# Now that Elon Musk has bought Twitter - now the Pit edition (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 25, 2022, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442 "2022-04-25T22:50:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 25
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/481 "2022-11-05T14:59:25Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It may not be sustainable, but that doesn’t matter; if Twitter shows a quarter or two of profit, the share price will go back up. Musk can then start selling off his stake at the new, higher share price. But selling at that scale is going to tank the share price. And how are the loans secured? Are they backed by his Tesla shares? ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/482 "2022-11-05T15:09:16Z")
Yes. See my post above on how this could really expose Musk to a significant loss in his fortune. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/483 "2022-11-05T15:17:14Z")
When we are talking ‘share price’ in the above, are we all talking about Tesla stock? Because there is no more Twitter stock, at least not owned by Elon (or the company). Last day it was traded was October 28th, according to Yahoo finance (who’s algo also rated Twitter as “-34% estimated return” @ $53.70 😂 ): > **[Twitter, Inc. (delisted) (TWTR) Stock Price, News, Quote & History -...](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/TWTR?p=TWTR)** > > Find the latest Twitter, Inc. (delisted) (TWTR) stock quote, history, news and other vital information to help you with your stock trading and investing. Anyway, if there’s a new tracking stock or something, lmk. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/484 "2022-11-05T15:21:50Z")
There isn’t. Musk fully acquired the company and the stock was delisted. I have no idea what “inflate short-term profit and boost the share price” is supposed to mean in this context. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/485 "2022-11-05T15:36:57Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > But selling at that scale is going to tank the share price. And how are the loans secured? Are they backed by his Tesla shares? I don’t think he can sell too much, and he’ll need some sort of cover story like saying he’s bringing in more investors. I didn’t say it was a perfect plan, but he’s gotta get something out of this trap. Musk’s only objective here, if maintaining his wealth is the goal, is to get out of Twitter. Going into debt to pay $44 billion for a greying social media company that has posted two straight years of losses is like accidentally paying $50,000 for a Kia Forte when you already had a new car. Your only logical move is to dump the Forte for whatever you can get for it. You’re going to take a loss, it’s just a matter of minimizing it. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/486 "2022-11-05T15:38:09Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > I have no idea what “inflate short-term profit and boost the share price” is supposed to mean in this context. He needs to boost the perceived value of Twitter by posting quarterly profits. He can then start selling off portions of his ownership. That doesn’t have to be done on the NYSE. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/487 "2022-11-05T17:19:49Z")
Would be funny if everybody started calling it Twatter. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/488 "2022-11-05T17:39:26Z")
Well, it does smell sorta … musky now. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/489 "2022-11-05T17:40:23Z")
> And therefore Twitter should die? Er… yes? ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/490 "2022-11-05T17:41:51Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I’m going to guess that the class action lawsuit was bullshit, or it was filed on behalf of Twitter users without the filers knowing the details. Well, you can _guess_, or you can _research_ the provisions of the WARN Act, which are readily available from multiple sources. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/491 "2022-11-05T17:42:28Z")
I agree with you but the problem for Musk is that there are few people with the money to buy Twitter, that are stupid enough to buy Twitter at price he might want. And the value of it is only going to decrease as Musk drives it into the ground. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/492 "2022-11-05T17:43:21Z")
I wonder if Jeff Bezos is in the market for a social media platform? LOL ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/493 "2022-11-05T17:52:30Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > “Advertise with us or we will destroy your company” is an amazing sales pitch. Especially when everybody knows it’s an utterly empty threat. Right-wing blowhards have been declaring boycotts against corporations that offend them for years, with all the impact of (to borrow Everett Dirksen’s metaphor) a snowflake on the bosom of the Potomac. > **[Right-wingers keep trying to boycott products they hate — and keep failing](https://www.salon.com/2021/05/26/right-wingers-keep-trying-to-boycott-products-they-hate--and-keep-failing/)** > > Conservatives love to announce boycotts of prominent brands — but somehow they never pan out as planned > [@Gatopescado](#): > > Would be funny if everybody started calling it Twatter. That’s inevitable if he goes ahead with the whole “video clip platform” (the most likely application for which is porn, which I’m sure will thrill the mainstream advertisers almost as much as the flood of Freeze Peach trolls and neo-Nazis) idea. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/494 "2022-11-05T18:13:47Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > He needs to boost the perceived value of Twitter by posting quarterly profits. None of which has to do with a “share price.” And as a private company, their financial transparency can be, let’s say, somewhat discretionary. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/495 "2022-11-05T18:13:48Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > That’s inevitable if he goes ahead with the whole “video clip platform” (the most likely application for which is porn, which I’m sure will thrill the mainstream advertisers almost as much as the flood of Freeze Peach trolls and neo-Nazis) idea. Or both. Nothing saying you can’t do fascist porn. I hear #naughtienazies is trending now. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/496 "2022-11-05T18:39:40Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > “Advertise with us or we will destroy your company” is an amazing sales pitch. And laying off a chunk of your advertising sales staff will help also. Plus, the reason the advertisers have bolted is fear their ads are going to appear next to racist rants. Laying off the staff who tried to get rid of these rants will help also. If I were a hacker, I’d be targeting Twitter right now. Big chunks of the people maintaining the infrastructure are gone, and I bet the rest don’t give a crap. Or are updating their resumes. I’m looking forward to it melting down as the knowledge of how to run the place gets lost. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/497 "2022-11-05T19:05:37Z")
I know, I know!!! Ask me! ask meeee! Elon just needs to train the bots to run the place. What could go wrong? They’ve certainly got big data. And bots work for even less than peanuts; mere electrons is all they ask. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/498 "2022-11-05T19:28:44Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Or Elon is lying about it, which makes little sense since he’d have to know that the fired employees would correct that record pronto and he’d look terrible. Every visible indicator suggests that Elmo cares nothing about getting caught lying or “looking terrible.” I don’t know why anyone would think otherwise. All he cares about is controlling his own narrative. That’s why he bought Twitter. He only cares what his fans think. As long as he keeps “winning” internet pissing contests in the moment, they don’t care if he lies. They want him to lie. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/499 "2022-11-05T21:16:40Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > > [@RickJay](#): > > > > He needs to boost the perceived value of Twitter by posting quarterly profits. > > None of which has to do with a “share price.” And as a private company, their financial transparency can be, let’s say, somewhat discretionary. While this is true, it’s also true that, having taken Twitter private, Musk can at some future date decide to take it public again. The share price offered in any future IPO will be substantially determined by the company’s balance sheet at the time, as well as an intangible assessment of future prospects. I suspect that a public offering is the most likely way for Musk to recover some portion of his investment from the smouldering ruins of Twitter. It can be said, without fear of contradiction, that with respect to Twitter, Musk is just getting started. There are, of course, two ways to interpret that statement. He’s either going to drive it into the ground in what is turning out to be the most amusing large-scale shit-show I’ve ever seen, or he’s going to learn and adapt. All the evidence so far is for the former. The problem with Musk, aside for knowing absolutely nothing about running a social media company, is that he feels he knows everything about everything and so there’s nothing he needs to learn. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/500 "2022-11-05T21:23:06Z")
I think we may all be missing the point here in our gleeful attempts to play Whack-a-Mole on Elon’s head. Me included, so no serious criticism of my fellow Dopers is intended; pile-ons are always fun. The Saudis thought they had a reason to pony up that money. So did the others. Maybe they think Elon has screwed up and they’ll be able to take a successful motor vehicle company from him for cheap. Or maybe, just maybe, this is about developing the ultimate propaganda spewing device. Which will turn into the social media equivalent of “must see TV”. It doesn’t have to make any money for anyone as long as the operating costs are low enough that Musk + the Saudi Family + maybe the Koch’s can pay for the servers and bandwidth. With occasional payments from the Russians and Chinese so their botnets can spew unmolested too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442.md?page=24) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442.md?page=26)