Elon Musk, SpaceX and Tesla CEO, closed a deal to acquire Twitter for $44 billion and take the company private. A Twitter exchange from 2017, between Musk and a platform user, has gone viral, where Musk enquired the price of the social media company when asked to buy it. 

Dave Smith shared a screenshot of the conversation from five years back, saying it continues to haunt him. 

The conversation begins with the entrepreneur stating he loves Twitter, to which Smith replies that Musk should buy it. The billionaire then asks how much the company costs. 

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Musk also revisited the thread in the context of his recent buyout offer to Twitter and posted an upside-down smiley, reminding users of how his casual conversation is now coming true. 

However, the recent drive to privatize a formerly public company has raised some concerns. Musk has championed free speech and even suggested making the Twitter coding public, moves supported by ex-CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey. 

Some concerns remain, nonetheless, about the direction the future of the company will take under Musk. CEO Parag Agrawal voiced these issues while addressing Twitter employees about the takeover. Musk is slated to have a question-and-answer session with them to clear the air. 

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While Musk has created an image of a free speech absolutist, his company Tesla has been accused of making employees sign clauses at the time of departure, preventing them from speaking ill of the company. The electric vehicle company has also sued people in China for complaining about Tesla’s safety issues. 

The news of Musk’s Twitter purchase also led his rival, Henrik Fisker, CEO of Fisker Inc – an electric automobile company – to quit the social media giant. 

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Twitter had initially pushed back against Musk’s buyout offer, which came after the news of his stake became public and the billionaire turned down a position on the board of directors. However, the “poison pill” didn’t deter Musk’s tender offer, which brought the board back to the negotiating table, resulting in the sale of Twitter.