Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Wednesday, Jul 02, 2025

Twitter adopts 'poison pill' measure that could thwart Elon Musk's takeover bid

Twitter adopts 'poison pill' measure that could thwart Elon Musk's takeover bid

Twitter's board of directors has adopted a limited-term shareholder rights plan called a "poison pill" that could make it harder for Elon Musk to acquire the company.

The "poison pill" provision, announced in a press release Friday, preserves the right for Twitter shareholders other than Musk to acquire more shares of the company at a relatively inexpensive price, effectively diluting Musk's stake. The provision will be triggered if Musk (or any other investor) acquires more than 15% of the company's shares. Musk currently owns around 9% of Twitter's shares.

The move marks an effort by Twitter's board to wrest back some control in the deal after Musk's stunning acquisition offer. The poison pill — a corporate anti-takeover defense mechanism — won't necessarily stop Musk's bid in its tracks, but it could make buying the company more expensive or force Musk to the negotiating table with the board.

"The Rights Plan will reduce the likelihood that any entity, person or group gains control of Twitter through open market accumulation without paying all shareholders an appropriate control premium or without providing the Board sufficient time to make informed judgments and take actions that are in the best interests of shareholders," the company said in its statement.

Musk's first public statement after Twitter's announcement came Friday afternoon, through a quote tweet of a Twitter poll by the account @BTC_Archive asking: "Do you want Elon Musk to buy Twitter?"

"Thanks for the support!" the billionaire wrote while sharing the poll, which at the time of writing had a majority of respondents voting "Yes." Musk did not respond to a request for comment from CNN Business.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO on Thursday offered to acquire all the shares in Twitter he does not own for $54.20 per share, valuing the company at $41.4 billion. That represents a 38% premium over the closing price on April 1, the last trading day before Musk disclosed that he had become Twitter's biggest shareholder, and an 18% premium over its closing price Wednesday. The deal offer came 10 days after Musk first disclosed that he had become Twitter's largest shareholder (he has since been eclipsed by Vanguard Group).

The offer capped off a whirlwind 10-day period during which Musk revealed he had become the company's largest shareholder, accepted a position on the board only to ditch it, and tweeted throughout about how Twitter may be dying and should consider eliminating the "w" from its name, among other suggestions.

The company now appears to be prepping for what could be a drawn-out acquisition drama.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives called the poison pill a "predictable defensive measure" by Twitter's board and added, "we believe Musk and his team expected this poker move." Ives also noted there is a risk that Twitter's plan could get challenged by Musk or other shareholders in court, which could put the board in the position of defending that the plan was in the best interest of shareholders.

Even so, there seem to be sincere doubts about whether Musk, a successful but sometimes erratic entrepreneur who ended up in hot water with regulators in 2018 after falsely suggesting that he had secured funding to take Tesla private, is serious about moving forward with the deal.

Despite being the richest man in the world, there are questions about how he would come up with the cash to finance the nearly $42 billion deal. Musk himself admitted in an interview Thursday that closing a deal would be challenging, saying, "I'm not sure I'll actually be able to acquire it."

Twitter's stock fluctuated a bit Thursday but remained mostly flat, closing around $45, well below Musk's offer price of $54.20 per share. The lack of enthusiasm — unusual after a takeover offer — suggests investor skepticism about the deal going through.

Twitter's poison pill plan will stay in effect for one year, the board said. More details about the plan are expected to come in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is not yet publicly available.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
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
×