OF THE
TIMES
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jim Jordan (R-OH) and 17 other Republicans on Friday told Twitter board chairman Bret Taylor to preserve any documents relating to Elon Musks's attempt to buy the social media giant.And from Ars Technica:
The demand for preserving documents signals they could launch an investigation into Twitter and its bid to block Musk from purchasing the company. If Republicans were to take control of the House after the 2022 midterm elections, Jordan would likely become the Judiciary chairman, and he could subpoena Twitter about its internal discussions about Musk's fight to purchase the company.
Tech-focused buyout group Thoma Bravo also believes the platform has been undermanaged and has untapped growth potential, according to a source with knowledge of its thinking.
The group, which has more than $100 billion in assets, has begun talking with Musk about participating in his takeover effort, said the source, which could help the bid gain traction by attracting additional debt and equity financing from institutional investors, according to multiple prominent lenders. Thoma Bravo declined to comment.
Musk's approach comes at a moment of particular vulnerability for Twitter, which only recently brought in a new chief executive, Parag Agrawal, a longstanding engineer at the company who is well-regarded internally but relatively unknown on Wall Street.
In a sign of tensions behind closed doors, Dorsey, who will remain on Twitter's board until next month, said on Twitter this week that the board had "consistently been the dysfunction of the company," without giving more details.
Twitter's board, which has been criticized for scarcely using the product or holding many shares in the company, is chaired by Bret Taylor, chief executive of Salesforce. It also includes Silver Lake's Egon Durban, who joined after the firm invested $1 billion two years ago — and who Musk previously hired for his failed bid to take Tesla private.
Dorsey "could be the weak spot that triggers a potential shakedown or radical changes to the board," said Stefano Bonini, a corporate governance expert at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Shareholders may urge the board to accept a deal, according to Ann Lipton, associate professor in business law and entrepreneurship at Tulane University. But "it's not obvious that shareholders are chomping at the bit to pressure the board to make this happen."
If the social media company's directors are serious about keeping Musk at bay, the other credible plan B is to find a white knight, who could offer an alternative to the $54.20 a share proposed by the entrepreneur, who has already said it would be his "best and final offer."
Let's hope so. A private, or public, platform allowing people to exercise their god given rights will soar way about the cutouts currently enjoying a gov't/spook manufactured heyday/monopoly.