coca-Cola in 1894 which contained 3.5 grams of cocaine. Bring it back. pic.twitter.com/Q05JqrCrel — Pranay Pathole (@PPathole) April 28, 2022 × This is not the first time the Tesla owner spoke about purchasing, he has pretty much been on a shopping spree and adding companies in his cart. Earlier this week, he reached a deal of purchasing Twitter for about $44 billion. The micro-blogging site in its statement released on April 25 said, "Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an entity wholly owned by Elon Musk, for $54.20 per share in cash in a transaction valued at approximately $44 billion. Upon completion of the transaction, Twitter will become a privately held company." Watch | Gravitas: Twitter CEO to get $42 million if sacked Here's a little trivia on Coca-Cola: According to US National Institute of Drug Abuse, the inventor Coca-Cola John Pemberton’s recipe included cocaine in the form of an extract of the coca leaf. Also, when the beverage was invented, cocaine was legal and a commonly used ingredient in medicines. Back in the days, people thought of it as safe to use in small amounts. (With inputs from Agencies)

After Twitter takeover, Elon Musk wants to add cocaine to Coca-Cola

Shares of Twitter have jumped over 3% amid speculations of Musk sealing the deal with Twitter. Watch this report to know more.

Elon Musk's mission Twitter: Musk to seal the deal with Twitter? Twitter shares jump over 3%

As Billionaire Elon Musk looks all set to buy Twitter, here's look at what's wrong with Twitter as a business model. Is it a broken business?

What's wrong with Twitter as a business model?

Tech visionary turned social media king Elon Musk's A-list enterprises and how much they are worth

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has criticised Twitter's staff publicly, despite a promise from the entrepreneur not to disparage the company or its employees. Will Musk's comments derail negotiations with Twitter?

Tesla CEO Elon Musk publicly criticises Twitter staff which stirs fresh row

<p>Twitter's new buyer Elon&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;still must have his tweets about his electric car company Tesla pre-approved after a US judge on Wednesday rejected an appeal to free him from oversight.</p>

<p>Musk&nbsp;last month filed a motion to overturn Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) restrictions imposed following his 2018 tweet, in which he said he had acquired funding to take Tesla private, but did not provide proof or file paperwork with the securities regulator.</p>

<p>The tweet, which caused share prices to fluctuate wildly, was ruled to be "false and misleading" and shareholders have accused Tesla of securities fraud.</p>

<p>The SEC also charged&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;with fraud and ordered him to step down as chair of Tesla's board of directors, pay a $20 million fine and, after another unfortunate tweet in early 2019, demanded his tweets directly related to the business of the company be pre-approved by a competent lawyer.</p>

<p>Musk&nbsp;said he was forced to agree to the deal, and denies lying to shareholders.</p>

<p>However, "Musk's claim that he was the victim of economic duress is wholly unpersuasive," Judge Lewis Liman wrote in his ruling.</p>

<p>The judge said&nbsp;Musk's argument that the SEC has used the agreement "to harass him" and investigate his speech is "meritless" and "particularly ironic," since free speech rights do not allow him to make statements that are "considered fraudulent" or violate securities laws.</p>

<p>"Musk&nbsp;cannot now seek to retract the agreement he knowingly and willingly entered by simply bemoaning that he felt like he had to agree to it at the time but now -- once the specter of the litigation is a distant memory and his company has become, in his estimation, all but invincible -- wishes that he had not."</p>

<p>The judge also rejected&nbsp;Musk's request to quash part of the SEC's demand for documents about his November 6, 2021 tweet calling for followers to vote on whether he should sell 10 percent of his Tesla stock.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The tweet sent the company's share price lower, and the SEC wants to know if it was approved as required. The agency also is investigating possible insider trading after&nbsp;Musk's brother -- a Tesla board member -- sold $108 million in the car-maker's stock a day before the poll.</p>

<p>Musk's headline-grabbing deal to buy Twitter comes with a clause specifying that he is free to tweet about the pending $44 billion merger provided his posts "do not disparage the company or any of its representatives," a copy filed with US regulators shows.</p>

<p>That did not stop&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;on Wednesday from tweeting his displeasure with content moderation moves made by Twitter's top attorney Vijaya Gadde who is seen as a moral champion of the platform.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE&nbsp;</strong></p>

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Twitter's new buyer Elon Musk still must have his tweets about his electric car company Tesla pre-approved after a US judge on Wednesday rejected an appeal to free him from oversight.

Twitter's new buyer Elon Musk still must have his tweets about his electric car company Tesla pre-approved after a US judge on Wednesday rejected an appeal to free him from oversight. Musk last month filed a motion to overturn Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) restrictions imposed following his 2018 tweet, in which he said he had acquired funding to take Tesla private, but did not provide proof or file paperwork with the securities regulator. The tweet, which caused share prices to fluctuate wildly, was ruled to be "false and misleading" and shareholders have accused Tesla of securities fraud. The SEC also charged Musk with fraud and ordered him to step down as chair of Tesla's board of directors, pay a $20 million fine and, after another unfortunate tweet in early 2019, demanded his tweets directly related to the business of the company be pre-approved by a competent lawyer. Musk said he was forced to agree to the deal, and denies lying to shareholders. However, "Musk's claim that he was the victim of economic duress is wholly unpersuasive," Judge Lewis Liman wrote in his ruling. The judge said Musk's argument that the SEC has used the agreement "to harass him" and investigate his speech is "meritless" and "particularly ironic," since free speech rights do not allow him to make statements that are "considered fraudulent" or violate securities laws. "Musk cannot now seek to retract the agreement he knowingly and willingly entered by simply bemoaning that he felt like he had to agree to it at the time but now -- once the specter of the litigation is a distant memory and his company has become, in his estimation, all but invincible -- wishes that he had not." The judge also rejected Musk's request to quash part of the SEC's demand for documents about his November 6, 2021 tweet calling for followers to vote on whether he should sell 10 percent of his Tesla stock. The tweet sent the company's share price lower, and the SEC wants to know if it was approved as required. The agency also is investigating possible insider trading after Musk's brother -- a Tesla board member -- sold $108 million in the car-maker's stock a day before the poll. Musk's headline-grabbing deal to buy Twitter comes with a clause specifying that he is free to tweet about the pending $44 billion merger provided his posts "do not disparage the company or any of its representatives," a copy filed with US regulators shows. That did not stop Musk on Wednesday from tweeting his displeasure with content moderation moves made by Twitter's top attorney Vijaya Gadde who is seen as a moral champion of the platform. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Judge rejects Elon Musk bid to free tweets from oversight

Tesla CEO has criticised the Twitter's top lawyer publicly, raising questions about his compliance with a non-disparagement agreement and the tone that the social media platform's incoming owner will set for its users.

Elon Musk publicly criticises Twitter staff which stirs another controversy

<p>Just days after criticising social media giant Twitter of being pro-left, billionaire Elon Musk has said that in order to gain trust, Twitter must be 'politically neutral'. He further said that being politically neutral meant upsetting the far right and the far left equally.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"For Twitter to deserve public trust, it must be politically neutral, which effectively means upsetting the far right and the far left equally," he tweeted.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">For Twitter to deserve public trust, it must be politically neutral, which effectively means upsetting the far right and the far left equally</p>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1519415674111672325?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>Elon Musk is in the process of acquiring Twitter. He has made an offer of USD 44 billion. Twitter has already made an agreement with Musk but the acquisition process is likely to take six months.</p>

<p>Elon Musk, already a prolific tweeter, has made news for almost all of his tweets after he made his plans to buy Twitter public.</p>

<p>He also made a tweet on how Truth Social, a social media platform launched by former US President Donald Trump, was doing better than Twitter and TikTok on the App Store. Donald Trump was booted from Twitter after January 6, 2021 Capitol Hill violence.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-twitter-takeover-elon-musk-wants-to-add-cocaine-to-coca-cola-474530">After Twitter takeover, Elon Musk wants to add cocaine to Coca-Cola</a></strong></p>

<p>However, Musk's tweets have resulted in backlash against Twitter's employees as well. Prominent among them is Vijaya Gadde.</p>

<p>Gadde is 'Legal, Policy and Trust Lead' at Twitter. She has made announcement of permanent suspension of Donald Trump's Twitter account in 2021.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

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<p>After Elon Musk's latest tweet disapproving Gadde, she was at receiving end of massive trolling that had racist overtones.</p>


Just days after criticising social media giant Twitter of being pro-left, billionaire Elon Musk has said that in order to gain trust, Twitter must be 'politically neutral'.

Just days after criticising social media giant Twitter of being pro-left, billionaire Elon Musk has said that in order to gain trust, Twitter must be 'politically neutral'. He further said that being politically neutral meant upsetting the far right and the far left equally. "For Twitter to deserve public trust, it must be politically neutral, which effectively means upsetting the far right and the far left equally," he tweeted. For Twitter to deserve public trust, it must be politically neutral, which effectively means upsetting the far right and the far left equally — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 27, 2022 × Elon Musk is in the process of acquiring Twitter. He has made an offer of USD 44 billion. Twitter has already made an agreement with Musk but the acquisition process is likely to take six months. Elon Musk, already a prolific tweeter, has made news for almost all of his tweets after he made his plans to buy Twitter public. He also made a tweet on how Truth Social, a social media platform launched by former US President Donald Trump, was doing better than Twitter and TikTok on the App Store. Donald Trump was booted from Twitter after January 6, 2021 Capitol Hill violence. Also Read | After Twitter takeover, Elon Musk wants to add cocaine to Coca-Cola However, Musk's tweets have resulted in backlash against Twitter's employees as well. Prominent among them is Vijaya Gadde. Gadde is 'Legal, Policy and Trust Lead' at Twitter. She has made announcement of permanent suspension of Donald Trump's Twitter account in 2021. WATCH WION LIVE HERE × After Elon Musk's latest tweet disapproving Gadde, she was at receiving end of massive trolling that had racist overtones.

Elon Musk: For Twitter to gain trust, it must be politically neutral

Investors are speculating over whether Elon Musk will complete his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter Inc sent the social media company's shares on Wednesday to their lowest level since the deal was announced two days ago.

Investors fret over potential Elon Musk U-turn in $44 bn Twitter buyout

<p>Investors are carefully weighing the possibility of billionaire Elon Musk backtracking from his declared plans of buying social media giant Twitter. The speculation sent Twitter's shares tumbling on Wednsday (April 27).</p>

<p>Traders are reportedly wary of possibility that Elon Musk may not have enough money sitting around to put together funds for his USD 21 billion cash contribution in the USD 44 billion offer to take over Twitter. There is speculation that Musk may decide against selling some of his Tesla shares to come up with the amount.</p>

<p>Elon Musk has backtracked after making mega announcements in the past. He declined to take up a seat on Twitter's board at the last minute earlier this month. In 2018, Musk had declared that he would take Tesla private. He even said that he had "funding secured" for USD 72 billion deal. But he didn't move ahead with the offer.</p>

<p>If Musk decides to walk away from Twitter acquisition, he will have to pay USD 1 billion breakup fee. But this amount is a very very tiny sliver of Musk's wealth (USD 240 billion as estimated by Forbes).</p>

<p>"There's a lot of headline risk over the next six months that it takes to complete the deal," said Chris Pultz, portfolio manager for merger arbitrage at Kellner Capital. Pultz was quoted by Reuters.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-twitter-takeover-elon-musk-wants-to-add-cocaine-to-coca-cola-474530">After Twitter takeover, Elon Musk wants to add cocaine to Coca-Cola</a></strong></p>

<p>Musk could calm some of the market jitters by providing more details on the source of his equity financing or bring in partners to help split the check. This, however, could introduce new risks to the deal based on the identity of these partners, some fund managers said.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

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<p>Roy Behren, managing member of Westchester Capital Management, which has $5.4 billion of assets under management, said the $1 billion deal termination fee was not high enough to make Musk think twice about walking away from the deal.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Investors are carefully weighing the possibility of billionaire Elon Musk backtracking from his declared plans of buying social media giant Twitter. The speculation sent Twitter's shares tumbling on Wednsday (April 27).

Investors are carefully weighing the possibility of billionaire Elon Musk backtracking from his declared plans of buying social media giant Twitter. The speculation sent Twitter's shares tumbling on Wednsday (April 27). Traders are reportedly wary of possibility that Elon Musk may not have enough money sitting around to put together funds for his USD 21 billion cash contribution in the USD 44 billion offer to take over Twitter. There is speculation that Musk may decide against selling some of his Tesla shares to come up with the amount. Elon Musk has backtracked after making mega announcements in the past. He declined to take up a seat on Twitter's board at the last minute earlier this month. In 2018, Musk had declared that he would take Tesla private. He even said that he had "funding secured" for USD 72 billion deal. But he didn't move ahead with the offer. If Musk decides to walk away from Twitter acquisition, he will have to pay USD 1 billion breakup fee. But this amount is a very very tiny sliver of Musk's wealth (USD 240 billion as estimated by Forbes). "There's a lot of headline risk over the next six months that it takes to complete the deal," said Chris Pultz, portfolio manager for merger arbitrage at Kellner Capital. Pultz was quoted by Reuters. Also Read | After Twitter takeover, Elon Musk wants to add cocaine to Coca-Cola Musk could calm some of the market jitters by providing more details on the source of his equity financing or bring in partners to help split the check. This, however, could introduce new risks to the deal based on the identity of these partners, some fund managers said. WATCH WION LIVE HERE × Roy Behren, managing member of Westchester Capital Management, which has $5.4 billion of assets under management, said the $1 billion deal termination fee was not high enough to make Musk think twice about walking away from the deal. (With inputs from agencies)

Will Elon Musk take U-turn from offer to buy Twitter?

<p>Ever since the trial in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation case began three weeks ago, there has been speculation whether Elon Musk would be testifying on behalf of Heard.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Heard and Musk were in a relationship for a year in 2016 and it was widely being reported that he would testify on behalf of his ex-girlfriend. &nbsp;But it has now been confirmed that Musk will not be testifying in court.<br />
<br />
Depp filed a suit &nbsp;against the actress after she wrote an op-ed in 2018 saying was "a public figure representing domestic abuse." While she did not name Depp, his lawyers claimed that it's was in reference to Depp since she has previously claimed he was physically violent toward her during their marriage.<br />
<br />
In his 2020 UK libel case, Depp had accused Heard of having an affair with Musk while she was still married to the actor. Musk later denied the accusation, clarifying that the two got into a relationship in April 2016 after she had filed for a divorce.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/psychologist-claims-amber-heard-showed-symptoms-of-personality-disorder-474242" hreflang="en"><strong>Johnny Depp psychologist claims Amber Heard showed symptoms of personality disorder</strong></a><br />
<br />
While Musk has been listed as a witness in the defamation case, his lawyer confirmed to Fox News that the billionaire will not be testifying.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
A doorman at a building in Los Angeles where Depp and Heard lived had testified that he often saw Musk at least "a few times a week" at Depp’s penthouse in 2015.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The SpaceX founder "always visited when Mr Depp was not at home," he had added.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Musk, 50, also was allegedly given access to the building’s parking garage at the request of Heard and that he would be led up the residence via the penthouse elevator.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-why-is-social-media-in-favour-of-johnny-depp-in-the-amber-heard-defamation-case-473671">Why is social media in favour of Johnny Depp in the Amber Heard defamation case?</a><br />
<br />
"Musk’s first appearance in Mr Depp’s penthouse occurred shortly after Ms Heard threw a vodka bottle at Mr Depp in Australia when she learned that Mr Depp wanted the couple to enter into a post-nuptial agreement concerning assets in their marriage," court papers reportedly stated. "Ms Heard’s violently aimed projectile virtually severed Mr Depp’s middle finger on his right hand and shattered the bones."</p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/johnny-depp-amber-heard-case-shocking-accusations-about-actors-473032/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>Meanwhile, it has been revealed that another star witness, James Franco will also not be testifying in court.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-a-brief-history-of-amber-heard-elon-musk-romance-473065">A brief history of Amber Heard-Elon Musk romance</a></strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Ever since the trial in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation case began three weeks ago, there has been speculation whether Elon Musk would be testifying on behalf of Heard.

Ever since the trial in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation case began three weeks ago, there has been speculation whether Elon Musk would be testifying on behalf of Heard. Heard and Musk were in a relationship for a year in 2016 and it was widely being reported that he would testify on behalf of his ex-girlfriend. But it has now been confirmed that Musk will not be testifying in court. Depp filed a suit against the actress after she wrote an op-ed in 2018 saying was "a public figure representing domestic abuse." While she did not name Depp, his lawyers claimed that it's was in reference to Depp since she has previously claimed he was physically violent toward her during their marriage. In his 2020 UK libel case, Depp had accused Heard of having an affair with Musk while she was still married to the actor. Musk later denied the accusation, clarifying that the two got into a relationship in April 2016 after she had filed for a divorce. Johnny Depp psychologist claims Amber Heard showed symptoms of personality disorder While Musk has been listed as a witness in the defamation case, his lawyer confirmed to Fox News that the billionaire will not be testifying. A doorman at a building in Los Angeles where Depp and Heard lived had testified that he often saw Musk at least "a few times a week" at Depp’s penthouse in 2015. The SpaceX founder "always visited when Mr Depp was not at home," he had added. Musk, 50, also was allegedly given access to the building’s parking garage at the request of Heard and that he would be led up the residence via the penthouse elevator. Why is social media in favour of Johnny Depp in the Amber Heard defamation case? "Musk’s first appearance in Mr Depp’s penthouse occurred shortly after Ms Heard threw a vodka bottle at Mr Depp in Australia when she learned that Mr Depp wanted the couple to enter into a post-nuptial agreement concerning assets in their marriage," court papers reportedly stated. "Ms Heard’s violently aimed projectile virtually severed Mr Depp’s middle finger on his right hand and shattered the bones." Meanwhile, it has been revealed that another star witness, James Franco will also not be testifying in court. Also read: A brief history of Amber Heard-Elon Musk romance

Will Elon Musk finally testify against Johnny Depp in the Amber Heard defamation case?

Amid investor concerns that CEO of Tesla Elon Musk may have to sell shares to fund his 21 billion dollar equity contribution to his 44 billion dollar buyout for Twitter. Electric car maker Tesla has lost 126 billion dollar in market value yesterday.

After Elon Musk's Twitter deal, Tesla shares crash, loses$126 billion

<p>Free speech absolutism might backfire when it comes to increasing the company’s user base and profits.</p>

<p>The Tesla co-founder and chief executive Elon Musk is set to shortly become the new owner of a slightly used social media platform with more than 217 million daily users. He has said very little about how he plans to make the business work, but one thing is clear: He is really, really preoccupied with how we talk on the platform and appears intent on rolling back some of its moderation policies in order to allow all legal speech on Twitter.</p>

<p>“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 his announcement of the deal. He professes to have a healthy tolerance of criticism. “I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means,” he tweeted.</p>

<p>But the rhetoric of free speech absolutists like Mr. Musk conflates harassment with criticism. I’ve been on the receiving end of both in my two decades of writing columns about media, finance, culture and politics — and there is a material difference between the two.</p>

<p>To wit: A couple of weeks ago, a former colleague of Mr. Musk’s at PayPal, Keith Rabois, called me dumb on Twitter after I suggested that eliminating moderation policies would be bad for Twitter’s business. This is not a particularly sophisticated criticism, but neither is it harassment.</p>

<p>However, I’ve also received rape threats, anonymous letters to my home address, threatening comments about my family and all manner of misogynistic pejoratives that are not printable in this newspaper for my stated positions on everything from abortion to hiring practices at start-ups to who the next James Bond should be. I don’t even have to write anything particularly provocative for this to happen; I once got a violent threat for a column I wrote about why I disagree with the way the Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates the Consumer Price Index.</p>

<p>These are not uncommon experiences for women and minorities who speak in public, on Twitter and beyond, and I’ve suffered far less harassment than others. It happens all the time. Twitter’s current moderation policies can’t completely prevent it, but they are designed to mitigate it. Twitter requires its users to comply with a terms of service agreement that bans certain types of speech — harassment, in particular. It also has moderation policies in place to combat disinformation. The value of these measures isn’t always apparent to powerful people such as Mr. Musk because if you’re a white man on the internet, you’re far less likely to get a rape threat, and you’re also heavily insulated from the possibility of real-world violence.</p>

<p>Mr. Musk insists that the company’s policies are too restrictive. But this is not about free speech in the sense that the First Amendment is — ensuring that the state can’t censor its citizens. What Mr. Musk seems to seek is a kind of infinite license to say almost anything, anywhere. It’s an absolutist definition of free speech that says corporations are obligated to let things that may be harmful to their users or bad for their businesses remain on their platforms because any limitation on speech is de facto censorship and censorship of any kind is worse than the consequences of hate speech, harassment and disinformation.</p>

<p>Of course, getting rid of policies that restrict hate speech will likely affect women and minorities much more than it does white men like Mr. Musk, and unlike him, most people on the receiving end of threats and harassment can’t afford personal security. Twitter’s rules already allow for a broad range of abuse, much of which falls into a kind of gray area between personal insult and harassment.</p>

<p>What exactly does he believe can’t be said on the platform right now? It certainly doesn’t take long to find discredited race science, arguments that women are intellectually inferior, antisemitism, defenses of white supremacism and transphobic comments that remain on the platform even under current policy. It is easy to assume that the banned speech that Mr. Musk is standing up for is worse even than that. As the comedian Michael Che put it on “Saturday Night Live,” the $44 billion deal shows “how badly white guys want to use the N-word.”</p>

<p>All of this is a moral and ethical case for keeping moderation policies in place, but what’s more baffling about Mr. Musk’s crusade is it’s hard to see how eliminating them would be good for the business. Right now, Twitter’s demographics skew male. If Twitter wants to further scale up its business and increase profitability, which is ostensibly its goal, it needs to expand its reach. Making the platform a hostile environment for women and minorities isn’t conducive to expansion, unless you believe your most valuable audience is white men who skew conservative and that they exist in ever larger numbers — and demographic trends indicate that they do not.</p>

<p>If anything, Twitter’s history indicates that when you make the platform more hospitable to a range of people, the user base grows. When the biggest Twitter troll of all, former president Donald Trump, was removed from the platform in January of 2021, research suggested that the percentage of adults on social media who said they used Twitter increased by 21 percent. (Mr. Trump has said that he has no plans to rejoin Twitter, but this column is not long enough to catalog all of the things he has said he would not do that he later did anyway, so some skepticism is in order.) If the former president is invited back, it’s entirely plausible that some of the newer post-Trump users would leave.</p>

<p>Mr. Musk has said he is not buying Twitter to make money, but as a successful entrepreneur, he presumably wants to make the company, which has long struggled with profitability, a success. The company’s revenue is currently very advertising-dependent, and in my experience as a former media entrepreneur and newspaper editor in chief, advertisers generally don’t like to promote their brands alongside provocative content; even everyday political news is sometimes too much. If Mr. Musk allows Twitter to become a cesspool of hate speech and disinformation, he’ll test the risk adversity of the platform’s advertisers, and it’s likely that he’ll find himself with fewer brands that are willing to take the risk of appearing in people’s polluted feeds.</p>

<p>There’s also, of course, the risk — both moral and to the business — that allowing more harassment and disinformation on the platform will result in real-world physical harm. The 2016 Pizzagate conspiracy theory, a precursor to QAnon, spread largely over social media and resulted in a man firing an AR-15 rifle in a Washington, D.C., pizza parlor. When people feel entitled to harm others because hateful rhetoric is normalized online, it increases the ease with which conspiracy theories metastasize into acts of violence. A platform that spreads that kind of rhetoric and takes a laissez-faire approach to disinformation doesn’t just create an unpleasant experience for users; it can get someone killed.</p>

<p>It’s entirely possible that Mr. Musk hasn’t thought about these things very thoroughly. His public bid for Twitter began only a few weeks ago, and since then his stated intentions have changed repeatedly, accompanied by a late and misleading securities filing and contradictory statements. He enjoys online trolling, and this may have started as a joke, which was then taken so seriously by the market, Twitter shareholders and the public that Mr. Musk himself began to consider it.</p>

<p>If that’s what happened, he may be the dog that caught the car. Tesla stock fell in the wake of the purchase announcement, potentially a reflection of shareholder sentiment that Mr. Musk may not be able to effectively run yet another company in addition to the four (Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink and the Boring Company) he already leads.</p>

<p>Sophisticated moderation policies are difficult to develop and enforce, and Twitter has already spent years tinkering and trying to come up with something that works. The current terms of service are not perfect, but if Mr. Musk chooses to partly or fully dismantle them, he may experience Twitter in a new way himself: The aspects of the platform that are weaponized against women and minorities may not be so friendly to him, either. And if the company can’t expand its user base, his worst critics may be the only growth area of Twitter.</p>


Free speech absolutism might backfire when it comes to increasing the company’s user base and profits. The Tesla co-founder and chief executive Elon Musk is set to shortly become the new owner of a slightly used social media platform with more than 217 million daily users.

Free speech absolutism might backfire when it comes to increasing the company’s user base and profits. The Tesla co-founder and chief executive Elon Musk is set to shortly become the new owner of a slightly used social media platform with more than 217 million daily users. He has said very little about how he plans to make the business work, but one thing is clear: He is really, really preoccupied with how we talk on the platform and appears intent on rolling back some of its moderation policies in order to allow all legal speech on Twitter. “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 his announcement of the deal. He professes to have a healthy tolerance of criticism. “I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means,” he tweeted. But the rhetoric of free speech absolutists like Mr. Musk conflates harassment with criticism. I’ve been on the receiving end of both in my two decades of writing columns about media, finance, culture and politics — and there is a material difference between the two. To wit: A couple of weeks ago, a former colleague of Mr. Musk’s at PayPal, Keith Rabois, called me dumb on Twitter after I suggested that eliminating moderation policies would be bad for Twitter’s business. This is not a particularly sophisticated criticism, but neither is it harassment. However, I’ve also received rape threats, anonymous letters to my home address, threatening comments about my family and all manner of misogynistic pejoratives that are not printable in this newspaper for my stated positions on everything from abortion to hiring practices at start-ups to who the next James Bond should be. I don’t even have to write anything particularly provocative for this to happen; I once got a violent threat for a column I wrote about why I disagree with the way the Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates the Consumer Price Index. These are not uncommon experiences for women and minorities who speak in public, on Twitter and beyond, and I’ve suffered far less harassment than others. It happens all the time. Twitter’s current moderation policies can’t completely prevent it, but they are designed to mitigate it. Twitter requires its users to comply with a terms of service agreement that bans certain types of speech — harassment, in particular. It also has moderation policies in place to combat disinformation. The value of these measures isn’t always apparent to powerful people such as Mr. Musk because if you’re a white man on the internet, you’re far less likely to get a rape threat, and you’re also heavily insulated from the possibility of real-world violence. Mr. Musk insists that the company’s policies are too restrictive. But this is not about free speech in the sense that the First Amendment is — ensuring that the state can’t censor its citizens. What Mr. Musk seems to seek is a kind of infinite license to say almost anything, anywhere. It’s an absolutist definition of free speech that says corporations are obligated to let things that may be harmful to their users or bad for their businesses remain on their platforms because any limitation on speech is de facto censorship and censorship of any kind is worse than the consequences of hate speech, harassment and disinformation. Of course, getting rid of policies that restrict hate speech will likely affect women and minorities much more than it does white men like Mr. Musk, and unlike him, most people on the receiving end of threats and harassment can’t afford personal security. Twitter’s rules already allow for a broad range of abuse, much of which falls into a kind of gray area between personal insult and harassment. What exactly does he believe can’t be said on the platform right now? It certainly doesn’t take long to find discredited race science, arguments that women are intellectually inferior, antisemitism, defenses of white supremacism and transphobic comments that remain on the platform even under current policy. It is easy to assume that the banned speech that Mr. Musk is standing up for is worse even than that. As the comedian Michael Che put it on “Saturday Night Live,” the $44 billion deal shows “how badly white guys want to use the N-word.” All of this is a moral and ethical case for keeping moderation policies in place, but what’s more baffling about Mr. Musk’s crusade is it’s hard to see how eliminating them would be good for the business. Right now, Twitter’s demographics skew male. If Twitter wants to further scale up its business and increase profitability, which is ostensibly its goal, it needs to expand its reach. Making the platform a hostile environment for women and minorities isn’t conducive to expansion, unless you believe your most valuable audience is white men who skew conservative and that they exist in ever larger numbers — and demographic trends indicate that they do not. If anything, Twitter’s history indicates that when you make the platform more hospitable to a range of people, the user base grows. When the biggest Twitter troll of all, former president Donald Trump, was removed from the platform in January of 2021, research suggested that the percentage of adults on social media who said they used Twitter increased by 21 percent. (Mr. Trump has said that he has no plans to rejoin Twitter, but this column is not long enough to catalog all of the things he has said he would not do that he later did anyway, so some skepticism is in order.) If the former president is invited back, it’s entirely plausible that some of the newer post-Trump users would leave. Mr. Musk has said he is not buying Twitter to make money, but as a successful entrepreneur, he presumably wants to make the company, which has long struggled with profitability, a success. The company’s revenue is currently very advertising-dependent, and in my experience as a former media entrepreneur and newspaper editor in chief, advertisers generally don’t like to promote their brands alongside provocative content; even everyday political news is sometimes too much. If Mr. Musk allows Twitter to become a cesspool of hate speech and disinformation, he’ll test the risk adversity of the platform’s advertisers, and it’s likely that he’ll find himself with fewer brands that are willing to take the risk of appearing in people’s polluted feeds. There’s also, of course, the risk — both moral and to the business — that allowing more harassment and disinformation on the platform will result in real-world physical harm. The 2016 Pizzagate conspiracy theory, a precursor to QAnon, spread largely over social media and resulted in a man firing an AR-15 rifle in a Washington, D.C., pizza parlor. When people feel entitled to harm others because hateful rhetoric is normalized online, it increases the ease with which conspiracy theories metastasize into acts of violence. A platform that spreads that kind of rhetoric and takes a laissez-faire approach to disinformation doesn’t just create an unpleasant experience for users; it can get someone killed. It’s entirely possible that Mr. Musk hasn’t thought about these things very thoroughly. His public bid for Twitter began only a few weeks ago, and since then his stated intentions have changed repeatedly, accompanied by a late and misleading securities filing and contradictory statements. He enjoys online trolling, and this may have started as a joke, which was then taken so seriously by the market, Twitter shareholders and the public that Mr. Musk himself began to consider it. If that’s what happened, he may be the dog that caught the car. Tesla stock fell in the wake of the purchase announcement, potentially a reflection of shareholder sentiment that Mr. Musk may not be able to effectively run yet another company in addition to the four (Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink and the Boring Company) he already leads. Sophisticated moderation policies are difficult to develop and enforce, and Twitter has already spent years tinkering and trying to come up with something that works. The current terms of service are not perfect, but if Mr. Musk chooses to partly or fully dismantle them, he may experience Twitter in a new way himself: The aspects of the platform that are weaponized against women and minorities may not be so friendly to him, either. And if the company can’t expand its user base, his worst critics may be the only growth area of Twitter.

Making Twitter more of a cesspool makes no business sense

<p>A day after the Twitter deal, Elon Musk waded into the free speech issue after many left perplexed with the Tesla chief’s earlier response on the issue.</p>

<p>In a series of tweets, the world’s richest man sought to assuage the concerns raised by a section of people who were alarmed by his statement that he would uphold the bedrock of free speech.</p>

<p>“The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all,” he tweeted on Tuesday.</p>

<p>“By “free speech”, I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law.”</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all</p>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1519020176884305920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>“If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect. Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people.”</p>

<p>On the day his $44 billion deal with Twitter was confirmed, Musk shared a post on Twitter talking about free speech.</p>

<p>"I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter because that is what free speech means," said Musk, who claims to be a "free speech absolutist".</p>

<p>Twitter has often been accused of bias despite trying to maintain the neutrality of the micro-blogging site.</p>

<p><strong>Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: What will Elon Musk's Twitter look like?</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-what-will-elon-musks-twitter-look-like-474154/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>The people ascribing to the Right ideology have accused former CEO and founder Jack Dorsey of pandering to the Left ideology while completely shutting down those views which are contradictory to the Left.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-twitter-deal-tesla-shares-crash-musk-loses-billions-474160">After Twitter deal, Tesla shares crash; Musk loses billions</a></p>

<p>The platform had often struggled to find the right balance between promoting free speech and government directives on taking down content.</p>

<p><strong>See pics |</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/as-twitter-hammers-out-deal-to-sell-itself-to-musk-lets-look-at-microblogging-sites-rich-history-473749">The Twitter saga: From Jack Dorsey's first tweet to $43bn bid by Elon Musk</a></p>

<p>Musk has been vocal about free speech and was critical of the ban on former US president Donald Trump last year.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>


A day after the Twitter deal, Elon Musk waded into the free speech issue after many left perplexed with the Tesla chief’s earlier response on the issue. In a series of tweets, the world’s richest man sought to assuage the concerns raised by a section of people who were alarmed by his statement that he would uphold the bedrock of free speech.

A day after the Twitter deal, Elon Musk waded into the free speech issue after many left perplexed with the Tesla chief’s earlier response on the issue. In a series of tweets, the world’s richest man sought to assuage the concerns raised by a section of people who were alarmed by his statement that he would uphold the bedrock of free speech. “The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all,” he tweeted on Tuesday. “By “free speech”, I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law.” The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 26, 2022 × “If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect. Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people.” On the day his $44 billion deal with Twitter was confirmed, Musk shared a post on Twitter talking about free speech. "I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter because that is what free speech means," said Musk, who claims to be a "free speech absolutist". Twitter has often been accused of bias despite trying to maintain the neutrality of the micro-blogging site. Watch | Gravitas: What will Elon Musk's Twitter look like? The people ascribing to the Right ideology have accused former CEO and founder Jack Dorsey of pandering to the Left ideology while completely shutting down those views which are contradictory to the Left. Also read | After Twitter deal, Tesla shares crash; Musk loses billions The platform had often struggled to find the right balance between promoting free speech and government directives on taking down content. See pics | The Twitter saga: From Jack Dorsey's first tweet to $43bn bid by Elon Musk Musk has been vocal about free speech and was critical of the ban on former US president Donald Trump last year. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

A day after Twitter takeover, Elon Musk reacts to concerns over free speech

Elon Musk is taking over Twitter. What does this mean for the company's Indian-origin CEO Parag Agrawal? Agrawal has told employees that Twitter's future is uncertain. Palki Sharma Upadhyay tells you more.

Gravitas: Twitter CEO to get $42 million if sacked

Elon Musk has a long list of changes lined up at Twitter. From an edit button to eliminating fake accounts, Palki Sharma Upadhyay brings you the 5 big changes to expect on Twitter.

Gravitas: What will Elon Musk's Twitter look like?

<p>Key figures on the American left, Barack Obama among them, have shed thousands of followers since Elon Musk's planned purchase of Twitter emerged, while numbers have soared for right-wing politicians.</p>

<p>Musk, the world's richest man, struck a deal Monday to buy the US-based social media platform for $44 billion.</p>

<p>The news was greeted with enthusiasm by fans of Musk, who calls himself a free speech absolutist, and horror by proponents of strong moderation of disinformation and hate speech.</p>

<p>Promises to leave the platform trended under hashtags such as #LeaveTwitter. Within hours, many appeared to be following through.</p>

<p>According to news outlet NBC, former US President Obama, the most popular person on Twitter with more than 131 million followers, lost 300,000 of them nearly overnight.</p>

<p>Controversial Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, by contrast, gained nearly 100,000 followers on her official congressional Twitter account in just 24 hours.<br />
<br />
<strong>Watch:&nbsp;</strong></p>

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<p>Greene, a vocal ally of former president Donald Trump whose personal profile was banned by the platform, praised the acquisition.</p>

<p>"Prepare for blue check mark full scale meltdown after @elonmusk seals the deal and I should get my personal Twitter account restored," she tweeted, referencing the site's system for verifying users.</p>

<p>"It really is something how conservative accounts are getting massive follower increases today," Republican Representative Matt Gaetz, another Trump ally, said Tuesday.</p>

<p>Twitter on Tuesday told AFP that while they were monitoring the situation, the fluctuations appeared to be organic and largely due to new accounts being created and existing ones deactivated.</p>

<p>The exodus extended beyond political accounts.</p>

<p>"It's strange to see a loss of some 35,000 followers overnight," the Auschwitz Memorial account posted Tuesday. The profile, which has 1.3 million followers, tweets photos and stories of concentration camp victims.</p>

<p>Musk has said he wants to increase trust in Twitter, which he sees as a digital town square for free speech and debate.</p>

<p>Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey tweeted Monday that "Elon's goal of creating a platform that is 'maximally trusted and broadly inclusive' is the right one."</p>

<p>He thanked Musk and Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal "for getting the company out of an impossible situation.</p>

<p>"This is the right path...I believe it with all my heart."</p>

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Key figures on the American left, Barack Obama among them, have shed thousands of followers since Elon Musk's planned purchase of Twitter emerged, while numbers have soared for right-wing politicians.

Key figures on the American left, Barack Obama among them, have shed thousands of followers since Elon Musk's planned purchase of Twitter emerged, while numbers have soared for right-wing politicians. Musk, the world's richest man, struck a deal Monday to buy the US-based social media platform for $44 billion. The news was greeted with enthusiasm by fans of Musk, who calls himself a free speech absolutist, and horror by proponents of strong moderation of disinformation and hate speech. Promises to leave the platform trended under hashtags such as #LeaveTwitter. Within hours, many appeared to be following through. According to news outlet NBC, former US President Obama, the most popular person on Twitter with more than 131 million followers, lost 300,000 of them nearly overnight. Controversial Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, by contrast, gained nearly 100,000 followers on her official congressional Twitter account in just 24 hours. Watch: Greene, a vocal ally of former president Donald Trump whose personal profile was banned by the platform, praised the acquisition. "Prepare for blue check mark full scale meltdown after @elonmusk seals the deal and I should get my personal Twitter account restored," she tweeted, referencing the site's system for verifying users. "It really is something how conservative accounts are getting massive follower increases today," Republican Representative Matt Gaetz, another Trump ally, said Tuesday. Twitter on Tuesday told AFP that while they were monitoring the situation, the fluctuations appeared to be organic and largely due to new accounts being created and existing ones deactivated. The exodus extended beyond political accounts. "It's strange to see a loss of some 35,000 followers overnight," the Auschwitz Memorial account posted Tuesday. The profile, which has 1.3 million followers, tweets photos and stories of concentration camp victims. Musk has said he wants to increase trust in Twitter, which he sees as a digital town square for free speech and debate. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey tweeted Monday that "Elon's goal of creating a platform that is 'maximally trusted and broadly inclusive' is the right one." He thanked Musk and Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal "for getting the company out of an impossible situation. "This is the right path...I believe it with all my heart." WATCH WION LIVE HERE

After Musk buyout, progressive Twitter accounts lost followers and conservatives gain

<p>Tesla CEO Elon Musk has criticised Twitter's censorship lawyer Vijaya Gadde just a day after taking over the microblogging site.</p>

<p>Saagar Enjeti, the co-host of the 'Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar' and 'The Realignment Podcast' tweeted a post of an article saying Gadde cried during a staff meeting after Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion.</p>

<p>Earlier, conservative commentator Enjeti had said, "Vijaya Gadde, the top censorship advocate at Twitter who famously gaslit the world on Joe Rogan's podcast and censored the Hunter Biden laptop story, is very upset about the @elonmusk takeover."</p>

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<p>In response, Musk tweeted ''The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all.''</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all</p>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1519020176884305920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>The South African billionaire also said Gadde was wrong when she fought off misinformation around a news story about US President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden by restricting it reach.</p>

<p>He faced the support of a few Twitter users who used racist slurs against her as she has an Indian origin.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">All they have is censorship. Their ideas don’t hold up in debate.</p>
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) <a href="https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1519021887568887808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>However, other netizens slammed Musk for claiming to be a ''free speech'' supporter but blocking accounts such as that of Public Citizen, which stands against corporate power.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This you? <a href="https://t.co/hwV1QBeW7o">pic.twitter.com/hwV1QBeW7o</a></p>
— chip goines (@chipgoines) <a href="https://twitter.com/chipgoines/status/1519124300086792192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>''It’s not a fear of free speech. It’s a deep concern that one man will become the arbiter of free speech on such a powerful platform. A concern that democracy will be undermined by the greater spread of misinformation. And a concern that hate speech will boom,'' said a Twitter user.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">It’s not a fear of free speech. It’s a deep concern that one man will become the arbiter of free speech on such a powerful platform. A concern that democracy will be undermined by the greater spread of misinformation. And a concern that hate speech will boom.</p>
— Matthew Stadlen (@MatthewStadlen) <a href="https://twitter.com/MatthewStadlen/status/1519241950733479936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>Justifying his comment, Musk tweeted ''By “free speech”, I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law.''</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">By “free speech”, I simply mean that which matches the law.<br />
<br />
I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law.<br />
<br />
If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect.<br />
<br />
Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people.</p>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1519036983137509376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>Gadde is an American lawyer who has been a part of Twitter since 2011 and was a confidant of former CEO Jack Dorsey.</p>

<p>The 48-year-old was responsible for several key decisions made by Twitter including the suspension of former US President Donald Trump's account after he incited violence at the Capitol on January 6 last year.</p>

<p><strong>Watch WION's live TV here:</strong></p>

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<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Tesla CEO Elon Musk has criticised Twitter's censorship lawyer Vijaya Gadde just a day after taking over the microblogging site. Saagar Enjeti, the co-host of the 'Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar' and 'The Realignment Podcast' tweeted a post of an article saying Gadde cried during a staff meeting after Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has criticised Twitter's censorship lawyer Vijaya Gadde just a day after taking over the microblogging site. Saagar Enjeti, the co-host of the 'Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar' and 'The Realignment Podcast' tweeted a post of an article saying Gadde cried during a staff meeting after Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion. Earlier, conservative commentator Enjeti had said, "Vijaya Gadde, the top censorship advocate at Twitter who famously gaslit the world on Joe Rogan's podcast and censored the Hunter Biden laptop story, is very upset about the @elonmusk takeover." In response, Musk tweeted ''The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all.'' The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 26, 2022 × The South African billionaire also said Gadde was wrong when she fought off misinformation around a news story about US President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden by restricting it reach. He faced the support of a few Twitter users who used racist slurs against her as she has an Indian origin. All they have is censorship. Their ideas don’t hold up in debate. — Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) April 26, 2022 × However, other netizens slammed Musk for claiming to be a ''free speech'' supporter but blocking accounts such as that of Public Citizen, which stands against corporate power. This you? pic.twitter.com/hwV1QBeW7o — chip goines (@chipgoines) April 27, 2022 × ''It’s not a fear of free speech. It’s a deep concern that one man will become the arbiter of free speech on such a powerful platform. A concern that democracy will be undermined by the greater spread of misinformation. And a concern that hate speech will boom,'' said a Twitter user. It’s not a fear of free speech. It’s a deep concern that one man will become the arbiter of free speech on such a powerful platform. A concern that democracy will be undermined by the greater spread of misinformation. And a concern that hate speech will boom. — Matthew Stadlen (@MatthewStadlen) April 27, 2022 × Justifying his comment, Musk tweeted ''By “free speech”, I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law.'' By “free speech”, I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law. If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect. Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 26, 2022 × Gadde is an American lawyer who has been a part of Twitter since 2011 and was a confidant of former CEO Jack Dorsey. The 48-year-old was responsible for several key decisions made by Twitter including the suspension of former US President Donald Trump's account after he incited violence at the Capitol on January 6 last year. Watch WION's live TV here: (With inputs from agencies)

Musk criticises Twitter's censorship lawyer Gadde after taking over microblogging site

The world's richest man Elon Musk has managed to strike a deal with the American micro-blogging site Twitter. The Tesla CEO will now be buying twitter for $44 billion, an all-cash deal.

A deal in the name of Free Speeh: Will Twitter open-source its platform?

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