anyone who actually think he was forced to pay 43bn when he could have paid 1bn. (even 2bn) are just not thinking correctly.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/8/23201004/twitter-to-sue-el...
Meanwhile, Musk was getting absolutely savaged in the Delaware chancery court and they were just in discovery. He was going to lose and that would be more embarrassing (somehow) than this outcome.
All because he went off half cocked and didn’t write bog standard contingencies into his offer.
He’s come off looking like an absolute simpleton in this and that’s the better outcome for him than if the court case had proceeded.
There was a provision that Musk would be on the hook for $1B if a third party (e.g. regulators) blew up the deal in a couple enumerated ways. No such option was available to Musk himself.
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2022/05/13/elon-musk-cant-just-walk...
It is embedded on this link https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/8/23201004/twitter-to-sue-el...
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000119312522...
“Pay $2B and out” was not a choice available to him.
Twitter’s management, acting in the best interest of their shareholders, used the court to force him to hold to the contract when he tried to walk. Musk decided to buy the company for the agreed on price rather than have that imposed on him by court order after (more) embarrassing discovery.
Seeing Musk as a business genius in this deal requires ignoring nearly every event in the saga.