Elon Musk says three ‘unresolved’ issues remain as Twitter board unanimously approves $44bn takeover

Tesla boss discussed deal at the Qatar Economic Forum

Elon Musk says that three ‘unresolved’ issues remain as the Twitter board unanimously approved his $44bn takeover of the social media platform.

The decision, announced in a regulatory filing on Tuesday morning, is the latest step towards Mr Musk’s $44bn sale being completed.

Mr Musk reiterated his desire to move forward with the acquisition last week during a virtual meeting with Twitter employees, though shares of Twitter remain far below his offering price, signalling considerable doubt that it will happen.

At the Qatar Economic Forum in an interview with Bloomberg, Mr Musk listed the approval of the deal by shareholders as one of several “unresolved matters” related to the Twitter deal.

The Tesla boss also pointed to the bot and fake accounts issue, as well as debt financing as reasons the deal has not yet been concluded.

Mr Musk, who is the world’s richest person, said that he would personally “drive the product and technology” of Twitter, but would not say if he would take the position of CEO if the deal goes through.

Shares of Twitter were essentially flat just before the opening bell on Tuesday and far short of the 54.20 dollars per share that Mr Musk has offered to pay for each.

The company’s stock last reached that level on 5 April when it offered Mr Musk a seat on the board before he had offered to buy all of Twitter.

In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday detailing a letter to investors, Twitter‘s board of directors said that it “unanimously recommends that you vote [for] the adoption of the merger agreement”.

If the deal were to close now, investors in the company would pocket a profit of 15.22 dollars for each share they own.

Additional reporting by Associated Press