Elon Musk, the
maverick billionaire, tweeted Tuesday that he would reduce the salaries of
Twitter board members to zero, if his bid to buy the company succeeds. This is
in response to the board’s reluctance to accept his $43 billion offer and
taking a poison pill to ward off a hostile takeover. Musk, who owns 9.1% stake
in the company, wants to buy 100%.

The Tesla and
SpaceX CEO calls himself a “free speech absolutist”. One of the most followed
people on Twitter with nearly 80 million followers, Musk has been critical of Twitter
board’s policies. Now, with him seeking to buy the company and the board
seeming defensive, Musk has gone on an all-out attack.

Also Read | Why Elon Musk wants to buy Twitter: Explained

On Thursday, Musk
asked his Twitter followers if “taking Twitter private at $54.20 should be up
to shareholders and not the board.” After Twitter’s poison pill approach led to
the company preventing any attempt by shareholders to amass a stake of more
than 15%.

The move has Musk
miffed. The billionaire has several product ideas for Twitter such as
eliminating ads and introducing an edit button. He has even suggested if
Twitter’s headquarters should be turned into a homeless shelter.

Also Read | Why is Twitter swallowing a poison pill? To stop getting eaten up by Musk

Meanwhile, Twitter’s
board on Monday, filing before the US Securities and Exchanges Commission, said
the shareholder rights agreement would impose a “significant penalty” on any
person or group of investors who acquire 15% or more of the company’s shares
without board approval, Associated Press reported.  

Also Read | What is Twitter doing to stop Elon Musk’s takeover bid: Explained

From what experts
have gleaned of Musk’s vision for Twitter if he gets to acquire the platform,
the billionaire seeks to move the social media giant from an advertising-based
model to a subscription-based system. Without the worry to bring in and retain
advertisers, Twitter will turn into a freewheeling opinion platform for paying
subscribers.

However, one of
the concerns experts have with regard to Twitter being acquired by Musk is that
the social media giant’s ability to influence public opinion may have an
overwhelming impact on sensitive industries such as automobile and aviation.