There is no throat to choke, so free speech is guaranteed.” “You have to pay a tiny amount to register your message on the chain, which will cut out the vast majority of spam and bots. “I have an idea for a blockchain social media system that does both payments and short text messages/links like Twitter,” Musk texted his brother, Kimbal Musk, on April 9. “That was clarifying.” How Musk soured on blockchainĪnother big takeaway from the text messages is that Musk was weighing an ill-fated plan to turn Twitter into a blockchain-based platform, even after he had decided to mount a hostile takeover of the company. “At least it became clear that you can’t work together,” Dorsey replied. “Parag is just moving far too slowly and trying to please people who will not be happy no matter what he does.”
“You and I are in complete agreement,” Musk wrote to Dorsey after the call. The subsequent messages suggest that the attempt failed. Read More: The Twitter Whistleblower Needs You to Trust Him “I won’t let this fail and will do whatever it takes. “I just want to make this amazing and feel bound to it,” Dorsey wrote to Musk on April 26, after getting him to agree to join a group call with Agrawal. Will make an offer to take Twitter private.”Īs Musk began soliciting bankers and other tech billionaires for cash to finance his takeover, the court document shows Dorsey attempting to repair the damage between Musk and Agrawal. “I’m not joining the board,” Musk added in a followup message. “What did you get done this week?” Musk wrote back. “Next time we speak, I’d like to provide you perspective on the level of internal distraction right now and how it’s hurting our ability to do work.” “You are free to tweet ‘is Twitter dying?’ or anything else about Twitter – but it’s my responsibility to tell you that it’s not helping me make Twitter better in the current context,” Agrawal wrote. “I just want Twitter to be maximum amazing.”īut two days later, after more tweets from Musk criticizing Twitter publicly, Agrawal sent him a terse message. “I have a ton of ideas, but if I’m pushing too hard,” Musk wrote to Agrawal on April 7. The pair had a cordial exchange where they bonded over a shared love of coding and engineering. The texts provide a behind-the-scenes look at how Musk’s conversations with the Twitter CEO quickly deteriorated. Got very emotional when I learned it was finally possible.” Musk’s relationship with Parag Agrawal sours “I couldn’t be happier you’re doing this,” Dorsey added. Always here to talk through anything you want.” The day after that, Agrawal tweeted out a statement saying Musk had agreed to join the Twitter board.Īfter the news was announced, Dorsey criticized the board in a message to Musk. The next day, April 4, Musk announced publicly he had been buying Twitter stock since January and had amassed an almost 10% stake in the company. Read More: Elon Musk Is Convinced He’s the Future. “I heard good things are happening,” he said. “The donkeys and dystopian surveillance helicopters really added to the ambiance.”
“Great dinner :)” Musk texted a group chat afterward. Days later, according to the texts, Musk met Agrawal and Bret Taylor, chair of the Twitter board, for dinner at a quirky AirBnB in San Jose, California, surrounded by tractors, donkeys, and abandoned trucks. Meanwhile, Musk’s tweets about the future of Twitter appeared to have spurred the company’s board to reevaluate their opposition to the billionaire taking a seat. (Dorsey resigned as Twitter CEO in November 2021, and stepped down from its board in May 2022.) “That’s about the time I decided I needed to work to leave, as hard as it was for me,” Dorsey told Musk in the messages. The board considered giving Musk a seat too risky, Dorsey’s texts say. “You care so much, get its importance, and could def help in immeasurable ways,” Dorsey wrote to Musk.ĭorsey told Musk that in 2021, while he was still CEO, he had tried to convince Twitter’s board to give Musk a seat, but decided to quit after the directors declined.
On March 26, after Musk sent a series of tweets criticizing Twitter’s approach to free speech and asking whether a new platform was needed, Dorsey sent Musk a series of messages urging Musk to “help” turn the company around. The texts reveal how Dorsey had pushed for months at Twitter to grant Musk a seat on the company’s board. Here are the big takeaways from Elon Musk’s Twitter text messages. The texts reveal Musk’s contact list is a who’s who of business titans and media personalities, many of whom clambered to offer him their two cents as his plans for Twitter became public knowledge.