Twitter Acquisition Vote Proceeds Amid Whistleblower Testimony – Investopedia
Update: Shareholders voted to accept the deal later on September 13, 2022. Twitter shares stayed fairly flat throughout the day.
Shareholders of Twitter Inc. (TWTR) are poised to vote in favor of accepting the $44 billion bid by Elon Musk to acquire the social media company. Complicating the matter, Musk has tried to rescind his bid, alleging that Twitter misrepresented the number of spam accounts on its platform. Twitter has sued Musk to force him to honor his bid. Twitter’s special meeting of stockholders will convene at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time on Sept. 13, 2022.
Meanwhile, also on Sept. 13, 2022, whistleblower Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, the former head of security at Twitter, will testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary about various irregularities that he claims to have found at Twitter during his period of employment there. Most notably, Zatko alleges that Twitter has a very lax attitude toward the protection of users’ data. That hearing starts at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time.
Musk had agreed in April 2022 to pay $54.20 per share for Twitter. This represents a significant premium (30.9%) over its closing price of $41.41 on Sept. 12, 2022. If the deal goes through, this would produce a significant windfall for existing shareholders. On the other hand, if Musk succeeds in backing out of his bid without paying a large penalty, analysts expect that Twitter's share price will fall significantly.
The testimony of whistleblower Zatko may help to bolster Musk’s case for exiting his proposed deal to acquire Twitter. To date, legal experts have tended to believe that Twitter would prevail in a legal fight to force Musk to honor his bid. However, even absent Zatko’s allegations, there are also questions about whether a judge would force a reluctant Musk to honor such a large deal. Furthermore, the so-called specific performance remedy that Twitter is seeking has not been tested previously on such a large scale.
Wall Street Journal. "Twitter Investors Back Musk’s Takeover Bid After Whistleblower Testifies in Congress."
The Wall Street Journal. "Twitter Shareholders Are Poised to Approve Elon Musk Takeover Deal."
Twitter Inc. "SEC Form 14A, Notice of Special Meeting of Stockholders on September 13, 2022."
United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. "Data Security at Risk: Testimony From a Twitter Whistleblower."
Company Shareholder News
Company Shareholder News
Company Shareholder News
Company News
Company News
Company News
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.
