Contents
Elon Musk’s $44 Billion Twitter Bid is on Hold
The $44 billion bid to buy Twitter is on hold for now. Two things have changed Musk’s mind. First, the meltdown of tech stocks has hit the media sector. Secondly, Twitter’s value has plummeted. Early January saw the stock trading under $770. As a result, Musk’s bid to buy the popular micro-blogging site has been deemed a ‘Buyer’s remorse’.
Tesla stock trading at under $770 on Friday
Elon Musk’s tweet to buy Tesla stock has rattled investors, but should the investor be concerned? It’s hard to say, but analysts see flaws in Tesla’s business, including a lack of new products and lingering quality issues. Another concern is the margin loan Musk took to fund his bid. The margin loan requires Musk to repay the debt if Tesla’s stock price drops by 40% of its purchase price. Despite the concerns, analysts believe the company is on track to meet its goals. The company will deliver 1.2 million cars this year, but analysts don’t expect that stock to fall this low.
Investors worry that Musk’s tweet will distract the company from the economic uncertainty it faces as it battles growing competition from rivals. Investors also worry about a highly-indebted CEO. Nonetheless, Musk has already sold or pledged millions of shares in Tesla. His tweet has knocked the stock price of Tesla down over 16% since it went public. Musk’s bid is likely to be worth even less if he’s not willing to sell or pledge the shares to avoid any problems with the company’s debt levels.
Musk’s $44 billion bid to buy Twitter temporarily on hold
Elon Musk’s $44 billion bid to buy the social media site is on hold, at least for the moment. The reason? Musk wants more information on Twitter’s fake and spam accounts. Earlier this month, he announced that he wanted to buy Twitter, and the stock sank 18 percent in premarket trading. After tweeting again, Twitter’s shares rose nearly six percent and closed at $9.7. Twitter’s spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a letter to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Musk said he was waiting for data on the number of spam accounts on the social media site. In the letter, Musk asked for evidence that the number of spam accounts was less than 5 percent. Twitter has said that the number of spam accounts is less than that, but he wants to see the data on the number of people using the service.
Buyer’s remorse
Elon Musk’s bid for Twitter has shook up the tech world, but it has also created some questions. The company depends on advertising revenue, and this depends on human eyeballs. If Elon Musk’s company eliminates human users, it will have a negative impact on advertising revenue as a whole. The company has not given Musk any more details, but it did confirm that around five percent of its users are bots.
Twitter has been plagued with controversies, including reports that it could have been hacked by foreign entities. While Elon Musk did not reveal the identity of the hacker who hacked the accounts of several of its employees, the controversies surrounding Twitter could hurt his business. If the company fails to resolve these issues, the move could delay the acquisition of the social networking site. This move would also increase regulatory scrutiny, which Musk already faces.
SEC proposal to shrink disclosure window
The SEC has recently proposed to reduce the disclosure window to five days from seven. Musk’s Twitter bid was shaken by the proposal, as he failed to disclose that he had discussed taking over the company with the Twitter leadership as early as March 27. The SEC is now investigating the proposal. But it is unclear whether it will act on Musk’s tweets, or simply take no action at all.
Elon Musk’s apparent violation of stock-disclosure rules has prompted calls to overhaul market safeguards. A delayed Twitter bid by the Tesla CEO saved the company $140 million. It may be wise for other shareholders to understand why Musk took so long to disclose his stake in the social network. But he will be tested further if his tweets are true. Musk’s tweet may also trigger a new round of scrutiny from the SEC.
