London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

What are Elon Musk's plans for Twitter?

What are Elon Musk's plans for Twitter?

Elon Musk didn't actually tweet about his new stake in Twitter, which for an avid tweeter seemed somewhat ironic.

Maybe it was because the 9.2% he now owns is described as a passive stake, although those who know Musk do not expect it to stay that way for long.

His first move was to launch a poll - asking whether people want an edit button, something long called for and perhaps something he personally needs.

The new announcement that he will join Twitter's board comes as no surprise.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Twitter chief executive Parag Agrawal said "through conversations with Elon in recent weeks, it became clear to us that he would bring great value to our Board".


He added that "as a passionate believer and intense critic" of the service, he is "exactly what we need".

Later Musk replied saying he was looking forward to making changes at the social network giant.


Musk's 9.2% stake in the social media company may sound small, but Dan Ives, from analyst firm Wedbush, describes it as "eye-popping" - equating to 73.5 million shares in the social network.

Shares in the platform soared following Monday's revelation that the Tesla founder had become the largest shareholder in the company - meaning that stake has already grown in value and is now worth more than $3bn.

Musk's shareholding is four times greater than that of Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, who stepped down as chief executive in November.

Mr Ives believes the South African entrepreneur now has his eyes "laser set" on Twitter, and his significant holding will see him push for an active role in the management of the company.

"We would expect this passive stake as just the start of broader conversations with the Twitter board/management that could ultimately lead to an active stake and a potential more aggressive ownership role of Twitter," he said.

When Elon Musk has an idea, he often turns to Twitter to express it


Musk has something of a love-hate relationship with Twitter. He is a frequent tweeter, with more than 80 million followers - and no stranger to controversy in his interactions on the social media site.

The platform seems to suit his impulsive personality - last year he famously asked if he should sell 10% of his stock in his electric car firm Tesla, to which Twitter users said 'yes'. It led to Musk selling around $5bn (£3.7bn) of shares in the firm in November.

Months earlier he had offered to sign a cheque for $6bn if the World Food Programme (WFP) could explain how it would be used to solve hunger around the globe - after an assertion made by the head of the UN programme.

But tweeting has also got him into trouble. A 2018 post about Tesla stock led to an investigation from the Securities and Exchange Commission which ended with an agreement requiring the firm's lawyers to pre-approve certain tweets. It is unclear if that actually happens.

Interestingly, the Wall Street Journal reports that his Twitter share filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which under normal circumstances would include a line saying he doesn't intend to influence the company, came with a 'Not Applicable' mark.

The timing of the deal has also raised questions and could once again put Musk at loggerheads with financial regulators.

His investment in Twitter was filed on 14 March, but not announced until this week. US securities law requires disclosure within 10 days of acquiring 5% of a company.

Free speech


Musk uses Twitter not just as a barometer for how he runs his own companies, but also increasingly to take the temperature of the nation.

Last month, after he had lodged his investment with the SEC - but before his shareholding became public knowledge - he asked users whether they believed that free speech was essential to a functioning democracy and whether Twitter adheres to this principle.

Cornell University's assistant professor Alexandra Cirone thinks this is evidence he may use his new stake "to try to influence Twitter practices" and for a "more active play in the social media eco-system".

But others see more immediate issues with his musings.

Howard Fischer, partner at law firm Moses & Singer, told Reuters that, given he had already bought a stake in Twitter, these questions could be seen as a form of market manipulation. "I do suspect the SEC is going to look long and hard into whether they can bring manipulation charges, along with the failure to file," he said.

Mr Agrawal is clearly watching his every move. In response to his edit button poll, which currently has 2.6 million responses, he urged voters to do so "carefully".


"The consequences of this poll will be important," he said, echoing the exact same words Musk used after he launched his free speech Twitter poll.

Jack Dorsey had always rejected the idea, and critics point out that it could allow people to fundamentally change the meaning of tweets after they have been shared.

It would be a big change for Twitter to include an edit button, and Musk is clearly keen to be part of that conversation.

Many wishing to join Trump's new Twitter have found they are on a waiting list


For a while last month, it looked as if Musk was intent on building a new social media platform as a rival to Twitter - and there he does have precedent from another prolific and controversial tweeter.

Donald Trump, who was banned from Twitter in January 2021 after the Capitol riots, announced last autumn that he was launching his own social network - dubbed Truth Social - to "stand up to the tyranny of big tech".

But six weeks after its launch, there is a waiting list of 1.5 million who are unable to use it - with the platform branded a disaster by Joshua Tucker, director of NYU's Center for social media and politics.

According to Reuters, two key executives quit after the troubled launch.

For those with shares in Musk's many other businesses - Space X, Tesla, Neuralink, The Boring Company - there will doubtless be a sigh of relief that he didn't go down the same route as Mr Trump.

But there will also be concerns that he has yet another passion project to distract him from the serious business of running his established firms.

Not to mention the issues that might now be raised about the Twitter deal by the SEC.

Social media expert Casey Newton points out that it is not the first time a big tech firm has eyed Twitter. Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer once bought a four percent share of the company "and essentially did nothing with it," he writes.

But he goes on to say that Ballmer never tweeted like Musk did: "gleefully, annoyingly, constantly".

And it seems most likely that it will be from this Twitter account that Musk will let the world know what he intends to do next.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×