Mixed messages on Musk’s Twitter deal

SAN FRANCISCO: The saga of Elon Musk’s bid to acquire Twitter took a turn that many long suspected: the Tesla CEO tweeted something declaring the deal was in jeopardy.

Musk tweeted on Friday that the deal was “on hold” as he looked into the extent of Twitter’s bot problem.

That sent Twitter’s stock plunging 25%. But Twitter’s bots and fake accounts have been around as long as the 16-year-old media service.

He later said he was committed to the deal. Analysts generally interpreted Musk’s messages as an attempt to pull out of the deal or to try to force a lower price. | AFP