Musk filed more paperwork in his bid to terminate the deal, this time based on information in a whistleblower complaint filed by Twitter’s former head of security.
Twitter fired back by saying Musk's attempt to back out is “invalid and wrongful.”
In a filing with the
Twitter has sued Musk, asking the
In a letter to
Zatko, who served as Twitter’s head of security until he was fired early this year, alleged in his complaint to
The Musk letter, addressed to Twitter's Chief Legal Officer
Billionaire Musk has spent months alleging that the company he agreed to acquire undercounted its fake and spam accounts, which means he doesn’t have to go through with the deal.
In a separate
Zatko received a subpoena Saturday from Musk’s team compelling him to testify in what Zatko’s lawyers emphasized would be an “involuntary” deposition ahead of the coming courtroom battle between Twitter and Musk.
“He did not make his whistleblower disclosures to the appropriate governmental bodies to benefit Musk or to harm Twitter, but rather to protect the American public and Twitter shareholders,” Zatko's lawyers wrote in a prepared statement.
Twitter is likely to amend its lawsuit to include Zatko's allegations, so the court can decide on both the bot and cybersecurity issues. That could delay the trial because Musk will say he needs more time to prepare, said
The court will have to decide whether the bot or cybersecurity issues are a “material adverse effect” that will harm Twitter's business for years — a difficult legal bar to clear, Quinn said.
The bot issue, which Twitter disclosed in filings with the
“This is more grist for the mill,” Quinn said. “It's not as obvious for the most part that this is a winner for Twitter. But once you start to analyze these closely, it's still an uphill battle for Musk.”
Associated Press Writer
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