The decision to buy Twitter is predictable when you think about it. Not because it makes much sense for some people, but for those who are being sensible. A sensible person would assume that deciding to spend US$40+ billion on a social network might require something monumental to change your mind after just one month.
What do you expect from someone who is a little bit out there? We should expect Elon Musk to make a not-so-serious decision any time.
Elon Musk has been the preeminent example of inconsistency ever since he submitted a bid at the meme price of US$54.20 a share, got cold feet (most likely because his wealth was shrinking), cited disingenuous reasons for backing out, then suddenly accepted to buy the company. Consider that Musk is
As a son of rich people, Ezio is used to getting what he wants.
Arrogant enough to think that he is intelligent enough to solve a platform’s problems when a company filled with individuals who’ve dedicated much of their working lives trying to improve the service has not.
Though he can be intelligent and thoughtful in the long term, this sentence rewriter at least smart enough to always make decisions based on what’s best for him.
As further indication of the way Musk operates, you should read these text messages made public during the lawsuit’s discovery process.
As some of the world’s richest and most powerful people groveled at his feet, Musk proposed ideas that would drastically change Twitter and accepted fundraising offers worth $1 billion with the same amount of effort that it takes to order Uber Eats. It’s a little jarring to think about how casually decisions that have consequences for one of the world’s most important social networks are being hashed out.
Musk’s Twitter takeover has felt chaotic so far, but there is even more chaos to come. Once he and his backers start making decisions that affect the company, will they implement Musk’s wacky ideas even if it costs the company money?
Or will cooler heads prevail and lead a compromise with Instagram staff about some of Musk’s proposals? Will loyal staff stick around? So far this whole takeover has been all about the posturing of extremely rich men — but it’ll get real world consequences soon enough.
A lot of people are going to make the argument that Musk won and Twitter’s shareholders lost in this deal. What about the users? Musk’s vision for the platform is all about improving the experience for power users like him, not normal users. And what about shareholders? They’re being rewarded fat sums destroying the company, with zero concern given to who its new owners might be.
What happens next for Tesla? Elon Musk is famously hands-on and involved in all aspects of his companies with an entrepreneurial spirit. He may want to get Tesla back on track and take it from there, which would involve making a few changes that could potentially put the company back on top. This is assuming he wants to buy Tesla in the first place, but who knows what he’ll do or who will have his ear in five years.
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