Elon Musk, ‘Technoking’ of Tesla and the world’s richest man, has put in a $43 billion bid to buy all of Twitter and take the platform private.
Musk’s unsolicited offer to buy Twitter at $54.20 a share comes more than a week after he purchased a roughly nine per cent stake in the company, and days after he walked away from a seat on Twitter’s board of directors.
Musk fittingly made the announcement on Twitter Thursday morning. The company had yet to announce its decision by Thursday evening — but at least millions of users have made their opinions crystal clear.
Should Twitter refuse his offer, Musk noted in his SEC filehe “would need to reconsider (his) position as a shareholder.”
“I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy,” Musk said in his filing.
“…I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form,” he continued. “…Twitter has extraordinary potential. I will unlock it.”
He’s already facing opposition from some. Saudi Arabian prince and billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, one of Twitter’s largest shareholders, tweeted he would vote against Musk’s offer.
Musk responded by questioning Saudi Arabia’s stake in Twitter, as well as their track record on freedom of speech.
As always, the wider discourse is divided. Some praise the billionaire for taking him on the establishment, and for his stance on freedom of speech.
Others worry that under Musk, misinformation could flourish.
Still others are criticizing the wealth behind the purchase, and point to growing wealth inequality around the world.
And of course, there are those poking fun at it all.
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