Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has cut loose two top executives and announced a hiring freeze ahead of the company’s acquisition by Elon Musk, whose share purchases are reportedly being investigated by the SEC.
05.05.2022 - 16:10 / variety.com
Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorElon Musk is getting a little help from billionaire friends for his $44 billion Twitter takeover.According to an SEC filing Thursday, Musk has secured $7.14 billion in new financing commitments for the Twitter bid, including $1 billion from Larry Ellison. Ellison, co-founder and CTO of software giant Oracle, also sits on the board of Tesla, which Musk heads as CEO.In addition, Prince al-Waleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia committed to retain the equity he owns in Twitter — his 35 million shares are worth $1.9 billion at Musk’s buyout offer — instead of receiving a cash payout, per the filing.Musk “will continue to have… discussions with certain existing holders” of Twitter stock, including ex-CEO Jack Dorsey, to contribute their shares toward his bid, according to the filing.
Dorsey owns about 18 million Twitter shares, representing 2.4% of outstanding shares (worth $975 million at Musk’s proposed price). Click here to sign up for Variety’s free Strictly Business newsletter covering earnings, financial news, and more.Musk’s latest funding also includes $800 million from VC firm Sequoia Capital; $500 million from cryptocurrency exchange Binance.com; and $400 million from a16z, the VC firm founded by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz.Last week, Musk disclosed sales of Tesla stock worth more than $8.4 billion, which was presumably also part of amassing funds for the Twitter deal.
Twitter’s board accepted Musk’s $54.20/share acquisition proposal on April 25. The deal is pending regulatory and shareholder approvals, which analysts don’t see as stumbling blocks.According to Musk’s May 5 filing, with the new financing commitments, he has reduced the $12.5 billion margin loans he had lined up for the
.Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has cut loose two top executives and announced a hiring freeze ahead of the company’s acquisition by Elon Musk, whose share purchases are reportedly being investigated by the SEC.
Elon Musk said Twitter would reverse its ban of former President Donald Trump if his purchase of the social media company goes through, signaling just how permissive the platform could become toward free speech under his ownership.
Elon Musk confirmed what has been speculated since he reached a deal to buy out Twitter: He’d allow Donald Trump to return to the platform.
Elon Musk confirmed what has been speculated since he reached a deal to buy out Twitter: He’d allow Donald Trump to return to the platform.
Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorNo one, except maybe Donald Trump and his inner circle, expected the ex-president’s legal challenge to Twitter’s permanent ban on him — on First Amendment grounds — to succeed. But now a federal judge has officially dismissed the suit.Trump, joined by the American Conservative Union and five individuals, sued Twitter (and then-CEO Jack Dorsey) in July 2021 in a class-action lawsuit claiming they were “censored” by the service — in Trump’s case, through Twitter’s ban.
Meek Mill has asked “big homie” Elon Musk to let him get in on his recent Twitter investment.The Tesla founder and entrepreneur successfully acquired the social media platform last month (April 25) for approximately $44billion (£34.5b).His offer was initially turned down by Twitter, which put a “poison pill” measure in place to stop a takeover attempt by Musk. However, the two parties later entered talks before the deal entered its final stages of negotiations.Mill has now publicly tweeted Musk and asked him directly if there’s any room for him to get in on the deal.“Elon musk let us invest in Twitter with you ‘big homie,’” Mill wrote, as you can see below.
As their bromance heats up, Jack Dorsey has weighed in again to support Elon Musk’s pending acquisition of Twitter following news the Tesla CEO wants him to retain a stake and stick around.
CNBC, which cited unnamed sources.The Tesla CEO will take over as CEO of the social company for several months after the deal closes to take Twitter private for $44 billion. This comes as the San Francisco giant now faces an uncertain future under Musk’s potential ownership.
Elon Musk has unveiled a group of investors that together will provide about $7.14 billion in financing commitments for his pending $44-billion acquisition of Twitter, and said he’s talking to Twitter founder Jack Dorsey about sticking around as part owner.
leaned into censoring certain users and content in the months leading up to his resignation.How things have already changed.Dorsey is among a new group of investors being floated by Elon Musk, the free-speech champion massing billions to complete his purchase Twitter, to participate as an investor in his private version of the company, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing from Thursday.The more than $7 billion in new money includes 19 investors, some of whom are current Twitter shareholders – including Larry Ellison, Sequoia Capital, Qatar Holding, and Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud of Saudi Arabia. Equity commitments range from $1 billion (Ellison) on down to $5 million (Honeycomb Asset Management).It wasn’t immediately clear how the $7 billion would fit into the standing $44 billion offer that Musk made for the company, which was accepted late last month.
The UK’s influential Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMSC) has called Elon Musk to a hearing to discuss how he “will balance his clear commitment to free speech with new obligations to protect Twitter’s users from online harms.”
The method behind the mega-purchase. Elon Musk made headlines around the world when he bought Twitter — and now he’s explaining why he did it.
Elon Musk brought a very special lady to this year's Met Gala — his mom, Maye Musk, and the pair seemed to have a great time at the star-studded celebration of fashion.This year's Met Gala accompanies the second part of the Costume Institute's exhibition, «In America: An Anthology of Fashion,» with the controversial theme «Gilded Glamour and White Tie.» The concept is a homage to the United States' Gilded Age, an era of immense economic growth and major industrialization, as well as massive income inequality, political upheaval, and post-Civil War racism.Musk himself has been at the center of some controversy recently and has faced criticism for his $44 billion purchase of Twitter, with critics chastising him for not spending that money on philanthropic efforts.Speaking with ET's Rachel Smith on the carpet the the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Monday, Musk defended the acquisition, arguing, «I do a lot of things philanthropically.»«Really, my companies are intended to do good for the future of humanity,» he continued. «With Tesla trying to accelerate the advances in sustainable transport and energy and SpaceX is um providing internet to the lesser [served] people of the world.»«We are able to help Ukraine with the Starlink terminals and give connectivity, particularly in some of the hardest hit areas,» Musk added.
Elona” after a Putin-allied war-lord called him that – is now touting his “Shadow Crew,” a mocking response to a Wall Street Journal story suggesting a cabal of influential friends, described by the paper as a “secret crew of billionaires and misfits,” were egging him on to buy Twitter.“My Shadow Crew is sickkk!” he tweeted, adding: “Also, who are they again?”My Shadrow Crew is sickkk!Also, who are they again?The tweet was a reply to Silicon Valley investment titan Marc Andreesen, who posted the Journal story and said Musk has “a shadow crew of misfits egging you on.”So who are these misfits, supposedly? The Journal didn’t give a very long list, naming only former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Seth Dillon, CEO of the conservative-leaning satire site Babylon Bee. Three people might be enough for a “crew,” but might be a bit light for, say, branded merch.Sell Shadow Crew merch to buy Twitter?There may be others, unnamed “crew” – the Journal reported that he’s “dismayed” that Donald Trump isn’t on the platform, citing “people who have spoken to him” – but no one else was named.Twitter’s board has accepted Musk’s offer to take the company private for $44 million, which still has some financial and regulatory hurdles to clear before being finalized.
purchase of Twitter. While some rejoiced the news, others vowed to leave the site due to the Tesla CEO’s ownership of the social media site.
The Tesla mogul and richest man in the world made a surprise offer to buy the social media platform putting in a succesful bid of $54. 20 a share to acquire it which the board accepted. “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 a statement.
Radiohead song.The Tesla founder and entrepreneur successfully acquired the social media platform yesterday (April 25) for approximately $44billion (£34.5b), per The Independent.His offer was initially turned down by Twitter, which put a “poison pill” measure in place to stop a takeover attempt by Musk. However, the two parties later entered talks before the deal entered its final stages of negotiations.Dorsey shared a statement about the purchase with a link to Radiohead’s ‘Kid A’ track, ‘Everything In Its Right Place.’https://t.co/jeNtFyRrpR— jack⚡️ (@jack) April 26, 2022He then added: “I love Twitter. Twitter is the closest thing we have to a global consciousness.”I love Twitter.