Hi folks, itâs Brad. The saga of Elon Musk and the abandoned Twitter acquisition has a little bit of everythingâexcept for a clear protagoni
[View in browser](
[Bloomberg](
Hi folks, itâs Brad. The saga of Elon Musk and the abandoned Twitter acquisition has a little bit of everythingâexcept for a clear protagonist. Maybe thatâs finally changing. But first... Todayâs must-reads: ⢠Hollywood super agent Ari Emanuel has wants to help broker a [settlement between Musk and Twitter](
⢠Peter Thielâs [Palantir had a plan]( to forge ties with the UKâs NHS: âBuying our way inâ
⢠Airbnb: Now [with pickleball]( Reading Elonâs texts Almost no one comes out looking good in the 40 pages of text messages released last week by the Delaware Chancery Court as part of the never-ending spectacle that is Twitter v. Musk. In the published exchanges, investors and bankers solicitously maneuver for a piece of the deal, Friends of Elon carefully stoke his ego, and major media figures obsequiously angle for an interview. Even Twitter Inc. co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey, who originally tried to talk Musk into joining the board and then attempting to take the company private, metaphorically throws his own garments up onto the stage. âI couldnât be happier youâre doing this,â he texts as Musk was on the verge of becoming a board member. âGot very emotional when I learned it was finally possible.â But reading through the many pages of messages, thereâs one figure who approached the worldâs wealthiest person on an even keel: current Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal. At first, Agrawal, who has been at Twitter for more than a decade and was named chief executive last November, is solicitous to the guy who might become one of his bosses on the board of directors. âIâm super excited about the opportunity and look forward to working closely and finding ways to use your time as effectively as possible to improve Twitter and the public conversation,â he writes on April 3. Over the next few days, Musk and Agrawal communicate directly via text messages and have at least one late-night phone call, and Musk floats some of his notions for change. âWould be great to unwind permanent bans, except for spam accounts and those that explicitly advocate violence,â he texts Agrawal on April 5th. Agrawal doesnât respond to this textâor if he does, it isnât included in the data dump. In fact, opening the floodgates to banned conspiracy theorists such as, say, Alex Jones (not to mention a certain former president) would have significant ramifications on the tenor of conversation on Twitter. Instead, Agrawal invites Musk to talk about his specific technical ideas for the long embattled social network, asking him to âtreat me like an engineerâ instead of a CEO and promising to evaluate his proposals neutrally. âI want to hear all the ideasâand Iâll tell you which ones ill make progress on vs not. And why,â Agrawal texts on April 7th. He also asks Musk to speak to Twitter staff and answer questions, including âsome from people who are upset that you are involved and generally donât like you for some reason.â And then things go spectacularly sideways. On April 9th, the insatiable Musk [notes in an early morning tweet]( that certain famous people post irregularly and asks, âIs Twitter dying?â A valid question or not, itâs indecorous for a purported ally to ask it publicly, and itâs Agrawal who delivers the brushback pitch later that day. âYou are free to tweet âis twitter dying?â or anything else about Twitter,â he texts, âbut itâs my responsibility to tell you that itâs not helping me make twitter better in the current context.â Musk then throws a tantrum, texting Agrawal, âWhat did you get done this week?â and writing âIâm not joining the board. This is a waste of time,â before vowing to take the company private instead. After this confrontation, Musk appears to take a dislike to Twitterâs boss. In his filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission a week later, Musk states, âIf the deal doesnât work, given that I donât have confidence in management nor do I believe I can drive the necessary change in the public market, I would need to reconsider my position as a shareholder.â In late April, Dorsey brokers a phone call with Agrawal and Muskâboth his hand-picked successor and acquirer. We donât know exactly how that conversation at 7 p.m. central time on April 26th went, but it wasnât good. Subsequent texts suggest Agrawal refused to be dutifully sycophantic. Afterward, Dorsey writes to Musk that âit became clear that you canât work together. That was clarifying,â before selling out his former colleague altogether: âParag is just moving far too slowly and trying to please people who will not be happy no matter what he does.â Agrawal doesnât merit exaltation quite yet of course. Twitter under his relatively new leadership still faces massive challenges, including high employee turnover and a gutted stock price. But his professionalism and steadfast texts with Musk should be viewed in context of the others in last weekâs haul, which includes groaners like âyou have my swordâ (investor Jason Calacanis) and âYou are the hero Gotham needsâ (Riot Games co-founder Marc Merrill). Agrawalâs refusal to bend the kneeâand his insistence on considering the ramifications of Musksâs aspirational yet detail-free plans for Twitterâis at the very least admirable. Perhaps heâs the tragic hero Gotham needs. â[Brad Stone](mailto:bstone12@bloomberg.net)
The big story Canât get enough Elon-Twitter content? Here are [10 things Muskâs texts reveal]( about the Twitter deal. What else you need to know Free trading app Robinhood will partially or completely [shutter five more offices](, the latest move in a sweeping push to rein in expenses. Activision Blizzard chief compliance officer [is stepping down]( as the video game publisher seeks to close its sale to Microsoft. Small video game studios can have a [big advantage](. Social media played a role in a UK teenâs death, according to a [London judge](. Follow Us More from Bloomberg Dig gadgets or video games? [Sign up for Power On]( to get Apple scoops, consumer tech news and more in your inbox on Sundays. [Sign up for Game On]( to go deep inside the video game business, delivered on Fridays. Why not try both? Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights.âââââââ You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Fully Charged newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox.
[Unsubscribe](
[Bloomberg.com](
[Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P.
731 Lexington Avenue,
New York, NY 10022 [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( [Ad Choices](