Elon Musk got a hot stream of free speech from the Twitterverse after telling Twitter he wanted to abort his $44 billion deal to buy the company.
The right-wing Twitter power user, through a letter sent Friday from his lawyers to the social network, officially claimed that he was nixing the pact reached in April because Twitter “appears to have made false and misleading representations,” including “dramatically understating the proportion of spam and false accounts.” Why the world’s wealthiest individual seemingly failed to conduct due diligence on this issue prior to clinching an acquisition agreement is unclear; Wall Street analysts have suggested Musk was in fact seeking a lower price tag given the stock market’s sharp year-to-date decline. Twitter said Friday it plans to go to court to force Musk to comply with the original terms of his offer.
Naturally, Twitter users had a field day with this latest development, gleefully posting memes, jokes and barbed critiques about Musk’s about-face.
“BREAKING: Elon Musk has announced he’s pulling out of his Twitter deal in order to spend more time with his ego,” cracked screenwriter Randi Mayem Singer (“Mrs. Doubtfire”).
Numerous Twitter commenters played off the recent report that Musk fathered twins with an exec at Neuralink, a neurotech company he co-founded. That brings the number of children he’s believed to have fathered to 10, including his second child with musician Grimes born in December 2021 a few short months after the birth of the twins.
“Elon Musk pulls out, for the first time ever,” quipped Jezebel editor-in-chief Laura Bassett (who gave credit for the joke to Erin Ryan of Crooked Media’s “Hysteria” podcast).
“Elon Musk looking at his child support bills, realizing he can’t afford a social media site anymore,” tweeted Mike Drucker, writer for “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.”
Here are some of the best reactions to Musk’s move to terminate the Twitter takeover:
Elon Musk after trying to pull out the Twitter deal: pic.twitter.com/l3J4vqXTyn
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 8, 2022
Gotta be awkward for the GOP now that Elon Musk is supporting them but apparently refuses to carry a deal to full term.
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️⚧️🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) July 8, 2022
Elon Musk pulls out, for the first time ever https://t.co/PeeChOoBdj
— Laura Bassett (@LEBassett) July 8, 2022
Let the @elonmusk CAN pull out jokes begin! pic.twitter.com/Knq1suBiSi
— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) July 8, 2022
Elon Musk pulled out of Twitter.
If Twitter gets pregnant will the Government finally regulate it?
— Alison Greene (@GrassrootsSpeak) July 9, 2022
Breaking! Sources say that Elon Musk will now acquire Truth Social and call it Qwitter.
— Captain Obvious (@TheFungi669) July 9, 2022
Liza Minnelli has outlived Elon Musk’s deal to buy Twitter. The mogul has terminated his acquisition of the company.
— LizaMinnelliOutlives (@LiZaOutlives) July 8, 2022
Elon Musk had Twitter on Layaway
He tried to finance Twitter through Rent-a-Center
He showed up at Twitter’s corporate office with a crown Royal bag fulla nickels talmbout “wait y’all don’t take EBT cards?”
“I don’t even wanna buy it now…”
— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) July 9, 2022
Elon Musk is no longer buying Twitter because he realized he can get it for free in the App Store
— greg (@greg16676935420) July 8, 2022
Elon Musk was as committed to running Twitter as he is to being a father https://t.co/c3Mcvm3UuV
— keffals (@keffals) July 8, 2022
If Elon Musk gives an interview about this in the coming days, I’m formally calling on protesters to play “Yakety Sax” in the background
— Casey Newton (@CaseyNewton) July 8, 2022
BREAKING: Elon Musk has announced he’s pulling out of his Twitter deal in order to spend more time with his ego.
— Randi Mayem Singer (@rmayemsinger) July 8, 2022
I can’t believe Elon Musk failed to deliver on a giant promise. Absolutely stunned by this development that has happened literally every time he’s promised something https://t.co/delDMWd6I7
— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) July 8, 2022
Elon Musk cancels deal, accusing #Twitter of being full of bots. A Twitter spokesperson responded in a statement, saying “Beep boop bop!” before failing to correctly identify all of the traffic lights in an image.
— Pete Wilcock (@WilcockPete) July 9, 2022
The people who believed Elon Musk was gonna buy Twitter are the same people still waiting on Trump’s healthcare plan.
— 𝐁𝐞𝐤𝐬 (@antifaoperative) July 8, 2022
Twitter after Elon Musk decided not to buy it pic.twitter.com/YcvbyWVByI
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) July 8, 2022
Elon Musk when Twitter asked for their money: pic.twitter.com/Cig8l2NzN7
— David C, PA-C (@davecoolatta) July 9, 2022
Elon Musk’s bid to buy Twitter: pic.twitter.com/d8sP8GDWms
— 𝐕𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐬✨ (@velodus) July 8, 2022
Elon Musk has learned his lesson.
by Susan Collins
— New York Times Pitchbot (@DougJBalloon) July 8, 2022
NO DEAL pic.twitter.com/89aY3E5bvX
— beeple (@beeple) July 9, 2022
Pictured above: Elon Musk attends the 2022 Met Gala in New York City on May 2
From Variety US
