{"id":1668280,"date":"2022-10-02T06:23:52","date_gmt":"2022-10-02T10:23:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1668280"},"modified":"2022-10-02T06:24:42","modified_gmt":"2022-10-02T10:24:42","slug":"elon-musk-jack-dorsey-private-text-messages-expose-reasoning-behind-twitter-takeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/elon-musk-jack-dorsey-private-text-messages-expose-reasoning-behind-twitter-takeover\/","title":{"rendered":"Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey Private Text Messages Expose Reasoning Behind Twitter Takeover"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Felon-musk-jack-dorsey-private-text-messages-expose-reasoning-behind-twitter-takeover%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1668280&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In the weeks leading up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-elon-musk\">Elon Musk<\/a>\u2019s announcement to purchase <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-twitter\">Twitter<\/a>, the billionaire CEO was bombarded with text messages from business leaders, media personalities, and celebrities, a new court filing revealed (<a href=\"https:\/\/s3.documentcloud.org\/documents\/23112929\/elon-musk-text-exhibits-twitter-v-musk.pdf\">pdf<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>The text messages provided insight into the many private conversations involving Musk and other prominent individuals during his quest to purchase the social media giant. From seeking advice on what to do to improve the website to potentially obtaining financial assistance for his takeover bid, the exchanges showcased the excitement and frenzy leading up to where Musk and Twitter are today.<\/p>\n<p>What were some of the more interesting conversations within the slew of Musk\u2019s text messages?<\/p>\n<p>On Mar. 24, Musk <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1507041396242407424\">asked<\/a> his millions of followers if \u201cTwitter algorithm should be open source.\u201d The Twitter poll received 82.7 percent of votes in favor of altering the algorithm.<\/p>\n<p>Jack Dorsey, the Twitter co-founder and former CEO, responded to the tweet through text, purporting that \u201ca new platform is needed.\u201d Musk then inquired about what the social network should look like.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe it must be an open source protocol, funded by a foundation of sorts that doesn\u2019t own the protocol, only advances it. A bit like what Signal has done. It can\u2019t have an advertising model. Otherwise you have surface area that governments and advertisers will try to influence and control. If it has a centralized entity behind it, it will be attacked,\u201d Dorsey replied. \u201cThis isn\u2019t complicated work, it just has to be done right so it\u2019s resilient to what has happened to twitter [sic].\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4690615\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/08\/1.tagreuters.com2022binary_LYNXMPEI7O0YQ-FILEDIMAGE-e1661601350443-1200x806.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4690615\" src=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/08\/1.tagreuters.com2022binary_LYNXMPEI7O0YQ-FILEDIMAGE-e1661601350443-600x403.jpg\" alt=\"dorsey\" width=\"600\" height=\"403\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey addresses students during a town hall at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi, India, on Nov. 12, 2018. (Anushree Fadnavis\/Reuters)<\/figure>\n<p>He added that turning Twitter into a corporation was its \u201coriginal sin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Two days later, Dorsey told Musk the board of directors was uninterested in giving him a seat, telling him that \u201cthe board is just super risk averse and saw adding you as more risk.\u201d Of course, one week later, Musk announced his intentions to join the board, although he later changed his mind and decided to acquire the business for $44 billion.<\/p>\n<p>Dorsey also noted that the board\u2019s approach to Musk \u201cwas completely stupid and backwards,\u201d adding that he could not do much since he only possessed one vote, owned 3 percent of the firm, and did not have any dual-class shares.<\/p>\n<h2>Parag Agrawal<\/h2>\n<p>Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal got in touch with Musk in an April 3 text, congratulating him for joining Twitter\u2019s board. He stated that he was \u201csuper excited about the opportunity\u201d to work together and that he was looking \u201cforward to working closely and finding ways to use your time as effectively as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Agrawal requested that Musk treat him like an engineer instead of a chief executive as he used to be the chief technical officer and spent a long time in Twitter\u2019s codebase.<\/p>\n<p>But the text messages quickly turned sour following an April 9 Twitter post where Musk <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1512785529712123906\">asked<\/a>, \u201cIs Twitter dying?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Agrawal reached out to Musk, informing him that he is \u201cfree to tweet \u2018is Twitter dying?\u2019 or anything about Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut it\u2019s my responsibility to tell you that it\u2019s not helping me make Twitter better in the current context,\u201d Agrawal wrote. \u201cI\u2019d like the company to get to a place where we are more resilient and don\u2019t get distracted, but we aren\u2019t there right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you get done this week?\u201d Musk responded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not joining the board. This is a waste of time,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>A few days later, Musk contacted Agrawal and confirmed that he would \u201cmake an offer to take Twitter private.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Mathias Dopfner<\/h2>\n<p>The CEO of German digital publishing house Axel Springer, Mathias Dopfner, urged Musk to buy Twitter and let his firm manage the website.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe run it for you. And establish a true platform of free speech. Would be a real contribution to democracy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Musk called it an \u201cinteresting idea,\u201d to which Dopfner responded that he was \u201cserious\u201d and it was \u201cdoable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill be fun,\u201d Dopfner texted.<\/p>\n<p>Dopfner followed up on his proposal on Apr. 6, offering a more detailed plan for the social media outlet. He agreed that \u201cit is the de facto public town square\u201d and that it would be \u201cthe global backbone of free speech.\u201d Dopfner suggested making Twitter \u201ccensorship-FREE by radically reducing Terms of Services\u201d to just three things: prohibited from sending spam or scamming users, promoting violence, or posting illegal pornography.<\/p>\n<p>The next step, according to Dopfner, is to \u201cMake Twitter censorship-RESISTANT.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnsure censorship resistance by implementing measures that warrant that Twitter can\u2019t be censored long term, regardless of which government and management,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow? Keep pushing projects at Twitter that have been working on developing a decentralized social network protocol (e.g., BlueSky) It\u2019s not easy but the backend must run on decentralized infrastructure, APIs should become open (back to the roots! Twitter started and became big with open APIs).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Dopfner, this would manufacture a marketplace for algorithms, so \u201cif you\u2019re a snowflake and don\u2019t want content that offends you pick another algorithm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After his discussion of a \u201cSolve Share Price\u201d strategy, the messages were cut off in the documents without any noted response from Musk.<\/p>\n<h2>Larry Ellison<\/h2>\n<p>Musk reached out to Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle and former Tesla board member, on Apr. 20. He inquired if Ellison had \u201cany interest in participating in the Twitter deal.\u201d He responded that he would be interested.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRoughly what dollar size? Not holding you to anything, but the deal is oversubscribed, so I have to reduce or kick out some participants,\u201d Musk said.<\/p>\n<p>Ellison answered with \u201ca billion \u2026 or whatever you recommend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhatever works for you. I\u2019d recommend maybe $2B or more,\u201d Musk noted. \u201cThis has very high potential and I\u2019d rather have you than anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI agree that it has huge potential \u2026 and it would be a lot of fun,\u201d Ellison responded.<\/p>\n<h2>Joe Rogan, Gayle King, and Justin Roiland<\/h2>\n<p>Musk has appeared a couple of times on podcaster Joe Rogan\u2019s show. On Apr. 4, Rogan sent a text asking if Musk was \u201cgoing to liberate Twitter from the censorship happy mob?\u201d The Tesla Motors CEO replied that \u201cI will provide advice, which they may or may not choose to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>CBS anchor Gayle King asked if he would sit down for an interview to talk about the deal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHave you missed me,\u201d she wrote in an April 6 message. \u201cAre you ready to do a proper sit down with me? so much to discuss! Especially with your Twitter play \u2026 what do I need to do???\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Musk dismissed the entire situation as \u201cgetting blown out of proportion,\u201d later adding that a \u201cTwitter edit button is coming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One week later, she made another request for a one-on-one interview.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cELON! You buying Twitter or offering to buy Twitter,\u201d she texted. \u201cWow! Now don\u2019t you think we should sit down together face to face? This is, as the kids of today say, a \u2018gangsta move.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Justin Roiland, the co-creator of the hit television series \u201cRick and Morty,\u201d recommended Musk use his friends\u2019 technology to verify users\u2019 real identities and confirm that they are \u201cnot a troll farm.\u201d This would have been relevant since Musk\u2019s reasoning behind abandoning his acquisition is that he thinks the number of fake and spam accounts is much higher than what Twitter is officially reporting.<\/p>\n<h2>Developments in the Twitter-Musk Saga<\/h2>\n<p>Twitter and Musk will now settle the corporate dispute in court. The tech firm will try to force Musk to complete his acquisition of Twitter, while he attempts to end the takeover bid. Musk had failed to get the trial delayed until early next year. Instead, the two sides are scheduled to appear at a Delaware Chancery Court on Oct. 17.<\/p>\n<p>This comes weeks after Twitter shareholders voted to approve Musk\u2019s proposal to buy the business for $44 billion. The Twitter stock posted a September gain of 13.52 percent, rising to $43.84 shares. Year-to-date, the company is up 2.77 percent.<\/p>\n<div class=\"author_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/author-andrew-moran\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/WEB_AndrewMoran.jpeg\" alt=\"Andrew Moran\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Andrew Moran covers business, economics, and finance. He has been a writer and reporter for more than a decade in Toronto, with bylines on Liberty Nation, Digital Journal, and Career Addict. He is also the author of &#8220;The War on Cash.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the weeks leading up to Elon Musk\u2019s announcement to purchase Twitter, the billionaire CEO was bombarded with text messages from business leaders, media personalities, and celebrities, a new court<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1668282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1668280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1668280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1668280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1668280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1668282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1668280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1668280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1668280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}