Elon, your lawyer is calling

Hey all, it’s Kurt in San Francisco. Elon Musk sure knows how to keep his attorneys busy. But first… Today’s must-reads: • Apple is putting [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Hey all, it’s Kurt in San Francisco. Elon Musk sure knows how to keep his attorneys busy. But first… Today’s must-reads: • Apple is [putting a bigger focus on India]( • Uber might [spin off its logistics arm]( • Southwest Airlines is [modernizing with Amazon’s help]( Twitter CEO Michael Scott Elon Musk has an impressive track record of saying things on Twitter that he shouldn’t say. There was the time he called a British cave diver a “[pedo guy](.” Or when he declared the “funding secured” to take Tesla Inc. private when it actually wasn’t. In both cases, Musk got sued. Now that he owns the site that routinely gets him into trouble, Musk is … still getting himself into trouble. This week, he engaged in a [public spat with a disabled person]( who Twitter had covertly laid off. The employee, a designer named Halli Thorleifsson, tweeted at Musk on Monday to ask why his computer access had been shut off and whether he still had a job. He said HR wouldn’t say whether he’d been fired. Musk first quizzed Thorleifsson about what he actually did at Twitter, accused him of pulling a publicity stunt to increase his severance and also [wrote this](: “The reality is that this guy (who is independently wealthy) did no actual work, claimed as his excuse that he had a disability that prevented him from typing, yet was simultaneously tweeting up a storm. Can’t say I have a lot of respect for that.” The excruciating public exchange continued. Thorleifsson explained that he has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair. It appeared that someone, perhaps a lawyer, relayed this message to Musk, who eventually tweeted an apology. Musk said he spoke to Thorleifsson and offered him his job back. It doesn’t take a law degree to anticipate potential legal issues for Musk. Any boss would be advised not to disclose an employee’s disability to their 130 million Twitter followers or suggest that the disability may have led to his firing. For a normal company or executive, the legal risk associated with something like this might be overwhelming. For Musk, it’s a part of doing business. In fact, his legal liabilities have multiplied since he was forced to buy Twitter as a result of a lawsuit. In his first four months as Twitter’s owner, Musk was sued by several businesses alleging that the company isn’t paying its bills; he was sued for failing to pay employee severance; and he will almost certainly face legal challenges from former executives who didn’t receive their so-called golden parachutes when Musk fired them “for cause.” The interaction with Thorleifsson was not even his biggest legal threat this week. US regulators, as part of an expanding investigation into Twitter’s privacy practices, began [taking steps to depose Musk](. As we learned a few years ago when the Federal Trade Commission fined Meta Platforms Inc. $5 billion, the agency has little patience for tech companies or their billionaire owners. Given that Musk is [struggling to just break even](at Twitter, a big FTC fine would pose serious problems. Of course, even the threat of a regulatory deposition can’t keep Musk’s fingers off the keyboard. He [tweeted about]( the FTC news on Tuesday, too: “A shameful case of weaponization of a government agency for political purposes and suppression of the truth!” As far as I know, he has yet to apologize for that one. —[Kurt Wagner](mailto:kwagner71@bloomberg.net) The big story Google’s plan to get ahead of ChatGPT is to stuff AI into everything. Top executives like CEO Sundar Pichai and co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are [weighing in on product features and even editing code](. Watch: Laurie Richardson, Google’s vice president for trust and safety, offers her [views on generative AI](. Get fully charged TikTok plans to build three data centers in Europe to [store user information locally]( in an apparent bid to win over European regulators. The Netherlands is preparing restrictions on the export of chipmaking machines in the face of pressure from Washington to [clamp down on China’s access to critical technologies](. US regulators are investigating Tesla after reports that the steering wheel on certain new Model Y vehicles [can fall off while driving](. In a break from its industry peers, Adobe is pledging it won’t lay off workers this year as it [begins construction of its fourth office tower in its home city]( of San Jose, California. More from Bloomberg Listen: [Foundering: The John McAfee Story]( is a new six-part podcast series retracing the life, the myths and the self-destruction of a Silicon Valley icon. Subscribe for free on [Apple](, [Spotify]( or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch: [The Future With Hannah Fry]( explores the potential of life extension, emotionally sensitive computers and more in this Bloomberg Originals show. Get Bloomberg Tech weeklies in your inbox: - [Cyber Bulletin]( for coverage of the shadow world of hackers and cyber-espionage - [Game On]( for reporting on the video game business - [Power On]( for Apple scoops, consumer tech news and more - [Screentime]( for a front-row seat to the collision of Hollywood and Silicon Valley - [Soundbite]( for reporting on podcasting, the music industry and audio trends Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Tech Daily newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. 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