Elon Musk asks for delay of Twitter trial after whistleblower claims
Elon Musk has accused Twitter of misrepresenting the number of fake accounts on the platform after it accepted his $44 billion purchase offer in April
Here's how Twitter whistleblower complaint could shakeup Musk merger deal
Binary Defense Co-Founder Dave Kennedy joined 'Kennedy' to discuss how Twitter whistleblower Peiter Zatko's disclosures could change the merger deal between Elon Musk and the company.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk asked a court to delay his trial with Twitter concerning his acquisition of the social media company until November following claims by a whistleblower who said the company made false claims about the strength of its security.
On Tuesday, Musk filed a motion to amend a complaint in a sealed filing, Reuters reported.
The filing came a week after Peiter Zatko, Twitter's former head of security, said the company has "extreme, egregious deficiencies" related to cybersecurity issues that put the platform's users and national security at risk and that the company showed "negligence and even complicity" concerning efforts by foreign governments to "infiltrate, control, exploit, surveil and/or censor the company’s platform, staff, and operations."
The claim could complicate Musk's legal case against Twitter. He has accused the platform of misrepresenting the number of spam and fake accounts after it accepted his $44 billion acquisition offer earlier this year.
Elon Musk's Twitter profile displayed on a computer screen and Twitter logo displayed on a phone screen. On Tuesday, he filed a motion to delay his train against Twitter until November. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Twitter maintains that spam and fake accounts make up less than 5% of its users.
Musk notified Twitter in July that he would terminate the deal due to the dispute over spam and fake accounts and issued a separate termination notice on Monday, citing the allegations from Zatko's 84-page complaint.
Musk and Twitter's legal battle is slated to begin in Delaware Court of Chancery on Oct. 17. Zatko has been subpoenaed by Musk's legal team to testify in a deposition.
Twitter is asking a judge to compel Musk to close the deal for $54.20 per share while he seeks to avoid a $1 billion fine to walk away from the purchase, Reuters reported.
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In addition, Zatko will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 13 — the same day that Twitter will hold a special meeting with shareholders to vote on the deal.
Fox Business' Lucas Manfredi contributed to this report.