Inside Story

Will Elon Musk take over Twitter?

The American billionaire has made a controversial $43bn offer, but faces many hurdles to acquire the social media behemoth.

Twitter’s board has armed itself against a possible takeover after Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, said he wants to buy the social media giant.

The billionaire has made an offer of $43bn. According to Musk, Twitter needs to be taken private to grow and become a platform for free speech. But the Twitter board is fighting back.

It has adopted a so-called “poison pill” plan that will prevent anyone from owning more than a 15 percent stake in the company.

What is driving Musk’s quest to own Twitter? And what would a possible takeover mean for this platform?

Presenter: Kim Vinnell

Guests:

Tim Hubbard – assistant professor of management, University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business

Jim Anderson – social media sector lead at Glasswing Ventures

William Cohan – founder of Puck news; former mergers and acquisitions investment banker