Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Jun 30, 2025

Elon Musk's friends say Twitter targeting them in 'giant harassing fishing expedition'

Elon Musk's friends say Twitter targeting them in 'giant harassing fishing expedition'

The social media company suspects "that behind the scenes" Elon Musk has "been conspiring to blow the whole thing up," according to one expert's analysis.

Twitter is sending dozens of subpoenas to Elon Musk's associates and financial partners as part of its lawsuit against the billionaire for backing out of his deal to acquire the company.

A US judge has granted Twitter a fast-track five-day trial set to start on 17 October after the billionaire said he was rescinding his $44bn (£36.6bn) bid for the social media company on 8 July.

Twitter was pushing for the court case to be heard in September because it said the ongoing dispute was hurting its business.

Its shares were trading as low as $32.65 on 11 July, well below the $54.20 that Mr Musk had offered to pay for the company back in April.

Chancellor Kathaleen St Jude McCormick, the head judge of Delaware's Court of Chancery, said: "Delay threatens irreparable harm. The longer the delay, the greater the risk."

Mr Musk's team had sought to put off the trial until early next year because of how complex the case is.

His representatives accused Twitter of being in breach of the terms of the acquisition agreement, in particular that they failed to allow him to "make an independent assessment of the prevalence of fake or spam accounts".

Joe Lonsdale, a co-founder of Palantir Technologies, tweeted that he was among those who had received a subpoena, and described the requests as a "giant harassing fishing expedition".


"It's attempted sabotage"


Court filings reveal that the social media company has sent subpoenas to global banks and others involved in the financing of the deal.

Twitters suspects "that behind the scenes he's been conspiring to blow the whole thing up", Professor Minor Myers, at UConn School of Law, told Reuters.

"It's attempted sabotage. He's doing his best to run Twitter down," said William Savitt, a lawyer for the social media company.

The tycoon claims the firm failed to provide him with enough information concerning the number of fake - spam bot - Twitter accounts.

And he says it breached its obligations by sacking top managers and laying off a significant number of workers.

Musk's team expects more information about the bot numbers to come out in the trial court discovery process, when both sides must hand over evidence.


'Musk trying to wriggle out of deal'


Twitter argues Musk is trying to back out because he agreed to pay 38% above Twitter's stock price just before the stock market fell.

And shares of electric carmaker Tesla, where most of his personal wealth is, lost more than $100bn of their value.

"He's banking on wriggling out of the deal he signed," Mr Savitt said.

But Musk's lawyer Andrew Rossman claims it is "preposterous" to suggest the Tesla chief executive is attempting to damage Twitter.

He said the businessman "has no interest in damaging the company".

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Black Box Recovered from Air India Crash Site
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
×