- Elon Musk modified his Twitter name to “Mr. Tweet” after an attorney by accident named him incorrectly during a Tesla shareholder trial.
- The attorney, Nicholas Porritt, said it was a “Freudian slip,” but Musk joked it was a fitting name.
- The trial is the results of a class-action shareholder lawsuit that alleges Musk committed securities fraud via tweet in 2018.
Elon Musk can have found himself with a brand new nickname – by mistake.
The billionaire recently modified his name on Twitter to “Mr. Tweet” after an attorney representing a bunch of shareholders suing Musk by accident called him the name during a tense moment within the trial on Monday.
The attorney, Nicholas Porritt, called the gaffe a “Freudian slip,” but Musk joked it was “probably an accurate description.”
Musk, who’s the CEO and owner of Twitter as of late last 12 months, has never shied away from using the platform.
In reality, the interaction between Porritt and Musk got here during a trial brought by Tesla shareholders who’ve accused Musk of committing securities fraud via tweet. Specifically, the shareholders accuse Musk of illegally manipulating Tesla’s stock price when he sent a 2018 tweet saying he was considering taking Tesla private at $420 per share with “funding secured.”
Musk defended the tweet in court, maintaining that he “desired to be sure that shareholders would know what my intent was.” Musk also said that he believed the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund would “unequivocally” help support his plan to take the corporate private.
The deal never happened, and through his testimony, Musk accused the fund of “backpedaling” after the tweet was sent.
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