Elon Musk Says Twitter Suspension of NY Post Was ‘Incredibly Inappropriate’

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorIn the latest turn of Elon Musk’s will-he-or-won’t-he Twitter buyout saga, the billionaire is demanding hard proof of the social network’s assertion that less than 5% of its users are fake accounts or spam bots — and he said the deal cannot “move forward” until Twitter does so.Without citing any evidence for his claim, Musk tweeted that Twitter’s base could represent “20% fake/spam accounts,” four times what the company claims, and it “could be *much* higher.” He cited Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal’s reply Monday to Musk’s assertion about the fake/spam accounts, in which Agrawal said in part that “Unfortunately, we don’t believe that this specific estimation can be performed externally, given the critical need to use both public and private information (which we can’t share).” “My offer was based on Twitter’s SEC filings being accurate. Yesterday, Twitter’s CEO publicly refused to show proof of <5%.

Elon Musk said overnight that his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter can’t move ahead unless the company backs up statements about the number of fake accounts on the platform, which the company has put at under 5%.

Rudy Giuliani’s stint on “The Masked Singer” had exactly the impact the network was looking for.

Elon Musk said Friday that his planned $44 billion purchase of Twitter is «temporarily on hold» pending details on spam and fake accounts on the social media platform, another twist amid signs of internal turmoil over the proposed acquisition.In a tweet, the Tesla billionaire linked to a Reuters story from May 2 citing a financial filing from Twitter that estimated false or spam accounts made up fewer than 5% of the company's «monetizable daily active users» in the first quarter.«Twitter deal temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of users,» Musk said, indicating he's skeptical that the number of inauthentic accounts is that low.A short time later on Friday morning, Musk tweeted that he remains committed to the purchase. Twitter deal temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of usershttps://t.co/Y2t0QMuuynIt wasn't clear whether the issue could scuttle the deal. Shares of both Twitter and Tesla swung sharply in opposite directions, with Twitter's stock tumbling 17% to $37.20 before trading opened in the U.S, and Tesla, which Musk had proposed using to help fund the Twitter deal, jumping 5%.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorIs Elon Musk getting cold feet over his $44 billion bid for Twitter — or is he just trying to drive the price tag down?Early Friday, the mega-billionaire tweeted that his deal for the social network was “temporarily on hold,” citing the need to conduct due diligence on Twitter’s claim that fake and spam accounts represent less than 5% of its active user base. He linked to a Reuters story based on Twitter’s latest quarterly 10-Q with the information.However, that disclosure has been in Twitter’s SEC filings for years — literally since the company first went public in 2013.

tweeted. Twitter deal temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of usershttps://t.co/Y2t0QMuuynMusk’s tweet referenced a May 2 news story about a Twitter regulatory filing that claimed that spam and fake accounts — something that Musk had vowed to crack down on on the platform — accounted for less than 5% of all the 229 million daily active users who are served advertising.

Elon Musk has said his $44BN deal for Twitter is “temporarily on hold” as he awaits details on the social media platform’s revelation that fewer than 5% of its monetizable daily active users are false or spam accounts.

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.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorCould Donald Trump return to Twitter after all?Elon Musk, who has reached a $44 billion deal to acquire Twitter, said the social network’s permanent ban on the 45th U.S. president was a “morally bad decision” — one that he would overturn, if Musk successfully closes the deal.Twitter’s ban of Trump “was a mistake because it alienated a large part of the county and did not ultimately result in Donald Trump not having a voice,” Musk said, speaking at a Financial Times automotive conference, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.Musk also said, “If there are tweets that are wrong and bad, those should be either deleted or made invisible, and a suspension — a temporary suspension — is appropriate, but not a permanent ban.” Trump has insisted he wouldn’t rejoin Twitter regardless of who owns it.

Elon Musk took to Twitter on Friday to offer a sense of his vision for the social media platform, after the acquisition goes through, also offering a sense of what its employees can expect, with regard to work life under his leadership.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorElon Musk, the mega-billionaire Twitter power user who last week clinched a deal to acquire the company, has floated a new idea for the social network make money.Musk on Tuesday posted that Twitter may impose “a slight cost” for companies or government accounts to use the service, without elaborating.“Ultimately, the downfall of the Freemasons was giving away their stonecutting services for nothing,” Musk tweeted. “Twitter will always be free for casual users, but maybe a slight cost for commercial/government users.”To be sure, it’s just Musk spitballing at this point about what may happen once he closes the $44 billion deal to buy Twitter.

Tesla stock has reversed its slump after Elon Musk said he is finished selling stock in the electric vehicle firm he runs as CEO in order to fund his pending $44 billion acquisition of Twitter.

Chelsea Manning is speaking out.

Jordan Moreau Director Adam McKay’s Netflix film “Don’t Look Up,” which starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Mark Rylance and more A-listers, made a splash last winter for how the dark, political comedy eerily mirrored real life. The film tackled issues of climate change and media misinformation, and one fictional tech billionaire character hit even closer to home after Elon Musk and Twitter agreed to a $44 billion deal on Monday.“It’s dangerous,” Blanchett told Variety about Musk’s Twitter takeover, at the Chaplin Award Gala in New York on Monday. “That’s all I have to say, it’s very, very dangerous.”Rylance’s character, Peter Isherwell, an eccentric tech CEO who profits off a comet hurtling toward Earth, was based partly on Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorTwitter is now in Elon Musk’s hands. What his successful maneuver to buy the company means for its 200 million-plus users — or for media and entertainment companies that use the platform to reach global audiences — is anything but clear.In the space of three weeks, Musk went from disclosing a 9.2% stake in Twitter to clinching a $44 billion deal for the company on April 25.

Elon Musk has made his dreams of owning Twitter come true after reaching a deal to buy the website for what’s been reported as $44 billion. The Tesla CEO shared his excitement in a press release on Monday.

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.Yesterday, Musk shared a glimpse into his policy for the platform.