Elon Musk wants what he wants, and being the billionaire CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX isn’t enough for him. He wants to own Twitter, too, dammit, and of course, the MAGA cheerleaders think that having a “free speech abolutist” in charge of the joint is the key to getting Trump back on the platform. Unfortunately for their interests, Elon’s not going to be on the Twitter board after all, and then his bid to purcahse Twitter (for $41 billion cash, because he doesn’t trust the management) doesn’t look like it’s happening.
Reuters reports that Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who owns a significant Twitter stake, rejected that Elon bid while declaring, “I don’t believe that the proposed offer by Elon Musk ($54.20 per share) comes close to the intrinsic value of Twitter given its growth prospects.”
To no one’s surprise, Elon is now tweeting at this Saudi prince. “How much of Twitter does the Kingdom own, directly & indirectly?” the world’s richest Twitter troll tweeted. “What are the Kingdom’s views on journalistic freedom of speech?”
Interesting. Just two questions, if I may.
How much of Twitter does the Kingdom own, directly & indirectly?
What are the Kingdom’s views on journalistic freedom of speech?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 14, 2022
Earlier on Thursday, Elon spoke at a TED talk (via lawyer Ron Filipkowski) to reveal how little he seemingly understands about “free speech” in a constitutional sense. Perhaps he’s being “intentionally misleading,” after all?
Musk had a lot to say today. His definition of “free speech” is either dumb, naive or intentionally misleading. Suppose you were organizing an attack on the Capitol using your twitter account to round up volunteers? Is calling someone the n-word all good too? Doxxing? Threats? pic.twitter.com/E6SKTces9V
— Ron Filipkowski
(@RonFilipkowski) April 14, 2022
Elon also alluded to having a “Plan B” in his quest to rule Twitter. No elaboration there, but if he’s got one, he’ll surely let everyone know.
Interviewer: If they don’t accept your offer, you said you won’t go higher, is there a plan B?
Elon Musk: There is. pic.twitter.com/IMgKjLwnhj
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) April 14, 2022
Previously, Elon declared that he wants to “unlock” the “extraordinary potential” for Twitter for “free speech.” In other words, he wants every word to fly, no matter how harmful or inciting those words would be. And surely, this saga isn’t over yet.
(Via Reuters)