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A glimpse into an Elon Musk exchange Claire Silva

Billionaire Elon Musk has infamously been involved in numerous controversies. Between Tesla recalls, an animal cruelty scandal and multiple lawsuits, Musk’s name is often in news headlines and social media feeds. Most recently, his Twitter takeover caught the attention of many, as it involves several well-known tech, finance and political figures.

In April 2022, Musk decided to purchase Twitter for $44 billion but attempted to back out of the agreement in July, claiming the platform hosted too many “spam bots” for his liking. In response, Twitter filed a lawsuit against Musk for violating his acquisition agreement. Twitter’s lawsuit claims Musk backed out of the deal because of “buyer’s remorse” and states that “Musk believes that he — unlike every other party subject to Delaware contract law — is free to change his mind, trash the company, disrupt its operations, destroy stockholder value and walk away."

Due to potential harm to the company, the trial has been expedited to take place in mid-October. Throughout the trial, Musk’s private messages on Twitter have been revealed to the public in 151 pages of partially redacted but comprehensive exchanges.

What makes Musk’s messages so insightful, however, is not a newly revealed scheme or an offensive conversation. Instead, his messages offer a glance into the tech and political world. Musk’s frequent use of emojis in business conversations and casual colorful language illustrates one new thing this trial is uncovering — just how unimpressive the people of Silicon Valley can be.

To view the entirety of Musk’s exchanges, access the mass document of private messages here.

For those who appreciate a more accessible and legible option, enjoy the simplicity of the wealthiest man in the world’s perspective in the true Twitter format.

Supporters

A very large number of the messages found in Musk's Twitter direct messages (DMs) came from admirers.

Joe Lonsdale, Co-Founder of Palantir & tech venture capitalist

Talulah Riley, English actress and Musk's ex-wife

Adeo Resi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Founder Institute

Omead Afshar, Project Director for the Office of the CEO at Tesla

Billions is no biggie.

Musk uses Twitter to make business plans.

Jason Calacanis

When news of Musk's initial agreement with Twitter reached the public, wealthy business investor Jason Calcanis had a lot of advice to offer. Calcanis frequently sent Musk guidance on how best to run Twitter, including appointing Calacanis himself as CEO. He also provided Musk with a five-step plan to boost Twitter's success, which included cutting Twitter's workforce in half to increase revenue. Calacanis' tips did not end there. In fact, Calacanis sent Musk 71 individual messages of advice within one month.

"Jack Jack" Dorsey

Jack Dorsey, or "Jack Jack" in Musk's phone, is a Co-Founder and former CEO of Twitter. Musk and Dorsey have been in close communication for over a year, according to their text logs. Dorsey mentioned to Musk that he wanted to add him to Twitter's board a year before Musk made the arrangement to buy the company. Recently, Musk has used Dorsey to help build his vision for Twitter.

Larry Ellison

Numerous conversations were found between Musk and Larry Ellison, an Oracle cofounder, a large co-investor in the Twitter deal and Musk's longtime friend.

Musk and Ellison's effortlessly discussed the amount Ellison would contribute to the Twitter deal within a few text messages, ending the conversation with a smiley face.

The unexpected expected

Joe Rogan

Joe Rogan and Musk have an extensive history. One of their most notable interactions was in 2018 when Musk made an appearance on Rogan's podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.” The interview broke viewership records, most likely due to Rogan and Musk's decision to smoke marijuana together for the 2.5-hour episode. Musk faced a large sum of backlash, especially from the federal government, which required him and his SpaceX team to be drug tested for a year after the episode was released.

Rogan has minimal involvement in Musk's Twitter deal, except for the support and entertaining friendship he offers. In April, Musk tweeted one of the memes made about his episode on Rogan's podcast with the caption, "Twitter's next board meeting is going to be lit."