It’s rare for corporate brands to become so intertwined with everyday conversation that they become verbs. It’s rarer still for the owner of such a brand to announce plans to intentionally destroy it.
An estimated $4 to $20 billion in value, what is he thinking?
Musk did not pay $44 billion to buy Twitter. He paid $26 billion, underwritten by stock in Tesla, which subsequently lost significant value. $5 billion was from other investors including the Saudi Prince.
The remaining $13 billion was a loan Twitter took out to buy itself on Musk’s behalf. Even before Musk started tanking the revenue, Twitter could not afford that debt - the interest alone was comparible to its revenue. That debt is probably about what Twitter is worth right now after the name change, making it pretty much unviable as a business.
You don’t have to look at Musk’s antics to conclude that the intention was to kill the company. You only have to look at the financials.
Leveraged buyouts almost always lead to the business closing. It’s how Toys R Us, and many other staple brands, were brought down.
I might not have all the details right, it isn’t 100% clear if Musk sold his Tesla shares or underwrote the purchase with them. There is a Reuters article that breaks it down, however I have seen some conflicting reports. The article claims he raised $20bn by selling stocks, then had to raise $2-3bn elsewhere (his existing Twitter stock was worth $4bn).
Musk did not pay $44 billion to buy Twitter. He paid $26 billion, underwritten by stock in Tesla, which subsequently lost significant value. $5 billion was from other investors including the Saudi Prince.
The remaining $13 billion was a loan Twitter took out to buy itself on Musk’s behalf. Even before Musk started tanking the revenue, Twitter could not afford that debt - the interest alone was comparible to its revenue. That debt is probably about what Twitter is worth right now after the name change, making it pretty much unviable as a business.
You don’t have to look at Musk’s antics to conclude that the intention was to kill the company. You only have to look at the financials.
Leveraged buyouts almost always lead to the business closing. It’s how Toys R Us, and many other staple brands, were brought down.
Tesla stock is worth more now than when Twitter went private.
And if Musk intended to kill Twitter, he would have simply shut down the servers last year.
What you are seeing is the result of mistakes, not a conspiracy.
I might not have all the details right, it isn’t 100% clear if Musk sold his Tesla shares or underwrote the purchase with them. There is a Reuters article that breaks it down, however I have seen some conflicting reports. The article claims he raised $20bn by selling stocks, then had to raise $2-3bn elsewhere (his existing Twitter stock was worth $4bn).