Twitter has reportedly subpoenaed venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya and multiple members of Elon Musk’s social circle in the ongoing $44 billion legal battle over his revoked buyout offer for the social media company. One target of Twitter’s subpoena barrage labeled the effort “a giant harassing fishing expedition.”
Business Insider reports that Twitter has issued a number of subpoenas to some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley as part of its legal battle with Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Twitter sent legal requests to billionaire investors Chamath Palihapitiya and Marc Andreessen on Monday, according to documents obtained by the Washington Post.
Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal (Google Cloud/YouTube)
The publication noted that Twitter also subpoenaed David Sacks, one of the entrepreneurs that helped Musk found PayPal, and SpaceX, along with Tesla board member Stephen Jurvetson, and investors Jason Calacanis, Keith Rabois, and Joe Lonsdale.
The legal requests may require the men to testify in court as part of the five-day trial set for October. None of those involved responded to requests for comment from Business Insider.
Lonsdale took to Twitter to call the legal requests a “giant harassing fishing expedition” by Twitter.
lol, lawyers w/ TWTR are sending subpoenas to friends in the ecosystem around @elonmusk and @pmarca and @DavidSacks et al, a giant harassing fishing expedition.
I have nothing to do with this aside from a few snarky comments, but got a "YOU ARE HEREBY COMMANDED" document notice.
— Joe Lonsdale (@JTLonsdale) August 1, 2022
Sacks also made his feeling about the subpoena very obvious by referencing a Mad Magazine cover:
The news that I am being subpoenaed by Twitter’s lawyers reminded me of this issue of Mad Magazine, I don’t know why. https://t.co/LbrDnRAL6B pic.twitter.com/kznsrxFOxf
— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) August 2, 2022
Twitter is reportedly requesting information from Musk’s social circle related to communications between Musk and his friends concerning bots or spam. The legal request also includes any information related to Musk’s appearance at the All-In-Summit in May which he attended with Palihapitiya, Sacks, and Calacanis.
At the event, Musk appeared to backtrack on his plans to purchase Twitter, weeks before he officially ended the $44 billion deal in July.
The case is being tried in Delaware. Last month, Twitter won its first battle against Musk when Chancery Court judge Kathaleen St. J. McCormick agreed to an expedited trial rather than delaying the proceedings as Musk requested. Twitter is suing Musk to compel him to buy the company for the previously agreed price of $44 billion.
Read more at Business Insider here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan
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