1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,320 Speaker 1: Because we have been discussing extensively. Today Elon Musk has 2 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: confirmed plans to buy Twitter for the original offer price 3 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 1: of fifty four dollars twenty cents a share, and this 4 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:13,080 Speaker 1: potentially helps to avoid a courtroom fights over the one 5 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:16,639 Speaker 1: of the most contentious acquisitions in recent history. Here to 6 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: talk about it some more, We've got Jeff Feely, he's 7 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Legal reporter, and Jeff, is this a case of 8 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:27,480 Speaker 1: legal expediency? Did the the upcoming court case over this 9 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,600 Speaker 1: not look good for Elon Musk? It did not look good. 10 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 1: I think that Mr Musk and his lawyers took a 11 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: look at some of the pre trial rulings in the case. 12 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 1: They sniffed the legal winds and they didn't like the smell. So, 13 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 1: you know, many people had predicted that this was going 14 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 1: to be the outcome, one way or the other. It's 15 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: very difficult to prove that you can legitimately get out 16 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 1: of one of these merger and acquisition deals without some extreme, 17 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: you know, events happening. Still in all some people might 18 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: say that the board and Twitter shareholders called Elon Musk's 19 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 1: bluff and they won. They did. And it's unusual because 20 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: Elon has a pretty good track record in court. He 21 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: was in Delaware last year on another case involving Solar 22 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:24,039 Speaker 1: City where some of the Tesla investors were unhappy about that, 23 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 1: and he was the only director who didn't settle and 24 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:30,039 Speaker 1: he won. So this comes as a little bit of 25 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 1: a shock to Elon watchers. So it looks as if 26 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:38,640 Speaker 1: he's going to buy the company. Now let's assume there's 27 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 1: not yet another twist to this tale. But what sort 28 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: of job is he gonna have on his hands here? 29 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 1: And I'm thinking particularly in terms of staph morale. I mean, 30 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: in the lead up to this trial, Twitter was spending 31 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 1: months framing Elon Musk is capricious and unreliable. Now he's 32 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: going to be the boss. Yeah, he spent the same 33 00:01:56,640 --> 00:02:00,080 Speaker 1: months trash and Twitter on Twitter, So I mean, and 34 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:02,920 Speaker 1: it's it's not exactly a marriagement in heaven. Look, the 35 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: view that we got of Twitter's internal operations in this 36 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:09,919 Speaker 1: case is not a pretty one. So Mr Musk has 37 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 1: some work set out ahead of them to get things 38 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: organized and get you know, get the trains running on time, whatnot. 39 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 1: But you know, again, this is a great time of 40 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:25,800 Speaker 1: uncertainty for Twitter employees and as some people have suggested, 41 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 1: there's a lot of resume polishing going on right now. Yeah, 42 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 1: the CEO is most likely. I mean, I suppose it 43 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:37,240 Speaker 1: would be out as a result of this, right, Um, 44 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 1: and saw the saw the text back and forth right 45 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 1: that we're releasing earlier last week where he and and uh, 46 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:49,519 Speaker 1: the Twitter ceo, we're just snapping each other's heads off. 47 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: So that's one thing. Um, I wonder, you know, it's 48 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:58,840 Speaker 1: kind of interesting that Tesla's share price went up because 49 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 1: you know, obviously for for some Tesla shareholders, Uh, every 50 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:06,079 Speaker 1: minute that Musk spends on Twitter is a minute away 51 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: from Tesla. I wonder whether or not. Another interesting aspect 52 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 1: is that I guess investors believe that this will go 53 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 1: through now because they bid the thing up to fifty 54 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: two dollars. We don't know what will happen to the 55 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:21,720 Speaker 1: share price afterwards. But can we glean much from these 56 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 1: the action of the share prices in both cases, I 57 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: am terrible at predicting, you know, how things can be 58 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: affected like this. I would have thought Twitter share price 59 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: would have gone down myself. I mean, I'm sorry Textla's 60 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: share price. Yeah, And it's curious to whether or not 61 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: the Twitter share price because of the damage that Paul mentioned. 62 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 1: A lot of damage has been done to the brand 63 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:47,520 Speaker 1: and to you know, a lot of executives leaving and everything. Uh, 64 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: after the deal closes, it'll be fun to watch it then, right. 65 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: You know, it's it's really it's a shame that it's 66 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 1: come to this because you know, this is a company 67 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 1: that has a lot of promise, has had a lot 68 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: of promise, and you know, people are just now on 69 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: certain how things are going to go moving forward with 70 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: Mr Musk, you know running the show. Yeah, and to 71 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:15,119 Speaker 1: what degree is he going to be able to effectively 72 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:18,680 Speaker 1: run the show because Jack Dulcy was asked to leave Twitter. 73 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:20,920 Speaker 1: He had two jobs see of Twitter and CEO of 74 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 1: Nara Block. Your Musk has got tests SpaceX and Twitter. 75 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:30,679 Speaker 1: How is this going to work out? Only time will tell. 76 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 1: I mean Mr Musk has surprised people before boundless amounts 77 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: of energy, creativity, innovation. I wouldn't bet against the guy, 78 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:43,560 Speaker 1: but you know, I'm just an old reporter. I'm not 79 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:46,159 Speaker 1: I can't see the future. Well, since we have a 80 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:48,640 Speaker 1: little bit of time, Jeff, what are some of the 81 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: changes that we can expect from Elon Musk? That might 82 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:56,599 Speaker 1: inject some enthusiasm into Twitter. Well, you know, again, I 83 00:04:56,720 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: suspect that you're going to see a loosening of the 84 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 1: regular regulations or restrictions on people's speech on Twitter. Uh. 85 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:09,000 Speaker 1: There's been a lot of speculation about allowing former President 86 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:12,920 Speaker 1: Trump to return. There's been a lot of concern about 87 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: the potential damage to democracy by allowing, you know, more 88 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: of that kind of stuff to be disseminated. I think 89 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:23,799 Speaker 1: there's a lot of pull and tug at this point, 90 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:26,040 Speaker 1: and we're just gonna have to wait and see how 91 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:30,520 Speaker 1: it shakes out. Yeah, alright, Jeff, very interesting. Uh, it's 92 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 1: a story to watch for sure. Thank you for clarifying 93 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:34,839 Speaker 1: much of it for us. Jeff Feely