(Observer Network News) On the 26th, American billionaire Elon Musk released a video of him walking into the Twitter headquarters holding the sink, with the text "You taste", which caused heated discussions on foreign social media. At the time, the court set a deadline for Musk to buy Twitter, and a number of US media believed that the move was a sign that the transaction was about to be completed.
But most foreign netizens are more concerned about the previous rumors that Musk will lay off 75% of his employees after joining Twitter, and various memes hint that he is going to "do it". However, according to the latest report from Bloomberg in the United States, Musk denied this rumor to Twitter employees on the 25th.
According to relevant data, the recent trading farce has demoralized Twitter, and nearly 530 employees have moved to other social media companies in three months.
According to CNN reported on the 26th, this Friday (28th) is the deadline for Musk to acquire Twitter by the Delaware Court of Chancery, and he must complete the $44 billion acquisition project before that, otherwise he will face trial in November.
At present, the transaction process has been deadlocked for several months, and Musk once tried to withdraw from the acquisition because Twitter "seriously violated a number of terms", but was sued by Twitter. Earlier this month, Musk finally agreed to move forward with the terms originally negotiated, and Twitter's stock price soared to a maximum of $53.18 per share, close to Musk's initial offer to buy Twitter for $54.20 per share.
It is worth noting that the results of the relevant transaction have not yet been settled, but Musk came to the Twitter headquarters in San Francisco with a sink on the 26th with a smile on his face.
He also shared a video of himself walking into the building on social media and played a meme with the sink, "Enter Twitter headquarters, you guys savor it!" (Let that sink in, sink means sink, a phrase that can be understood as a phrase that users think is surprising, interesting, or important about the information they just posted, and the conversation partner takes time to understand the meaning.) ）”
Within 6 hours, the video had been viewed more than 15 million times and retweeted nearly 40,000 times, and even former NBA superstar O'Neal came to join in the fun, "Looking forward to seeing you achieve results here." ”
At the same time, the profile of Musk's Twitter account homepage has been revised to "Twitter chief."
In this regard, many foreign netizens wondered, and hotly debated in the comment area what the meaning of this series of operations is. Some people think that this is actually a hint that he is about to join Twitter.
A number of US media also exposed an internal company notice in related reports, taking it as one of the evidence that the transaction is about to be completed. The notice was issued by Twitter Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Boland on the 25th, "Elon will meet you in the San Francisco office this week. For all, this is just the beginning of many talks and conversations with Elon, and you will hear him directly on Friday. ”
In addition to "self-declared that the transaction is about to be completed", most netizens can also think of the news that Musk will be laid off sharply after being exposed to the main Twitter. They have posted and played memes, suggesting that Musk is preparing to "do it".
Some netizens said that he was just a joke, and for fun, he gave the media a news headline by the way. But for the employees who are about to be laid off by him, it is not fun.
Some people put Musk P into the movie picture, satirizing the "fear" Musk is about to bring to Twitter. For example, Musk incarnated as Thanos in "The Avengers", and a snap of his fingers can make a group of employees "disappear".
There is also the classic bridge scene of psychopath Jack Torrance slashing the door with an axe in "The Shining", which has become a spoof picture of Musk smashing the door with a sink and Twitter employees panicking.
The Washington Post reported on the 20th that Musk told potential investors in the process of acquiring Twitter that he planned to lay off nearly 75% of the company and only retain more than 2,000 key employees of the company.
The media also quoted Twitter company documents and interviews with relevant people as saying that even if Musk's acquisition fails, Twitter's current management plans to cut about $800 million in salaries by the end of next year, which means that nearly a quarter of employees will be fired.
The British "Guardian" quoted data from consulting firm "Punks & Pinstripes" as saying that Twitter was "demoralized" after the news that Musk was preparing to lay off employees surfaced. About 530 employees have left the company in the past three months, a 60 percent increase from the previous quarter.
Business Insider pointed out that 30% of the people who left chose to move to Google and Meta, and the rest went to other Internet companies such as LinkedIn. Industry insiders say the uncertainty generated by the battle between Musk and Twitter is what drives many top talent to other social media platforms.
However, according to the latest report from Bloomberg, Musk told employees on the 25th that he would not lay off 75% of employees. However, the media analysis believes that with the current situation of Twitter, relatively small layoffs are still inevitable.
Bloomberg also said that lawyers and experts on both Musk and Twitter are currently rushing to finalize the relevant documents, and the company is expected to be owned by Musk before 5 p.m. local time on the 28th. Among them, a total of 7 banks will provide Musk with a total of $13 billion in debt financing.
The Associated Press pointed out that Musk has rarely disclosed his plans for revamping the Twitter platform before. While he has been advocating free speech and mocking spambots since his intention to buy the company in April, exactly what he wants to do with both remains a mystery.
On the financial front, though, he has said his goal is to increase Twitter's annual revenue to $26.4 billion by 2028 from $5 billion last year. In his plan, advertising revenue, which currently accounts for about 90 percent of Twitter's revenue, would fall to about 45 percent, while paid content would contribute about $10 billion a year.
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