In yet another chapter of Elon Musk’s conquest to own Twitter, the billionaire cryptically teased X.com—a potential new social media platform—in a response to a tweet asking what his plans were if his deal to purchase Twitter doesn’t go through.
Another day, another Elon headline. The billionaire tech tycoon is in the midst of a heated battle to purchase the popular social media website Twitter. However, Musk appears to be signaling his pursuit of creating his own social media platform in a dramatic response to the Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley on Twitter. When the group asked Musk on Twitter if he plans on creating his own social media platform assuming his deal to purchase Twitter doesn’t go through, Musk succinctly replied with a website domain: X.com.
Yahoo Finance says that Musk purchased X.com in 2017 from PayPal, of which he is a former CEO. Musk actually co-founded X.com back in 1999 as an online bank, before the website was merged with a competitor in 2000. Musk then bought X.com back 17 years later, explaining on Twitter that the domain had “great sentimental value” and that the best use of the domain would be as an umbrella website that would lead users to Musk’s other ventures like Tesla and SpaceX.
This teaser that X.com might soon be used as a potential rival to Twitter, also comes after Musk decided to sell $6.9 Billion in Tesla stock, despite saying he wouldn’t sell more. Onlookers suggest the move is in preparation of being forced to make good on his $44 billion offer to buy Twitter.
TL;DR: he’s preparing to either create his own social media site and/or follow through with his original mission to buy Twitter.
This whole debacle started earlier this year, with Twitter and Musk entering serious discussions in April to purchase the website. However, Musk announced a few weeks later that the deal was on hold, citing his interest in figuring out what percentage of the Twitter population was actually bots, before axing the deal in July—a move that has since landed Musk in some hot water.
Like most stories involving Mr. Musk, this one is likely developing.