Amid reports that Twitter's board is negotiating with Elon Musk over his bid to buy the social media giant, the Tesla CEO put out a cryptic tweet on Monday, hoping that even his “worst critics” will remain on Twitter if he takes over the platform.
Advocating for free speech, Musk wrote, “I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter because that is what free speech means.” He currently has over 83 million followers.
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The self-described “free speech absolutist” is said to have been in talks with Twitter’s board on Sunday and early Monday over terms of his bid to buy Twitter for $54.20 per share, news agency Bloomberg reported.
On Monday, Twitter's shares jumped 5.5 per cent at $51.60. But they were still below Musk's offer price.
There was no immediate comment from Twitter or its chief executive Parag Agrawal on what would likely be the largest leverage buyout in history.
{{/usCountry}}There was no immediate comment from Twitter or its chief executive Parag Agrawal on what would likely be the largest leverage buyout in history.
{{/usCountry}}Representatives of Twitter and Musk worked through Sunday night to hammer out the deal, which could still fall apart, according to the reports.
In the United States, Republican lawmaker Jim Jordan welcomed the Twitter-Elon Musk deal. "I think this deal looks like it's good for the shareholders; second, it's good for free speech, it's good for the First Amendment," Jordan said in an interview with Fox News.
Republicans have been critical of Twitter after the handle of former US president Donald Trump was banned due to the Capitol riots in January last year.
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And just last week, 18 House Republicans sent a letter to the Twitter board members, asking them to preserve all records and material related to Elon Musk's offer to buy the company, laying the groundwork for a potential investigation.
"As Congress continues to examine Big Tech and how to best protect Americans’ free speech rights, this letter serves as a formal request that you preserve all records and materials relating to Musk’s offer to purchase Twitter, including Twitter’s consideration and response to this offer, and Twitter’s evaluation of its shareholder interests with respect to Musk’s offer," said the letter which was signed by Jim Jordan and others.
(With agency inputs)