Twitter board agrees to $44 billion sale to billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk

[bilateralrope]

Tweet saying Twitter have been evicted from their Singapore office

Casey Newton
@CaseyNewton
I'm told Twitter employees were just walked out of its Singapore office — its Asia-Pacific headquarters — over nonpayment of rent. Landlords walked employees out of the building
11:35 AM · Jan 12, 2023

I wonder how long it will take to realize that he still has to pay those employees even if he's made it impossible for them to do any work.

[The_Saint]

Tweet saying Twitter have been evicted from their Singapore office

Casey Newton
@CaseyNewton
I'm told Twitter employees were just walked out of its Singapore office — its Asia-Pacific headquarters — over nonpayment of rent. Landlords walked employees out of the building
11:35 AM · Jan 12, 2023

I wonder how long it will take to realize that he still has to pay those employees even if he's made it impossible for them to do any work.

I could believe he would go for the no-work, no-pay option.

[bilateralrope]

I wonder if they can access Twitters internal messaging systems when they don't have access to the office.

Because if they can't, it's going to be fun notifying them that they have been fired. Even before thinking about what Singapore law says here, which I have no clue about.

[bilateralrope]

Third-party Twitter clients stopped working, and nobody’s sure why

Developers find their apps "suspended" or unresponsive, lack Twitter contacts.
KEVIN PURDY - 1/14/2023, 5:23 AM

Tweetbot, Twiterrific, Echofon, and other third-party Twitter clients have failed to work for many people since late Thursday night, and the social network has seemingly not notified the apps' developers as to why.

Paul Haddad, a co-creator of Tweetbot, posted on Mastodon at 11:10 pm ET Thursday in reply to a post from tech journalist Casey Newton that multiple third-party clients were failing, with "no communication as to if [it's] a bug or ..." Tweets from the official accounts of the Tweetbot and Twitteriffic clients on Thursday night confirmed their communication issues. The account for Echofon posted shortly after 8:30 am Friday that it was working to resolve its issues and that "Twitter has not yet replied."

Haddad told TechCrunch that the connection issues started at 10:30 pm on Thursday and noted that all API requests from his app were failing. A post on Twitter's developers forum shows numerous Twitter-based app developers noting that their apps have been listed as "suspended" or showing invalid authentication credentials.

Not all third-party clients appear to be broken at the moment. Ars staffers successfully refreshed data tools that pull in Twitter data, and we heard from a user of the Tweeten client that it is still functioning. TweetDeck, an alternative client owned by Twitter, appeared functional Friday morning. Third-party client Fenix for Android was listed as "suspended," according to developer Matteo Villa, but its iOS version was still functional.

Twitter's uneven history with third-party clients and the company's recent history of making unannounced changes with seemingly unexpected consequences has spurred discussion that this could be more of a sudden policy shift than an API glitch.

Twitter outright told developers to stop making client apps in early 2011, changed its API to severely restrict them in mid-2012, and then removed auto-refresh and push notifications in 2018. Heavy layoffs at the social media network have led many tech industry watchers to anticipate operational failures at the company as workers with knowledge of existing systems depart without replacement.

We could not reach Twitter for comment, as its public relations department reportedly no longer exists. The company had yet to comment on the API outage or related third-party client issues as of 11 am. Twitter owner Elon Musk tweeted at 9:06 am about changes to the bookmark button placement, image cropping, and "other minor bug fixes next week."

Bits of Twitter continue to break

[bobalot]

It's almost as if you sack most of your workforce that make sure things keep working, eventually those things stop working.

[bilateralrope]

Musk wins legal battle to force laid-off Twitter employees into arbitration

Only ex-employees who opted out of arbitration agreements can join class action.
ASHLEY BELANGER - 1/17/2023, 5:54 AM

The weekend delivered some disappointing news for laid-off Twitter employees who launched a class-action lawsuit in November against the social media platform immediately after CEO Elon Musk kicked off the first round of layoffs at the company. On Friday, a US district judge ruled that five plaintiffs who proposed the class action would instead have to enter individual arbitration to pursue their claims that Twitter violated employment laws.

This doesn’t mean the class-action lawsuit has completely fallen apart, though. US District Judge James Donato wrote in his order that while these five employees waived their right to sue by signing optional arbitration agreements under Twitter’s prior owner, three other plaintiffs later added to the lawsuit said they opted out. Those employees still have the right to pursue the proposed class action, which alleges sex and disability discrimination during layoffs and argues that Twitter still owes proper severance payments and lost wages.

“After Twitter filed its motion, plaintiffs amended their complaint to add three named plaintiffs who say that they opted out of Twitter’s arbitration agreement,” Donato wrote.

The five ex-employees dropped from the class-action suit had tried to argue that Twitter’s arbitration agreements were unreasonable, or in legal terms, “unconscionable.” But Donato wrote that the former employees failed to prove this claim, as “Twitter provided signed copies of the agreements, and they are all clear and straightforward.” The agreements specified that the question of their “enforceability and validity” could only be resolved by an arbitrator.

Twitter could not immediately be reached for comment.

Shannon Liss-Riordan, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs in individual arbitration and the ongoing class action, said last week in a press release that her firm had already filed 300 demands for arbitration on behalf of ex-Twitter employees.

Ars could not immediately reach Liss-Riordan for comment on what comes next in the class-action suit, but Donato wrote that the plaintiffs' complaint “will be taken up later as warranted by developments in the case.”

According to Liss-Riordan's press release, her firm has filed four class-action suits in total against Twitter and expects to continue filing many more arbitration demands—all of which, she says, could become costly for Twitter to defend against. Her firm has previously helped ex-employees recover millions through arbitration, and she’s not the only one fighting back after Twitter layoffs. Another lawyer, Lisa Bloom, is representing other former employees pursuing arbitration demands, and Reuters reported that Twitter also faces at least three complaints filed with the US labor board.

“Musk’s decision to fleece Twitter workers isn’t just shameful—it’s also going to be very costly,” Liss-Riordan said in her press release. “These claims will be extraordinarily expensive and time-consuming for Twitter to defend. Insisting that workers file claims one by one has backfired for many companies our firm has taken on. These companies think they can make employees just go away and not assert their rights by using arbitration clauses, but we have made them sorry about what they wished for.”

Sure, it's bullshit that a company can force people into arbitration over issues where the company had broken the law, making it harder for people who have been wronged to do anything about it. Making it easier for the company to break the law without any significant consequence.

Though that has backfired on Twitter here. I want to see forced arbitration backfire on more companies like this in the future.

[bilateralrope]

Taliban start buying blue ticks on Twitter

16 hours ago

By Abdirahim Saeed
BBC Monitoring

The Taliban have started using Twitter's paid-for verification feature, meaning some now have blue ticks on their accounts.

Previously, the blue tick indicated "active, notable, and authentic accounts of public interest" verified by Twitter, and could not be purchased.

But now, users can buy them through the new Twitter Blue service.

At least two Taliban officials and four prominent supporters in Afghanistan are currently using the checkmarks.

Hedayatullah Hedayat, the head of the Taliban's department for "access to information", now has the tick.

His account has 187,000 followers and he regularly posts information related to the Taliban administration. He had his paid-for blue tick removed last month, according to local media, but it has now returned.

Abdul Haq Hammad, head of the media watchdog at the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture, also has a blue tick on his account that has 170,000 followers.

Prominent Taliban supporters have acquired the blue tick too.

Muhammad Jalal, who previously identified as a Taliban official, praised the new owner of Twitter on Monday, declaring that Elon Musk was "making Twitter great again".

The presence of the hard-line Islamists on Twitter has been a topic of controversy for some time.

In October 2021, former US President Donald Trump - who was suspended from the platform after his supporters stormed the US Capitol - said: "We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favorite American President has been silenced.

"This is unacceptable."

The Twitter Blue service was introduced in December.

It costs $8 per month, and an increased fee of $11 is paid by those using the Twitter app on Apple devices.

Subscribers to Twitter Blue benefit from "priority ranking in search, mentions, and replies" to help fight spam and bots, according to the platform.

Before the introduction of Twitter Blue, none of the observed accounts for Taliban officials carried the blue tick mark - that was then used to indicate the identities of users verified by Twitter.

After their return to power in Kabul in August 2021, the group took over verified accounts run by the previous administration, including the Afghanistan Cricket Board. The sporting body's account now carries a gold tick.

Under Twitter's new policies, gold checkmarks indicate businesses, while grey ones are for other users, such as governing authorities.

Taliban officials and supporters are prolific users of Twitter, using the platform to disseminate key messages.

Twitter did not respond to a request for comment.

What does current US law say about doing business with the Taliban ?

Because Twitter is currently taking their money.

[Straha]

Two good videos on Elon Musk and twitter:

[Highlord Laan]

Tweet saying Twitter have been evicted from their Singapore office

Casey Newton
@CaseyNewton
I'm told Twitter employees were just walked out of its Singapore office — its Asia-Pacific headquarters — over nonpayment of rent. Landlords walked employees out of the building
11:35 AM · Jan 12, 2023

I wonder how long it will take to realize that he still has to pay those employees even if he's made it impossible for them to do any work.

He won't, and muskrat is rich enough to make sure the courts say it's okay.

[bilateralrope]

Tweet saying Twitter have been evicted from their Singapore office

Casey Newton
@CaseyNewton
I'm told Twitter employees were just walked out of its Singapore office — its Asia-Pacific headquarters — over nonpayment of rent. Landlords walked employees out of the building
11:35 AM · Jan 12, 2023

I wonder how long it will take to realize that he still has to pay those employees even if he's made it impossible for them to do any work.

He won't, and muskrat is rich enough to make sure the courts say it's okay.

Is Singapore that bad when it comes to wage theft ?

[ray245]

Tweet saying Twitter have been evicted from their Singapore office



I wonder how long it will take to realize that he still has to pay those employees even if he's made it impossible for them to do any work.

He won't, and muskrat is rich enough to make sure the courts say it's okay.

Is Singapore that bad when it comes to wage theft ?

Singapore favours MNCs a lot, but at the same time it's also extremely strict in regards to rule of law.

[bobalot]

I have thought Musk was a union busting, false pedo-accusing, credit stealing pseudo-intellectual piece of shit for a long time.

I'm glad this view is now becoming mainstream and Musk is being exposed for the grifting dork that he is.

[Straha]

Twitter is being sued by the expert witnesses Twitter hired to compel Musk to buy Twitter. Hilarious!

Twitter Inc. was sued by a consulting firm that claims it’s owed around $2 million for work relating to its lawsuit to force Elon Musk to complete his buyout of the social-media platform.

Charles River Associates sued Twitter on Thursday in state court in Boston. The firm said it was hired in August to provide expert economic testimony to rebut the witness Musk was expected to put on the stand. But Musk reversed himself in October and agreed to move ahead with his $44 billion acquisition.

Since taking over Twitter, the billionaire has been slashing costs. He’s fired half the staff and held back rent on the company’s San Francisco headquarters and other offices around the world. Those measures come as Musk is facing his first payment on the $12.5 billion in debt he took on to acquire Twitter.

Where the invoices from a firm hired by Twitter’s former management to oppose him in court rank in terms of Musk’s financial priorities isn’t clear. Twitter was also sued in December for failing to pay private-jet bills for flights taken by former executives before Musk closed his acquisition.

A message sent to Twitter’s press email wasn’t immediately returned.

The suit also comes as Musk is facing a securities fraud trial over his August 2018 tweet in which he said he had secured funding to take Tesla Inc. private — a group of shareholders claims his announcement rattled markets and led to investors losing millions of dollars. He is expected to take the witness stand during the trial.

The case is Twitter Inc. v. CRA International Inc., 23-142A, Suffolk County Superior Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

[bilateralrope]

Twitter is being sued by the expert witnesses Twitter hired to compel Musk to buy Twitter. Hilarious!

Those expert witnesses knew that, if Twitter was successful in the lawsuit, they would have to get their money from Musk. Someone currently being sued for not following through with contracts he had agreed to. I'm thinking they put some terms in their contract that make sure it's worthwhile for them to go through the courts to get the money they were owed. Terms that Twitter's management at the time had no reason to object to.

[bilateralrope]

Some updates on Twitter not paying rent:

They are being sued for not paying rent for the Seattle, SF offices and London offices. Guess who owns the London building.

Twitter sued by Crown Estate over alleged unpaid rent at UK HQ

8 hours ago
By Andre Rhoden-Paul
BBC News

Twitter is being sued by the Crown Estate over alleged unpaid rent for their London headquarters.

The Estate - which oversees a property portfolio belonging to the King - filed a claim against Twitter in the High Court in London last week, according to Reuters news agency.

The alleged arrears relate to office space near Piccadilly Circus in central London, the BBC has been told.

The social media giant has not responded to requests for comment.

It comes after Elon Musk, the world's second richest man, paid $44bn (£36bn) to take control of Twitter in October last year before slashing more than half of the firm's global workforce of around 7,000.

The Crown Estate took legal action after previously contacting Twitter about rental arrears over office space at Air Street.

The Estate is one of the UK's largest landowners and an independent commercial business, generating profit for the Treasury for public spending. The monarch is then given 15% of the annual surplus of the estate, known as the Sovereign Grant, to support official duties

It owns 10 million sq ft of property in London's West End, as well as the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland among other properties.

Mr Musk, who also owns Tesla and Space X, said Twitter now employs 2,300 people.

Yeah, that's not going to go well for Musk in UK courts.

[LadyTevar]

The Crown Estates are suing Twitter over unpaid rent.

Woooooooow. That's a very deep hole to fall into.

[Zaune]

Indeed. They're not officially supposed to get the Foreign Office involved on their behalf, although I wouldn't put it past the current administration to do so regardless, but one thing's for certain: Musk's just incurred the ire of one of the very few institutions who can afford more expensive lawyers than himself.

[Straha]

This aspect of the story really isn't that unusual.

Companies after leveraged buyouts (and this is, in its own weird way, a leveraged buyout) need to cut costs in regards to revenue streams as much as they can, and fixed payments like rent, salary, etc. are often the easiest targets. It's also a very easy story to make legally (although the goal is never to have to defend it beyond the first couple of rounds of legal filings, more below):

"The previous owners were taken in by these ludicrous scam artists who have sold them the rental equivalent of a pile of beans. New management came in, was not dazzled by whatever glamor these charlatans had put on the place originally, and we are not going to pay for this."

And in one, very real, sense this is not wrong. Whatever one can say about previous management at Twitter it doesn't seem to have been doing a particularly good job of things andit was certainly checked the hell out on a lot of the day-to-day.

Now the goal here is not to actually stop all payments, nor necessarily to break the lease(s). It is to try and get a haircut on the rates and payments owed to the landlords and other creditors, and to free up short term capital that might be necessary during the initial moments of the new takeover. The landlords, to focus on just one group, can't cut services, not only is that absolutely not allowed in most places under the law but it also then justifies the company's excuse of "Look, insufficient services means I should pay less." They have to keep running everything and taking all the calls while taking in no money, and that's expensive. Now, in theory, they could sue to force payment or evict, but that's going to take time (years, even!) and require paying lawyers a lot of money (especially when filing against Twitter and Musk) which is a pain in the ass when Twitter isn't paying your rent.

So the pitch is to say "Look, you could sue us, and you might win, and we might have to pay you backrent and damages, and then you might come out whole. But, look, that's a lot of money that you don't get now and with your operational expenses, including that new 'Lawyers' line item... do you really want to wait that long? How about you retroactively cut our rent by 10% and we'll cut you a check before you leave the office for the money owed and the next few months."

With the backup plan being that Musk and Twitter cut a deal to pay backrent and no more in a few more months when they suddenly have a lot of money freed up because they're no longer paying salaries/severance to a bunch of laidoff programmers, cooks, and janitorial staff, which will be a lot easier for the books to handle.

Now, obviously, because this is a game of legal chicken the other side (the landlords) have to double down and hold firm, or try to negotiate some other deal ("You want a haircut? Fine. Pay what you owe up to next month, and we'll terminate the rent penalty free. See ya.") But this isn't all that unusual in the abstract.

What is unusual is A. Musk doing this at all when, theoretically, he's the world's richest man and could take his time on this and B. doing this so very very publicly. And, I suppose, C. the fact that any twitter news story is going to be front and center of every news publication for the next year post merger which means it causes a lot more pearl clutching.

[bilateralrope]

"The previous owners were taken in by these ludicrous scam artists who have sold them the rental equivalent of a pile of beans. New management came in, was not dazzled by whatever glamor these charlatans had put on the place originally, and we are not going to pay for this."

That's going to be an entertaining argument for Musk to try in court about the expert witnesses. After all, their case was so good that he gave in just before the start of the trial.

Though that will probably still create sufficient delay.

[Straha]

"The previous owners were taken in by these ludicrous scam artists who have sold them the rental equivalent of a pile of beans. New management came in, was not dazzled by whatever glamor these charlatans had put on the place originally, and we are not going to pay for this."

That's going to be an entertaining argument for Musk to try in court about the expert witnesses. After all, their case was so good that he gave in just before the start of the trial.

Though that will probably still create sufficient delay.

Oh, this doesn't apply to those folks.

Those folks absolutely knew that something like this could happen and priced it into the contract. Which just adds to the hilarity.

[Ralin]

"The previous owners were taken in by these ludicrous scam artists who have sold them the rental equivalent of a pile of beans. New management came in, was not dazzled by whatever glamor these charlatans had put on the place originally, and we are not going to pay for this."

That's going to be an entertaining argument for Musk to try in court about the expert witnesses. After all, their case was so good that he gave in just before the start of the trial.

Though that will probably still create sufficient delay.

Oh, this doesn't apply to those folks.

Those folks absolutely knew that something like this could happen and priced it into the contract. Which just adds to the hilarity.

Seems like the real big brain move would have been adding a clause that Twitter had to pay their legal fees if the company was sold and didn't follow through on payment.

[Straha]

Almost certainly in there, or some version of that. Which, again, hilarious.

[bilateralrope]

Seems like the real big brain move would have been adding a clause that Twitter had to pay their legal fees if the company was sold and didn't follow through on payment.

No need to make it conditional on Twitter being sold.

They probably have a "if you don't pay us, you incur these penalties" clause in every contract. If a potential client argues about it, that's a clear sign they aren't intending to pay.

[Straha]

Twitter made its first debt payments, btw. So it's still a going concern! At least for a while.

[Darth Yan]

Musk is basically like Spoiler

Miles Bron

from Glass Onion. He puts on airs of being smart when really he's kind of an idiot who relies on others to do his thing. Musk is certainly good at fooling people into thinking he's smart, but when actually put in difficult situations it kinda shows.