Just a week after hinting he might build his own social media platform, Elon Musk has taken a 9.2% stake in Twitter making him the social media platform’s biggest shareholder. Shares of Twitter surged about 26% in premarket trading immediately after the news. The stake, which was revealed Monday in a regulatory filing, is worth about $2.89 billion based on Friday’s market close. On March 26, Musk hinted at launching his own social media platform due to Twitter’s failure to promote free speech. Then in a follow-up tweet, Elon Musk told his 79 million Twitter followers that he’s giving “serious thought” to the idea of creating his own social media platform. The revelation came after Musk’s friend Pranay Pathole asked in a tweet if Musk would consider building a new social media platform. Musk, 50, polled his more than 80 million followers on Twitter last month, asking them whether the company adheres to the principles of free speech. After more than 70% said no, he asked whether a new platform was needed and said he was giving serious thought to starting his own.
