April 4, 2022
Elon Musk reveals he is Twitter’s largest shareholder, with a 9% stake in the company, in a securities filing.
That same day, Twitter agrees to appoint Musk to its board of directors, in a letter signed by Musk and Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal.
April 5, 2022
“[Musk is] both a passionate believer and intense critic of the service which is exactly what we need on @Twitter, and in the boardroom, to make us stronger in the long-term,” Agrawal tweeted on April 5.
April 9, 2022
“I believe this is for the best,” Agrawal later wrote in an announcement. “We have and will always value input from our shareholders whether they are on our Board or not.”
April 13, 2022
Musk makes a bid to buy Twitter at $54.20 per share, stoking fears among employees of a hostile takeover and a “hostage” situation. “This is my best and final offer,” wrote Musk in a letter to board Chair Bret Taylor.
April 25, 2022
Twitter agrees to Musk’s offer, which adds up to about $44 billion.
May 8, 2022
Musk texts a banker at Morgan Stanley, his chief financial adviser on the deal, with concerns over pushing it through in a shaky geopolitical climate.
“Let’s slow down just a few days. Putin’s speech tomorrow is really important,” Musk said in the texts, referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “It won’t make sense to buy Twitter if we’re heading into World War 3.”
Bill Savitt, a lawyer for Twitter, read aloud the messages during a court hearing in September.
May 13, 2022
Musk tweets that the deal is “temporarily on hold” while he requests more details about fake or spam accounts that he says could alter the platform’s value. He makes no reference to geopolitics.
“Still committed to acquisition,” he adds in a reply.
May 16, 2022
Agrawal tweets a detailed rebuttal to Musk’s concerns over spam accounts.
In response, Musk tweets a poop emoji.
July 8, 2022
Musk officially wants out. In a letter to the company, Musk accuses Twitter of making "false and misleading representations” about the prevalence of bots on its site, which he cites as grounds to kill the contract.
July 12, 2022
Twitter sues Musk to force him to go through with the purchase. The billionaire has acted in bad faith, it says, alleging that he used bots as a pretext to get out of a deal that has become more costly as tech stocks have declined.
"Musk refuses to honor his obligations to Twitter and its stockholders because the deal he signed no longer serves his personal interests," Twitter’s legal team alleges.
July 29, 2022
Musk sues Twitter. He holds that Twitter misled him over fake accounts and accuses the social media company of fraud.
August 23, 2022
The Washington Post reports Twitter’s former security chief has filed a whistleblower complaint alleging widespread problems that put Twitter users’ information and company data at risk. Twitter pushes back, saying Peiter “Mudge” Zatko is a disgruntled former employee with outdated and inaccurate allegations.
September 9, 2022
Musk amends his countersuit to include Zatko’s claims.
September 13, 2022
Twitter shareholders approve Musk’s $44 billion bid.
October 3, 2022
As the original trial date nears, Musk says he’ll buy Twitter after all — if Twitter drops its lawsuit. The court postpones the trial, giving Musk until Oct. 28 to complete the deal.
October 26, 2022
Musk changes his Twitter bio to “Chief Twit.” He tweets a video of himself carrying a sink into the company’s San Francisco headquarters. “Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in!” he writes.
October 27, 2022
Elon Musk completes his $44 billion purchase of Twitter.