Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

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.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
×