1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,440 Speaker 1: Just getting a little bit of breaking news on the 2 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: terminal at the moment from Twitter giving more control to 3 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:10,400 Speaker 1: companies over ad placement. This is according to a report 4 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: from Reuter's. So Twitter very much in the headlines at 5 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:16,959 Speaker 1: the moment. We're also being told that Elon Musk's bankers 6 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:20,480 Speaker 1: are considering providing him with new margin loans backed by 7 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: Tesla Stock. And this is to replace some of the 8 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: high interest depth that he's lay it on Twitter. Joining 9 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:28,639 Speaker 1: us to talk about this some more, We've got Daviday Shalutzo. 10 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: He's at Bloomberg, Senior editor, Davaday. So we've got Musks 11 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: bankers now considering replacing some of this high interest debt 12 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:40,160 Speaker 1: on Twitter new loans to be backed by Tesla Stock. 13 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: Or reading between the lines, what does this tell us 14 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:47,599 Speaker 1: about Twitter's financial state right now? Yeah, thanks for having me. 15 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: So you may remember there is about billion of debt 16 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 1: that was put on Twitter to finance Masks acquisition. Now 17 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: some of that Dad particularly, there was a three billion 18 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 1: piece of it which is unsecure. It pays a very 19 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 1: high interest rate, it's eleven seventy. So the idea is 20 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:09,320 Speaker 1: to try to soften the burden that this represents for 21 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: Twitter as a company going forward, particularly as I go 22 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 1: through the transformation that Musk is engineering, and um, replace 23 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:21,120 Speaker 1: it with lower cost debt that Musk would take on 24 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:25,199 Speaker 1: a personal basis against this Tesla stock which is still 25 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: very valuable. So a couple of issues here. First, correct 26 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: me if I'm wrong. Is that coupon on that that 27 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 1: unsecured debt near twelve percent? That's a big number, that's right. 28 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:40,399 Speaker 1: That's it's the most expensive piece in the entire structure. 29 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:45,119 Speaker 1: And yes, it is very high. It's eleven seventy UM. 30 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 1: And so you know, when you think about companies financing 31 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: themselves in the public markets, this was supposed to be 32 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 1: taken out by Hi your bonds. That's almost as high 33 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 1: as it gets. So it's estimated that for Twitter, together 34 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 1: with all other pieces, this adds up to an interest 35 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: expense at one point two billion per year, and that 36 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:10,640 Speaker 1: would be more than their earnings for all of of course, 37 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 1: Musk has been you know, cutting costs in various ways, um, 38 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: and there are other ways to make that burden more sustainable, 39 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: but obviously that's you know, if you were to think 40 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 1: about where to start, that's the PC you want to 41 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 1: attack first. Yeah, that's an extraordinary interest bill that you 42 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: just mentioned. There are we getting any signs that Elon 43 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:32,959 Speaker 1: Musk has maybe suffering from some biased remorse when it 44 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 1: comes to Twitter, I mean, it's it's ordered the past 45 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 1: several months, I guess his has made it pretty clear that, uh, 46 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,239 Speaker 1: maybe he doesn't regret the acquisition itself, but the price 47 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 1: tag he paid for it um has definitely been a 48 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 1: way too expensive compared to what's happened to Twitter and 49 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:55,960 Speaker 1: other text stalks over the past several months. So you 50 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:59,239 Speaker 1: could argue we kind of agreed to this price um 51 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 1: in a very differ from the world he tried to 52 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:05,240 Speaker 1: back away from. It wasn't successful. The debt that's there 53 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 1: and the cost of that debt kind of reflects that 54 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 1: old reality that he probably is not so comfortable with anymore. 55 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 1: And same, by the way, for the banks that agreed 56 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: to finance the deal and that are still on the hook. 57 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: This debt is still sitting on their books. Well, if 58 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 1: his a t M is Tesla stock and I'm a 59 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:24,920 Speaker 1: Tesla shareholder, I'm a little worried here, shouldn't I be? 60 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 1: That's right? I think that's a concern that a lot 61 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: of Tesla shareholders share and I guess there's two parts 62 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: to that concern. One is very material. If he takes 63 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 1: loans backed by Tesla stock, there is an increased likelihood 64 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 1: that if something happens in the future, he may have 65 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: to sell more stock, and that obviously would put downward 66 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:49,880 Speaker 1: pressure on the price of the stock. There is also 67 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 1: a concern that you know, Twitter is just taking so 68 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: much of his time and energy at the moment that 69 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: he has uh, you know, they won't of as much 70 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 1: to dedicate to test Ala the company, which is going 71 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 1: through its own issues UM, and that you know, we'll 72 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: need a CEOs full attention, especially next year when they're 73 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 1: preparing to launch new products, and you know, I have 74 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:17,800 Speaker 1: a very aggressive growth strategy. What's the chance that we 75 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:22,640 Speaker 1: might see Twitter for sale again sometimes soon? I think 76 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: that remains it's a very difficult question to answer, partly 77 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:30,840 Speaker 1: because I think you first need to figure out what 78 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:34,159 Speaker 1: Twitter is gonna look like as a company, UM, even 79 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: in the near term, before anyone UM gets close to 80 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:40,720 Speaker 1: it as a potential buyer. I mean, even the debt 81 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,560 Speaker 1: that the banks are are holding is very hard to 82 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:45,880 Speaker 1: sell at the moment because it's very hard to convince 83 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:50,160 Speaker 1: investors in the credit markets about what what what kind 84 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,160 Speaker 1: of company Twitter is today? What's its business model, where 85 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:56,680 Speaker 1: does it get its money, whether it has advertisers on board, 86 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 1: and whether it is on a sustainable financial path. So 87 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:03,120 Speaker 1: to sell the entire company again, I think it would 88 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: require even more steps and even more of a proven 89 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: track record under under Mosque's leadership. All right, davidad thanks 90 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: for unpacking all of that forest. Daviday Shalutz Bloomberg senior 91 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:19,600 Speaker 1: editor there who has been covering the ongoing debt troubles 92 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:22,279 Speaker 1: at Twitter and how they may be remedied