# Now that Elon Musk has bought Twitter - now the Pit edition (Part 1)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442>\
**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:** 3

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**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/41 "2022-05-13T15:05:31Z")

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> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> If I was a Tesla shareholder, I’d be pissed that the CEO is distracting himself with a much smaller, completely unrelated company.

They are. Tesla stock has pretty much dropped every day since this nonsense began.

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**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/42 "2022-05-13T15:13:30Z")

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Losses and risk are for the little people, like taxes. When you are the richest person on earth, you can do whatever catches your fancy.

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**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/43 "2022-05-13T15:19:43Z")

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> [@AlsoNamedBort](#):
>
> They are. Tesla stock has pretty much dropped every day since this nonsense began.

Now the word is out the Twitter buy may not happen, which is what many in Silicon Valley have suspected all along. I have always thought this entire nonsense was a pump and dump scheme.

We are talking about a guy who pulled a giant pump and dump scheme with dogecoin right out in the open, just brazenly doing in.

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**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:** [May 13, 2022, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/44 "2022-05-13T15:23:34Z")

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Honestly, I get the impression that Elon Musk is the world’s richest troll. He just says and does stuff to get attention. Occasionally what he says or does actually accomplishes something.

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**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/45 "2022-05-13T15:28:07Z")

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> [@JohnT](#):
>
> He will get sued to Hell and back

Reports are saying that the merger agreement allows him to walk away for a $1 billion penalty. If that’s true, it’s insane for Twitter to have granted this option to Musk, given the volatility of the markets. It would be frankly stupid for Musk not to exercise the option, or to use its existence to negotiate a lower price.

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**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/46 "2022-05-13T15:31:47Z")

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> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> Honestly, I get the impression that Elon Musk is the world’s richest troll. He just says and does stuff to get attention.

As I said in the other – now closed – thread, he’s like Trump with a much better moral compass.

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**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:** [May 13, 2022, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/47 "2022-05-13T15:35:04Z")

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I think it’s just safe to say he can no longer afford this, probably for a myriad of reasons including pissed shareholders, loan covenants, etc.

That’s all that’s happening.

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**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/48 "2022-05-13T17:05:42Z")

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The $1 billion penalty applies if there is an outside reason why the deal won’t close. If the deal doesn’t close because Musk changes his mind, it would go to court as a breach of contract case. The potential loss to Musk could be much higher.

[Elon Musk can’t just walk away from Twitter deal by paying $1 billion (cnbc.com)](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/13/elon-musk-cant-just-walk-away-from-twitter-deal-by-paying-1-billion.html)

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**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/49 "2022-05-13T17:12:12Z")

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> [@Skywatcher](#):
>
> As I said in the other – now closed – thread, he’s like Trump with a much better moral compass.

Hey, guys! I found Elon Musk’s moral compass:  
[![](https://payload191.cargocollective.com/1/7/253549/6134518/-compass-icon_v2.gif) ](https://payload191.cargocollective.com/1/7/253549/6134518/-compass-icon_v2.gif)

Stranger

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/50 "2022-05-13T17:20:09Z")

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> [@zimaane](#):
>
> The $1 billion penalty…

Thanks, that makes much more sense. $1 billion sounds like a vast amount of money, but as a percentage of the purchase price it’s tiny.

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**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/51 "2022-05-13T17:42:08Z")

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Moderating:

> [@nate](#):
>
> Man, I’ve noticed you really have it out for this Elon Musk guy. You can’t stop yourself from shitting on him in every thread he’s mentioned.

That’s overly personal for IMHO. If you think there’s a problem with thread shitting, please report it. Otherwise, you can respond to his criticisms or ignore them.

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**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/52 "2022-05-13T18:46:37Z")

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> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#):
>
> Hey, guys! I found Elon Musk’s moral compass:

At least it points somewhere rather than endlessly spinning while trying to point at itself.

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**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/53 "2022-05-13T23:16:05Z")

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> [@zimaane](#):
>
> [Elon Musk can’t just walk away from Twitter deal by paying $1 billion (cnbc.com)](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/13/elon-musk-cant-just-walk-away-from-twitter-deal-by-paying-1-billion.html)⁢

This line in your link makes me think that Musk’s talk about there being fewer troll and bot accounts than he thought is an attempt to bail:

> A buyer can also walk if there’s fraud, assuming the discovery of incorrect information has a so-called “material adverse effect.”

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**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:** [May 13, 2022, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/54 "2022-05-13T23:20:43Z")

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The report he is complaining about was released 11 days ago. There have been no material changes in the bot situation at Twitter since then, at least, none as impactful as having your net worth drop 30% and losing all your crypto gains.

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**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/55 "2022-05-14T04:43:35Z")

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> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> That’s insult personal for IMHO.

Talking like Yoda, you are?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/56 "2022-05-14T04:46:52Z")

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Wise like Master Yoda, she is. Do worse than talking like Master Yoda, she could.

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**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:** [May 14, 2022, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/57 "2022-05-14T11:15:10Z")

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Now he is looking for a sample of 100 Twitter accounts so he can make his decision.

Really, once all this is said and done, and he walks away with whatever excuse he can come up with for fucking this thing up as badly as he did, the poet in me wants this episode to be known as the Musk [Busk](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/busk).

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/58 "2022-05-14T12:15:09Z")

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> [@Darren\_Garrison](#):
>
> > [@puzzlegal](#):
> >
> > That’s insult personal for IMHO.
> 
> Talking like Yoda, you are?

Fixed

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/59 "2022-05-14T12:41:58Z")

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He really is using such a small sample? Then the decision has been made already.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [May 14, 2022, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/60 "2022-05-14T12:49:36Z")

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Tweet 1:

> <https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1525049369552048129?t=VTcfOGRtotQqAOVkY0y41g&s=19>

Tweet 2:

> <https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1525291586669531137?t=dgQi7hObdbQOjmVF0OR98Q&s=19>

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