London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jul 04, 2025

Musk Sparks Chaos By Pausing Twitter Deal, Then Insisting It's On

Musk Sparks Chaos By Pausing Twitter Deal, Then Insisting It's On

Elon Musk initially sent an early tweet saying the Twitter deal is pending until he receives more information about the proportion of fake accounts on it, and then another tweet saying he is "still committed" to the deal.

Elon Musk sowed new chaos into the market over his takeover bid for Twitter Inc. on Friday, first claiming his offer was "temporarily on hold" and then maintaining he is "still committed" to the deal, sending the social media giant into a tailspin.

The billionaire initially sent an early tweet saying the $44 billion deal is pending until he receives more information about the proportion of fake accounts on the social media site, which sent Twitter stock tumbling as much as 25% in premarket trading.

A few hours later he sent another tweet saying he is "still committed" to the deal. Twitter's shares recouped some of their losses and were down 11% at 9:45 am in New York.

Musk said he was waiting for details on a recent filing from Twitter that fake accounts on the social media platform contributed less than 5% of its users. Twitter said in its latest quarterly results "that the average of false or spam accounts during the first quarter of 2022 represented fewer than 5% of our monthly daily active users during the quarter."

However, this data-point has been part of Twitter's quarterly filings for almost a decade. Twitter said it applied "significant judgment" to its latest estimate, and the true number could be higher.

Fighting fake accounts has been a cornerstone of Musk's bid to reform Twitter. In a statement announcing his deal to buy the company last month, he revealed he wanted to defeat spam bots, authenticate all humans, and make its algorithms open source. Musk has also said he'd like to make the platform a bastion of free speech, taking the guardrails off of content moderation.

Bots are currently allowed on Twitter, though under the company's policy such accounts are supposed to indicate that they're automated. The platform has even launched a label for "good" bots, such as @tinycarebot, an account that tweets self-care reminders. Spam bots, however, are not permitted, and the company has policies meant to combat them.

Twitter deal temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of users

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 13, 2022

Doubts have grown in recent days that Musk would be able to pull off his acquisition of Twitter, and that the entrepreneur may consider dropping his bidding price for the micro-blogging site. The whole transaction has been a frenzied and untraditional affair, largely played out on Twitter.

Musk went from being "just" a prolific user to revealing a more than 9% stake in the company and then launching an unsolicited takeover offer -- without detailed financing plans -- within a matter of weeks. It all came together at breakneck speed in part because Musk waived the chance to look at Twitter's finances beyond what was publicly available.

"There will also be questions raised over whether fake accounts are the real reason behind this delaying tactic," said Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, "given that promoting free speech rather than focusing on wealth creation appeared to be his primary motivation for the takeover. The $44 billion price tag is huge, and it may be a strategy to row back on the amount he is prepared to pay to acquire the platform."

The proposed takeover includes a $1 billion breakup fee for each party, which Musk will have to pay if he ends the deal or fails to deliver the acquisition funding as promised. It is unclear whether an update by Twitter on the number of fake accounts -- if materially larger than 5% -- would trigger a so-called material adverse effect clause, releasing Musk from the breakup fee.

The spread on the deal, which offers an indication of how much Wall Street believes the takeover will be completed, swelled further on Thursday to $9.11 from $8.11 in the previous session. That was the widest level since the billionaire launched his bid last month to purchase the Twitter for $54.20 -- and double where it was last week when he announced a roughly $7.1 billion financing commitment.

Musk's latest tweets landed just hours after news that Twitter was freezing hiring as part of pre-deal cost-cutting efforts. Two of Twitter's top leaders are also departing. Kayvon Beykpour, head of consumer product, and Bruce Falck, in charge of revenue product, were both asked to leave the company by Chief Executive Officer Parag Agrawal, the two executives said in separate public posts.

The changes reflect Twitter's current state of limbo while it awaits a new owner. Hindenburg Research LLC, an investment research firm that focuses on activist short-selling, said on Mondaythat it sees a "significant risk" that Musk's proposed offer gets repriced lower.

The analysts cited the ongoing meltdown in technology shares, Twitter's own weak first-quarter results, including restating several years of user numbers, and the prospect that Musk will sell his 9% stake if the deal doesn't come together.

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says:


"This is likely aimed at negotiating a deal that's 15-20% cheaper and closer to rival Snap's market cap. In a $44 billion deal, Twitter's enterprise value per daily active user of $200 is much higher than Snap's $115-$120. The transaction could become more palatable to private equity if there's no margin loan." -- Mandeep Singh, BI senior technology industry analyst

Employees at Twitter have been on an emotional roller coaster for weeks. One employee said on Friday he felt like he worked at a circus and that for the first time he was considering changing jobs.

Aside from doubts over the extent of spam bots on Twitter's platform, the world's richest person is still working to secure the money to actually complete the deal. Musk has been in talks with investors to raise enough equity and preferred financing to eliminate the need for any margin loan linked to his Tesla shares, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

He recently disclosed $7.1 billion in equity commitments from investors including Larry Ellison, Sequoia Capital, Qatar Holding and Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, with the latter rolling his Twitter stock into the deal.

"Musk has never had the full funding - we know that from his constant attempts to get financial support - but he also held all the cards," said Neil Campling, head of TMT research at Mirabaud Equity Research. "The Twitter board have been held hostage and only have themselves to blame for this mess. No other buyer will emerge - if Musk decides he is still interested he can name his price and it won't be higher."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×