Musk says Twitter deal remains deadlocked over fake users / Photo: Patrick Pleul - POOL/AFP/File
-
Sherilyn Smith Encourages Women to Embrace Scars as Symbols of Resilience
-
Korea's Severe Asthma Patients Blocked from Biologics by Restrictive Reimbursement Rules
-
Belgium Signs Contract for 20 Rheinmetall Skyranger Air Defence Systems
-
Shanghai Science and Technology Museum Signs Pacts With London and Ottawa Institutions at CIIE
-
Spectrocell Strengthens Product Discovery and Customer Engagement with Bioz Badges
-
Fulcrum Metals PLC Announces Fulcrum to Increase Shareholding in Loyalist
-
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC Announces Transaction in Own Shares - November 10
-
New Gold IRA Investing Guide Explains How to Buy Gold in an IRA for American Consumers
-
RBI Data Reveals Divergence in Credit Card Spending and Debit Card Cash Withdrawals
-
First-time boat buyers advised to assess full ownership costs
-
Panthers expected to begin 2027 NRL season away from new stadium
-
Planning and preparation can reduce stress of interstate relocation
-
Sweet As app launches restaurant discovery platform
-
Two more arrested in Carrie Mullane suspected murder investigation
-
Phoenix Restaurants Offer Thanksgiving Dinner to Go for Pickup
-
MLA seeks inquiry into reported sectarian gestures on Ormeau Road
-
Mayo school appeals for information after convent and chapel vandalism
-
Louise O’Reilly attacks Simon Harris over unemployment remarks
-
Virginia overwhelms Arkansas 91-72 behind balanced scoring
-
Canadian soldier Aidan Goulding remembered at Vancouver funeral
-
Second major storm brings destructive winds and outages to British Columbia
-
Tayyab Arif hits 57 on Pakistan Test debut against Sri Lanka
-
Godzilla Minus Zero leads North American box office with $31.6m
-
Robert Trujillo discusses literacy and social justice children’s books
-
Advocate calls for coordinated support for children facing trafficking
-
Civil rights advocate William Bill Tucker dies aged 98
-
Medicare Open Enrollment Ends Dec. 7: Review Your Coverage Options
-
Pennsylvania Democrats secure state trifecta in midterm elections
-
US Treasury order targets bank transfers linked to crypto exchange MEXC
-
Godzilla Minus Zero sets foreign-language box-office opening record
-
Nvidia CEO Controversy Sparks Fears of Tighter U.S. AI Chip Curbs for Samsung and SK hynix
-
Eagles record six sacks as rushing attack struggles against Giants
-
Villeneuve teases James Bond casting at Los Angeles museum gala
-
Thames Water seeks to delay £12bn in debt repayments
-
Nottinghamshire launches specialist rural crime policing team
-
Newark boxing gym expands alternative education programme
-
China confirms talks over possible Xi-Putin-Trump summit
-
Democrats consider impeachment drive against Defence Secretary Hegseth
-
Rail journey offers a slower route to a Berlin city break
-
Energy bill plan could use HMRC income data to target support
-
Arsenal control title race as Manchester United fall into bottom three
-
Business owner earning £6,000 a month tackles £70,000 debt
-
Suspected Krakow gunman dies after attack that killed six
-
Nvidia chief faces inquiry after disclosing affair with suspected Chinese agent
-
Carrick backs Dalot after hostile reception from Manchester United fans
-
Comet returns as online electrical marketplace 14 years after collapse
Musk says Twitter deal remains deadlocked over fake users
Business magnate Elon Musk said Tuesday that his $44 billion move to take over Twitter remained held up by "very significant" questions about the number of fake users on the social network.
Musk was reluctant to talk about the deal when asked at the Qatar Economic Forum, saying it was a "sensitive" matter.
"There are still a few unresolved matters," Musk said by video link.
This includes whether "the number of fake and spam users on the system is less than five percent as per their claims, which I think is probably not most people's experience when using Twitter.
"So we are still awaiting resolution on that matter and that is a very significant matter," the Tesla car and SpaceX exploration chief said.
Musk said there were also questions about Twitter's debt and whether shareholders will vote for the deal.
"So I think these are the three things that need to resolved" to make the transaction happen.
Musk said he wanted to get 80 percent of the North American population and half the world's population onto Twitter.
"That means it must be something that is appealing to people, it obviously can't be a place where they feel uncomfortable or harassed or they will simply not use it."
"I think there is this big difference between freedom of speech and freedom of reach," Musk added.
"You are allowed to yell whatever you want in a public space, more or less. But whatever you say, however controversial, doesn't need to then be broadcast to the whole country.
"So I think generally the approach of Twitter should be to let people say what they want within the balance of the law but then limit who sees that based on any given Twitter user preferences."
He said that if the deal went ahead his role would be to "drive the product", saying this is what he did at Tesla and SpaceX.
Musk said he expected Tesla's number of employees to fall by about 3.5 percent in the next three months but the headcount would start rising again in a year.
Asked about the next US presidential election in 2024, Musk said he had not decided who to back but that he was ready to inject $20-$25 million into a candidate's campaign.
He has previously indicated he could support Florida's Republican governor Ron DeSantis.
D.Sawyer--AMWN