Elon Musk VS Twitter: ‘World War 3’ Concerns Add Fuel To Buyout Battle

Elon Musk made headlines when he first made a bid for Twitter for US$44 billion. He then made the news again as he tried to back out of the deal in July.

Since then, he has tried just about everything to eject himself from the board of directors. Now, the battle between the Tesla founder and the social network is further heated up over alleged concerns of an actual “world war.” 

At first, Twitter initially appeared to be in for a significant upheaval as Musk assumed control of the social media network when the purchase was first announced. This can include alterations to how the company operates as well as reduced transparency in the financial area of things. 

The way people interacted with the platform was also set to change as Musk made the proposition after he said he was unhappy with the lack of free speech on the site. 

On Twitter’s part, when Musk first pulled out, the company immediately sued him. Now, as the court hearing edges closer, the social media platform is trying to find evidence to prove he was never serious about the deal in the first place. In order to do so, its lawyers have been subpoenaing text messages from the billionaire to prove he was never serious about it. 

Insider reported that in the text messages sent between Musk and Morgan Stanley’s Michael Grimes on May 8, the Tesla CEO mentioned that he was wary of Vladimir Putin and wanted to “slow down for a few days.” The messages were read out in court and it continued as, “Putin’s speech tomorrow is really important. It won’t make sense to buy Twitter if we’re heading into World War 3.” 

The texts were presented by Twitter’s lawyer, William Savitt, in Delaware Chancery Court. According to New York Magazine, Savitt had angled his argument to prove that the texts alluded to Musk potentially looking for a pretext to quit the deal as Russia’s political instability increased. 

Musk’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, defended the claims by saying the text messages were taken out of context. 

As of right now, Musk is set to head to court for a five-day trial in October. We will have to wait until then to see if the looming fear of an actual war might hold up as fact. 
  
  
  
[via New York Magazine and Insider, cover image via Rafael Henrique | Dreamstime.com]