As Elon Musk’s text messages have been revealed in court filings it shows that Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey tried to facilitate Musk’s Twitter takeover.
Key Details
- Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey was so in favor of Musk’s Twitter takeover that he attempted to smooth the path for the entrepreneur.
- As Musk’s texts are revealed it shows that Dorsey tried to connect Musk with Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal a day after the social-media platform accepted Musk’s $44 billion takeover bid.
- “I want to make sure Parag is doing everything possible to build towards your goals until close,” Dorsey said in a message to Musk dated April 26. “He is really great at getting things done when tasked with a specific direction.”
Why it’s news
The battle between Elon Musk and Twitter has been brewing for many months as the billionaire tries to step down from his $44 billion deal to buy the social media company.
There have been many twists in the saga, the newest being the reveal of Elon Musk’s text messages showing a large group of billionaires, celebrities, and CEOs that texted him support amid his Twitter acquisition.
The messages have been disclosed as part of the pretrial process as Twitter takes Musk to court.
The messages show that Dorsey attempted to get Musk on the Twitter board before he acquired a significant stake in the company earlier in the year. In a text exchange from the end of March, Dorsey said to Musk: “I tried my hardest to get you on our board, and the board said no. That’s about the time I decided I needed to work to leave, as hard as it was for me.”
Dorsey stepped down as CEO of Twitter in November and left the board in May.
It was revealed that Dorsey tried to smooth the path between Elon Musk and the current Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, but the texts make it seem to be short lived.
Dorsey offered to set up a call between Musk and Agrawal “to discuss next steps and get really clear on what’s needed.” Agrawal “would be able to move fast and clear then. Everyone is aligned and this will help even more,” Dorsey said, according to the court documents.
After the call, Musk texted Dorsey saying, “Parag is just moving far too slowly and trying to please people who will not be happy no matter what he does.”
Dorsey responded with “At least it became clear that you can’t work together. That was clarifying.”
Dorsey has previously voiced his favor of Musk’s Twitter takeover. Hours after Musk’s agreement to buy the platform was announced Dorsey tweeted, “Twitter as a company has always been my sole issue and my biggest regret. It has been owned by Wall Street and the ad model,” He tweeted on April 25. “Taking it back from Wall Street is the correct first step.”
“Solving for the problem of it being a company however, Elon is the singular solution I trust,” He continued to tweet. “I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness.”
Backing up a bit
The timeline between Elon Musk and Twitter is a lengthy one.
In April, Elon Musk announced that he held a 9.2% stake in Twitter, which made him the social-media company’s largest shareholder. Twitter’s stock price soared 25% after the announcement.
Later that month, the billionaire entrepreneur offered to buy all of Twitter at $54.20 per share—equaling about $44 billion. He said he originally invested in the platform because he believes it is failing in its potential to be the leading platform for free speech around the globe. In fact, he asked his 2 million followers if Twitter adhered to principles of free speech, and 70% said “no.”
Last month, Musk decided to back out of the deal, claiming there were too many fake accounts on the platform. Twitter has since sued Musk in Delaware Court of Chancery to complete the deal and requested the trial to take place in September. Musk, on the other hand, wanted to delay the trial until February 2023, stating that a case of this size takes time to prepare. Twitter was granted its wish of an expedited trial, with Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, the presiding judge, setting a five-day trial for October. Musk then countersued Twitter, stating his reason for the termination was due to Twitter not being upfront about the number of fake accounts on the platform.Then, Elon Musk and his legal team subpoenaed Twitter’s founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey, to get him to release documents that provide accurate information on bots and spam accounts on the social-media platform and now these documents have come out from Zatko and Musk and his lawyers have subpoenaed him as well.
