Twitter row: Elon Musk questions why SEC not probing microblogging site's data
PremiumThe moves comes after Musk challenged Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal to a public debate over the number of so-called bots on the platform.
Tesla founder Elon Musk has raised questions to the US Securities and Exchange Commission for not probing microblogging site Twitter over its account data.
The moves comes after Musk challenged Twitter Chief Executive Officer Parag Agrawal to a public debate over the number of so-called bots on the platform, reported Bloomberg on 6 August.
While responding to a thread initiated by another user, Musk said the deal to buy the company (Twitter) 'should proceed on original terms' if Twitter would provide their method for sampling accounts and confirm them to be genuine.
Currently, Twitter is suing Musk over the canceled $44 billion buyout. To which the Tesla founder argued that Twitter checks only 100 accounts a day when trying to calculate the number of spam bots on the service.
Musk has also accused Twitter of misrepresenting the size of its user base to distort its value and cited the issue of fake accounts as a main reason for abandoning his offer to buy the company.
To this, Twitter responded by saying that the idea that Musk – backed by a team of lawyers and financial advisers – was 'hoodwinked' into signing the purchase agreement was 'as implausible and contrary to fact as it sounds'.
Meanwhile, last week, Musk’s arguments for abandoning the deal were revealed in counterclaims filed under seal in a Delaware court. He is seeking the judge to declare Twitter in breach of contract.
Originally Musk agreed to pay $54.2 per Twitter share and since then the company’s stock has plunged along with other technology stocks.
With Bloomberg inputs.
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