Billionaire Elon Musk continues to push the issue of bots on Twitter, dropping a poop emoji on the company’s CEO Parag Agrawal in response to a long thread by an embattled executive suggesting that an external review in order to determine the percentage of fake accounts on the platform likely could not be done.
The question about the number of fake accounts has thrown a monkey wrench into the sale to the Tesla/SpaceX CEO who purchased the company last month and on Friday, announced that the transaction was “temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of users,” a number that many including former President Donald J. Trump believe is on the low side.
“To find out, my team will do a random sample of 100 followers of @twitter,” he wrote, I invite others to repeat the same process and see what they discover …”
To find out, my team will do a random sample of 100 followers of @twitter.
I invite others to repeat the same process and see what they discover …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 14, 2022
Musk sought to tamp down concerns, also tweeting that he is “Still committed to acquisition.” But his tweet of the 5 percent number resulted in a rebuke from Twitter’s legal department, saying that he had violated this non-disclosure agreement, a spat that spooked the markets, sending Twitter stock plummeting.
Twitter legal just called to complain that I violated their NDA by revealing the bot check sample size is 100!
This actually happened.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 14, 2022
On Monday, Agrawal took to the platform, tweeting “Let’s talk about spam. And let’s do so with the benefit of data, facts, and context…”
Let’s talk about spam. And let’s do so with the benefit of data, facts, and context…
— Parag Agrawal (@paraga) May 16, 2022
After around a dozen tweets filled with excuses, numbers and technical jargon, Agrawal got to the point.
“Unfortunately, we don’t believe that this specific estimation can be performed externally, given the critical need to use both public and private information (which we can’t share). Externally, it’s not even possible to know which accounts are counted as mDAUs on any given day,” he wrote.
Unfortunately, we don’t believe that this specific estimation can be performed externally, given the critical need to use both public and private information (which we can’t share). Externally, it’s not even possible to know which accounts are counted as mDAUs on any given day.
— Parag Agrawal (@paraga) May 16, 2022
Clearly not impressed with the explanation, Musk shot back.
💩
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 16, 2022
In another tweet, Musk added, “So how do advertisers know what they’re getting for their money? This is fundamental to the financial health of Twitter.”
So how do advertisers know what they’re getting for their money? This is fundamental to the financial health of Twitter.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 16, 2022
Twitter shares closed at 37.44 on Monday, as the question about the accuracy of the company’s numbers on bots, spam and fake accounts continued to send jitters throughout the investor community. Agrawal’s reluctance to allow an external analysis could cause further problems if not sink the deal entirely which is what Trump sees as a possibility.
“There is no way Elon Musk is going to buy Twitter at such a ridiculous price, especially since realizing it is a company largely based on BOTS or Spam Accounts,” Trump recently wrote on Truth Social. “Fake anyone? By the time you get rid of them, if that can even be done what do you have? Not much?”
“If it weren’t for the ridiculous Billion Dollar breakup fee, Elon would have already been long gone,” Trump added, referring to the massive financial loss that Musk would incur if he pulls out of the deal, while plugging his own platform.
(Image: Screenshot)
Early Tuesday morning, Musk upped the pressure on Agrawal, “20% fake/spam accounts, while 4 times what Twitter claims, could be *much* higher.”
“My offer was based on Twitter’s SEC filings being accurate,” he wrote. “Yesterday, Twitter’s CEO publicly refused to show proof of <5%.”
“This deal cannot move forward until he does.”
20% fake/spam accounts, while 4 times what Twitter claims, could be *much* higher.
My offer was based on Twitter’s SEC filings being accurate.
Yesterday, Twitter’s CEO publicly refused to show proof of <5%.
This deal cannot move forward until he does.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 17, 2022
Musk also appeared at the All-In Summit tech gathering where he “said that there is probably four to five times the number of bots compared to what Twitter said. The lowest estimate, he said, is that Twitter is 20% full of bots,” Axios reported on Monday, “saying without providing evidence that it ‘seems beyond unreasonable’ that Twitter’s number of human accounts is at over 95%.”
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Chris Donaldson is an ordinary American who is concerned about rampant corruption as well as the ongoing attacks on our way of life by those who have contempt for our hard-earned freedoms. A Navy veteran, he has been a frequent contributor to conservative websites and resides in Florida.
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