Over the next week, Musk would accept an offer to join Twitter’s board of directors and, in a sudden reversal, reject that offer five days later, leaving the company’s management, employees, investors and interested observers guessing about his plans.
By March 14, Musk had accumulated an over 5% stake, the point after which he was supposed to disclose the activity to the Securities and Exchange Commission, and by extension, the public.
Musk posted another poll on Twitter asking users to vote on whether they wanted the company to add an edit button that would allow people to change tweets after they’ve been published.
In the morning, several of Twitter’s board members took to the platform to congratulate Musk on his decision to join their ranks.
The day that Musk was set to officially join Twitter’s board, Musk informed the company that he would be rejecting its offer.
Musk suggested that everyone who signs up for Twitter Blue, a subscription version for power users, should get an authentication checkmark.
At Twitter, which doesn’t have a founder with majority control like other tech giants, employees are “ super stressed,” concerned that this is only the beginning of the whiplash.
The number is also an apparent reference to Musk’s failed bid to take Tesla private in 2018 for $420 a share — and, of course, to a special number in pot culture.
To thwart Musk, Twitter launched a so-called poison pill, which is a rights plan that allows shareholders to purchase shares at a discount if any shareholder exceeds 15% ownership.
In a flurry of tweets about the potential deal, Musk said, “With Jack departing, the Twitter board collectively owns almost no shares,” so its economic interests are not aligned with shareholders.
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