WOULD TERMINATE THE DEAL.
WE HAVE WORD THREAT BE A TOUGH
SELL IN THE COURTROOM.
BUT WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT
WITH OUR NEXT GUEST, LIZ PEEK,
AND GROVER MORE YOU GIFT.
GROVER -- NORQUIST.
WE HAVE BEEN HEARING LOT ABOUT
THIS THE PAST WEEK.
DO YOU THINK IF MUSK IS SERIOUS
ABOUT TERMINATING THE DEAL THAT
IT WOULD HOLD UP IN COURT?
HE HAS THE BILLION DOLLAR KILL
FEE HE HAS TO PAY.
>> I THINK ITS MANY PERFECTLY
UNDERSTANDABLE HE WANTS THE
FACTS ABOUT TWITTER.
THEY CAN’T STONEWALL A POTENTIAL
BUYER ABOUT BASICALLY THE FUNDS
AMOUNTALS OF THEIR BUSINESS,
DAVID.
THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR
WEEKS AND HE’S BEEN DISSATISFIED
WITH THE RESPONSE FROM THE
COMPANY.
AND THE BOARD IS CULPABLE WITH
NOT FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH THE
INFORMATION REQUESTED.
MANAGEMENT IS EITHER LYING ABOUT
THE UNDERPINNINGS OF THE COMPANY
OR THEY ARE NOT. IFER IN NOT, THEY HAVE TO TROT
IFER IN NOT, THEY HAVE TO TROT
OUT THE INFORMATION MUSK WANTS.
DID HE OFFER TOO HIGH A PRICE?
PROBABLY.
BECAUSE IT WAS AFTER THAT THE
TECH STOCKS BEGAN TO TUMBLE.
BUT THE GERM OF HIS ISSUE HERE
IS PRETTY LEGIT PLATT.
DAVID: YOU THINK OF THESE TIKTOK
STOCKHOLDERS, IF THEY ACCEPTED
$54 A SHARE.
NOW IT’S TRADING $20 LESS THAN THAT.
I CAN SEE A LEAST LAWSUITS AND
THE EFFECT IT WOULD HAVE ON THE
COMPANY.
IT WOULD DO A LOT OF DAMAGE,
WOULDN’T IT?
>> YOU HAVE WHAT APPEARS TO BE A
POLITICIZED BOARD CANCELING
PEOPLE THEY DON’T LIKE.
WHEN ASKED CAN YOU PROVE TO
ADVERTISERS HOW MANY REAL PEOPLE
THERE ARE THAT YOU ARE ACTUALLY
REACHING.
THEIR ANSWER IS THEY DON’T KNOW.
THAT’S A PROBLEM.
THEY KNOW BUT THEY ARE NOT
TELLING AND THEY LIED TO
ADVERTISERS, THAT’S A PROBLEM.
PEOPLE GOING FOR DIVERSITY ON
BOARDS INSTEAD OF TALENT MAY
WANT TO REIN SOME OF THAT IN.
DAVID: THERE ARE QUESTIONS FROM
PEOPLE WHO ARE MEMBERS OF
TWITTER HE POSTING QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE WAY IT DEALS WITH
LIKES AND DISLIKES.
IF THERE ARE LAWSUITS THERE WILL
BE A REQUEST TO OPEN THE BOOKS.
SO MAYBE WE’LL ALL SEE EXACTLY
WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN DOING WITH
THEIR VARIOUS ACCOUNTS?
>> AND PEOPLE MAY ASK QUESTIONS
ABOUT OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA AS A
RESULT.
>> WE KNOW THE PRESIDENT IS
TRYING TO SET UP HIS OWN
ACCOUNT.
TWREUT SOCIALACCOUNT.
TRUTH SOCIAL IS OUT THERE. MANY HAVE BEEN BEATEN DOWN BY
MANY HAVE BEEN BEATEN DOWN BY
THE TECH TECH CONSORTIUM.
>> I WOULDN’T RULE OUT FRANKLY
THAT A COMPANY OPENING ITS BOOKS
TO SOME DEGREE, AND HAVING
DISCUSSIONS WITH ELON MUSK, AND
HAVING ELON MUSK COME BACK WITH
A LOWER PRICE.
THE PROBLEM IS TWOFOLD.
HE OFFERED TOO MUCH MONEY FOR A
COMPANY THAT WAS SORT OF
SINKING. AND I THINK TWITTER HAS BEEN
AND I THINK TWITTER HAS BEEN
DISHONEST WITH HIM.
I DON’T IMAGINE PEOPLE WILL GO
OFF TWITTER BECAUSE OF THIS
GOING ON.
I DON’T RULE OUT A REIMID -- A R
SOME POINT.
DAVID: A LOT OF MEDIA
INSTITUTIONS RELY ON TWITTER TO
TEASE THEIR OWN MATERIAL AND TO GET IDEAS.
GET IDEAS.
THE SHIEWN VERSE UNIVERSE OF IDE
ON TO YOUR PHONE IS SO VALUABLE.
AND THAT’S ONE OF THE REASONS
MUSK WANTED TO BUY IT.
>> THEY USE PEOPLE’S TWEETS AND
USE THEM LIKE IT’S AN INTERVIEW
THEY HAVE GOTTEN.
DAVID: LIZ, TALK ABOUT WHETHER
THIS WILL CHANGE SOCIAL MEDIA.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE HOPING THE
ELON MUSK TAKEOVER OF TWITTER
WOULD MAKE IT LESS FAR LEFT
LEANING.
>> DAVID, I THINK THEY CHANGED A
LOT OF THEIR PRACTICES.
I CAN’T PROVE IT.
BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT WHERE WE
USED TO GET A TRICKLE OF NEW
FOLLOWERS EVERY NOW AND THEN.
NOW IT’S A STEADY THING.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THE RIGHT SAW
ENORMOUS GAINS IN THE NUMBER OF
FOLLOWERS AFTER THE MUSK DEAL
WAS ANNOUNCED.
I BELIEVE WHATEVER THEY WERE
DOING, I THINK THEY CHANGED
THEIR PRACTICES.
I THINK IT MADE A CHANGE AT
TWITTER.
I DOUBT THEY WOULD REVERSE THOSE
ALGORITHMS OR DECISIONS.
I THINK THERE HAS BEEN TOO MUCH
SUNLIGHT SHOWN ON THE PRACTICES
AND UNFAIRNESS OF THESE SOCIAL
MEDIA PLATFORMS.
DAVID: GROVER, IT’S SOMETHING
THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO A LOT
OF MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS.
THEY REALIZED HOW FAR THIS BIDEN
PRESIDENCY IS SINKING.
YOU LOOK AT JEFF BEZOS, THE
OWNER OF THE "WASHINGTON POST."
EVEN THE "NEW YORK TIMES" EVEN
THOUGH IT’S SLOWER TO GO AFTER
PEOPLE THAN "THE WASHINGTON
POST" WAS.
>> SOMEBODY FLIPPED A SWITCH AND
SAID YOU ARE NOW ALLOWED TO
CRITICIZE BIDEN IN A MEANINGFUL
WAY INSTEAD OF MOCKING THE
CRITICISM OF SOMEBODY ELSE LIKE
YOU ARE REPORTING.
IT’S LIKE A STONING.
IT HAS PICKED UP A PACE.
IT WILL BE FASCINATING TO SEE
WHO THREW THE FIRST STONE.
DAVID: WHILE THERE ARE ATTACKS
ON BIDEN, IT’S COMING FROM
PEOPLE WHO WOULD IMPLEMENT THE
SAME POLICIES THAT ARE EVEN
FURTHER TO THE LEFT THAN THE
ONES HE’S BEEN IMPLICATED.
>> YOU HAVE PROGRESSIVES ON THE
LEFT WHO ARE HORRIFIED THAT
THEIR AGENDA ISN’T MOVING
FORWARD, AND THEY ARE BLAMING
JOE BIDEN.
YOU FORGOT TO MENTION CNN. IT’S A NEWS ORGANIZATION THAT
IT’S A NEWS ORGANIZATION THAT
PRESUMABLY HAD TO TWEAK THEIR
MODEL.
WE JUST HAD POLLING COME OUT
THAT SHOWED THE TRUST IN MEDIA
IN BROADCAST AND NEWSPAPERS IS
AT AN ALL-TIME LOW.
I DON’T THINK ANYONE FEELS
TERRIFIC THAT AMERICANS CAN’T
TRUST THEIR NEWS NEWS SOURCES.
IT’S NOT GREAT FOR OUR COUNTRY.