This week, Elon Musk has the opportunity to answer questions from lawyers for Twitter, whose takeover he abandoned this summer. The discussions promise to be tough.
Since ending his $44 billion takeover plans for Twitter, Elon Musk has been trying to shake off the little blue bird’s embrace. The founder of Tesla and the shareholders of the social network, who have largely approved the sale and want to go through with the process, have been fighting at loggerheads for several weeks now, and it is on the legal ground that the two parties are now arguing. . This week, Elon Musk will testify under oath, heard by Twitter lawyers who expect the worst invective.
A still very offensive tone against lawyers
The atmosphere is already burning, and the tension, palpable. Elon Musk, never stingy with good words, raises fears of new disturbing accusations. In the past, he has said of opposing counsel that they are ” reprehensible » and even guilty of « extortion “. He had thus asked one of them if he was working on a contingency, because the lawyer’s client was (allegedly) late in paying child support.
It was in 2020, in a case where the Tesla company was implicated. ” So, probably you’re on a contingency, or you’re taking that kid’s money… Which one? he had launched to the lawyer of a whistleblower. Words that go far, but which show what the richest man in the world is capable of in the face of lawyers.
Elon Musk’s testimony, which is supposed to run until Wednesday, is closed to the public because of the colossal stakes and potential abuses. The billionaire’s lawyers also want him to focus on giving precise answers to questions, but they know in advance how difficult it will be.
Elon Musk? It’s like ” hold a tiger by the tail »
Earlier in 2019, Musk refused to answer a question five times, unhappy with the way it was worded, all amid litigation over Tesla’s takeover of SolarCity solar panels. ” We can stare at each other until you rephrase the question “, he had sent to the opposing lawyer.
Elon Musk under oath, facing lawyers? ” I would compare it to trying to hold a tiger by the tail “, jokes the business lawyer James Morsch, with our colleagues from the Reuters agency. Good luck then, we seem to understand, to the lawyers of Twitter who hope, by this testimony, to demonstrate that Elon Musk dropped the deal not because of the actual number of users or potential security breaches, but well because of the fall in the financial markets.
For his part, the boss of SpaceX hopes that the judge will offer him the long-awaited way out, namely to withdraw from the takeover of Twitter without having to compensate the social network. The trial will start on October 17 and will be held in Delaware, United States, for a whole week. Jack Dorsey, historical co-founder of Twitter, is one of the highly anticipated witnesses.
Source : Reuters
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