Musk and Twitter CEO Agrawal were briefly pals, texts show
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Newly disclosed text messages between Elon Musk and Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal showed that the two men briefly bonded in the spring over their love of engineering — at least until Musk publicly tweeted this message early on April 9: ‘ Is Twitter dying? ’”
That soured a relationship that appeared to bloom around the time Twitter offered the billionaire Tesla CEO a board seat after learning that he had purchased a huge stake in the company. In the texts, Agrawal questioned Musk about his public criticism of Twitter, describing the comments as unhelpful and distracting within the company.
“What did you get done this week?” Musk tersely responded less than a minute later. “I’m not joining the board. This is a waste of time. Will make an offer to take Twitter private.”
The messages revealed in Delaware court filings ahead of a high-stakes trial offer a window into Twitter’s delicate negotiations with Musk. At the time, the billionaire had not only invested heavily in Twitter shares, he was publicly proposing ideas for improving it or starting an alternative.
Twitter and Musk are due in court Oct. 17 for a trial that will decide whether the world's richest man will be forced to complete his agreed-to $44 billion acquisition of Twitter. The documents were first revealed on @chancery_daily, a Twitter account that closely follows the Delaware Chancery Court, where the five-day trial will take place.
“I have a ton of ideas, but lmk if I’m pushing too hard,” Musk texted Agrawal on April 7, shortly after Twitter offered him the board seat. “I just want Twitter to be maximum amazing.”
Agrawal invited Musk to “treat me like an engineer” instead of a CEO as they worked through technical questions together. At one point, Musk wrote, “I love our conversations!”
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