Source of this article: Old Yuppie
On Thursday afternoon, the Delaware Chancery Court released hundreds of text messages from Musk and other parties involved in the Twitter deal.
Given that it was Musk, these exchanges were revealing and very interesting. The information is also a rare glimpse into the inner workings of a Silicon Valley deal, giving us some insight into Musk's general financial maneuvers and how he lost interest in cherished acquisitions.
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3.24.2022
Twitter = Influence
Joe Lonsdale：I love your "Twitter algorithm should be open source" tweet, I'm actually speaking to over 100 members of Congress at a congressional policy retreat tomorrow on my push for domination in crazy big tech One of the ideas. Now I can quote you so I'm not so crazy myself 🙂 Our public squares don't need arbitrary sloppy censorship.
Musk:absolute
Musk:Our current system of corruption has gone deep into the marrow!
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3.26.2022
jack dorsey planting seeds
Jack Dorsey:Twitter started out as a protocol, it was never meant to be a company, that's the original sin.
Musk:If you think I'm capable, I'd like to help.
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4.3.2022
Musk has a shot, while Parag is optimistic
Parag Agrawal：I'm super excited about this opportunity and look forward to working closely to find ways to use your time as efficiently as possible to improve Twitter and the public conversation.
Musk:That sounds good!
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4.4.2022
Joe Rogan's view
Joe Rogan：Are you going to free Twitter from the happy mob of censorship?
Musk:I'll be offering advice, which they may or may not choose to follow.
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4.5.2022
Musk wants a board seat, and Jack is ecstatic
Musk:when is a good time for a secret talk
Jack Dorsey:any time
1.5 hours later
Musk:thanks, great conversation
Jack Dorsey:Always! I'm so glad you did. I couldn't be happier that you did this. I have been thinking about it for a long time. I was so excited when I learned it was finally possible.
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4.6.2022
Gayle King is here!
Gayle King：I'm Gayle! Did you miss me? (smiles) You're ready to sit down with me and talk about so much! Especially your twitter game...what do I need to do? ? ? ? Ps I love twitter edits with a 24 hour time limit...we all say things we regret and want to retract or amend at critical moments.
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4.7.2022
Musk and Parag bond over code
Musk:I have much better relationships with engineers who can do hardcore programming than programmer/MBA types.
Agrawal：In our next conversation, think of me as an engineer instead of a CEO, and let's see where we can go.
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4.9.2022
Musk abandons board plan, ousts Parag
Agrawal：Feel free to tweet "Is twitter dying?" or anything else about Twitter, but it's my duty to tell you that it doesn't help me make Twitter better as it stands. The next time we talk, I would like you to provide your perspective on the level of employee distraction within your company right now, and how it is hurting our ability to do our jobs. I hope the AMA helps people get to know you and understand why you believe in Twitter and trust you - I hope the company gets to a point where we're more resilient and free from distractions, but we're not there yet.
Musk:What have you accomplished this week?
Musk:I will not join the board. This is a waste of time.
Musk:I'm going to make a proposal to take Twitter private.
In a series of tweets over the weekend, Musk asked, "Is Twitter dying?" He noted that Twitter usage was moderate among high-profile celebrities. Just two days after trying to establish a connection, Agrawal berated Musk, which damaged the relationship. The next day, Agrawal said Musk would not be joining the board.
Musk has always known about Twitter's fake user numbers
Musk (to Bret Taylor):Fixing Twitter by chatting with Parag won't work
Musk:drastic action is needed
Musk:It's hard to do that as a public company because weeding out fake users makes the numbers look bad, so it should be restructured as a private company.
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4.15.2022
Musk posted Twitter Blue
Jason Calacanis：What committee came up with the shit pay feature in Blue?!? It's worth turning it off!
Musk:Yeah, what a crazy piece of shit!
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4.20.2022
Musk calls Larry
Musk:Is anyone interested in getting involved in the Twitter deal?
Larry Ellison：yes of course
Musk:cool
Musk:Roughly what is the dollar scale? I'm not asking you to do anything, but the deal was oversubscribed, so I had to reduce or drive some participants away.
Allison:1 billion...or whatever amount you suggest
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4.25.2022
Jack Dorsey Encourages Musk's Going Private Plan
Musk:I basically followed your advice!
Jack Dorsey:I know, I appreciate you. This is the right and only way. I will continue to do whatever it takes to make it a success.
Musk agreed to buy Twitter on April 25. By then, he had publicly insulted the company, made it look stupid with his boardroom antics, and dropped its CEO. He also has to send a poop emoji, but that's coming. Dorsey offers more support.
Marc Anderson doesn't need extra work
Mark Anderson:If you're considering an equity partner, my growth fund takes an equity stake at $250 million, no extra work required.
Musk:Thanks!
Musk:Of course, it would be great if you could become an equity partner.
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4.26.2022
Another ill-fated call with Parag
Musk:You have exactly the same point of view as I do. Parag is just moving too slowly, trying to please people who won't be satisfied no matter what he does.
Jack Dorsey:At least it becomes clear in real time that you can't work together.
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4.27.2022
Want to be on my podcast?
Tim Urban：I haven't officially started my podcast yet, but I'd love to record a twitter conversation with you asking some of the most common questions and allowing you to expand on your ideas if you think it would be helpful.
Urban：But only if it helps you.
Along the way, Musk has been receiving attention from the media and influencers. It's interesting to watch Urban carefully try to position himself as someone helpful to Musk, though doing the interview would be a coup.
What's your take on Twitter's conversational operating system?
Marc Benioff：If it's interesting, I'd love to talk about it. Twitter Conversational Operating System - A Town Square for Your Digital Life
Musk:i don't own it yet
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff comes in with some jargon. Musk is unimpressed.
Visit by Satya Nadella
Satya Nadella：Thank you for your talk. We will continue to keep in touch. and will definitely follow up on feedback from the team
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4.29.2022
hire my son
Musk:Please send me someone who can actually write good software
Steve Jurvetson：OK, Twitter doesn't manage programmers well, I get it.
Musk:Yes
Musk:Twitter is (or should be) a software company.
Jurvetson：Yes. My Reddit-loving son and a few other teens come to mind.
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5.1.2022
Deal Due Diligence at Mom's House
Musk (to Sean Parker):I'm at my mom's apartment, doing Twitter survey calls.
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5.10.2022
you make me look desperate
Musk:What's up with you pitching SPV to randos? This is not acceptable.
Calacanis：Not randos, I have the biggest angel organization and that's how I invest. We've done over 250 of these deals, and we know all of them. That's what I did.
…
Musk:Morgan Stanley and Jared think you're not taking advantage of our friendship in a good way
Musk:it makes me look desperate
Musk:Stop, please
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Within a month, Musk said he would terminate the deal. After three months of Twitter drama, he appears to be fed up with Twitter management's reluctance to cooperate with his plans -- and people's attempts to exploit his investment for personal gain. Of course, the market plummeted at this point, making the whole deal much less enticing.
Musk's Twitter "acquisition" has made him the hottest man in business, but it's been a chaotic blessing. It's easier and better to work on rockets and electric cars. This month, Musk will go to court to try to unravel some of the underside of the deal. It may not be as easy as he hopes.
