The Acquisition of Twitter: The Legal Interplay Between Elon Musk, Shareholders, Employees, and the Government

Abstract

This article examines the acquisition process of Twitter by Elon Musk. It will analyze the legal validity of Musk’s initial claims for rescinding his offer, as well as Twitter’s defense arguments. It will consider questions such as: Did Twitter cause a material adverse effect to its operations that would be a basis for Musk to avoid the deal? Did Musk run afoul of any regulatory requirements under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations? What impact did the ultimate sale of Twitter have on other stakeholders, such as corporate executives and non-executives, shareholders, employees. The paper further examines some of the resulting pre and post-acquisition issues that emerged, why they may remain nagging issues, and the lessons learned from the Twitter purchase debacle for the future of corporate governance