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For me and my former colleagues, Elon Musk’s unsolicited offer to buy Twitter Inc. is a triggering event. In 2019, I was working as the digital editor of the weekly science magazine New Scientist in London when Musk tweeted idly about how much it would cost to buy it.
Barbarians at the gate? Try billionaire in the DMs.
Occasional exchanges with @ElonMusk were nothing new to me or my staff. One employee used to direct-message him every few months, asking for an interview and secretly promoting my colleague’s book. Musk has occasionally commented, declaring, “New Scientist is my favourite publication.” We had no idea that this romance would lead to a takeover bid for our science magazine on Twitter one spring day in 2019.
Musk inquired about the cost of purchasing ‘New Scientist’ altogether after grumbling about the publication’s paywall. Ultimately, no agreement was struck, though the company was later sold to the Daily Mail Group for approximately 70 million pounds ($92 million). However, Musk’s offer pushed management into a frenzy over how to respond.
Here’s what my team discovered as a result of the experience:
1. Conduct an audit of your Twitter followers.
Musk is following your account, which is an early warning indication of an eventual buyout offer. Is he @-ing you with mysterious tweets? Is he DMing you? These are the primary signs of a hostile takeover by Musk that you and your social media managers should be on the lookout for.
2. Don’t be alarmed if Musk tweets that he wants to buy your company.
In any case, sound counsel. Particularly one in which the fate of your firm is dependent on the whims of the world’s richest man—with an 81.7 million Twitter following—who appears to relish turmoil.
3. Have faith in your social media management.
That underpaid and disgruntled employee who sits in a corner of your office all day brainstorming the finest GIFs to share on Slack? They are suddenly the most important person in your company.
4. Create an emoji game plan.
Musk is referred to as a “memelord,” or someone who makes and distributes memes (ask your marketing team about them later). Responding with an emoji is a wonderful approach to strike the correct mix between being serious in your response to his offer and being casual enough that you won’t be humiliated if it turns out to be a joke.
5. Be succinct
Your board and executives should be aware that you are about to discuss the company’s ownership utilising a medium with a character limit of 280 characters. Every letter is important.
After Musk asked the corporation, “How much is it?” New Scientist Chief Executive Officer Nina Wright crafted a tweet that kept it light (winking emoji) and pledged to fix the paywall problem.
6. Publish the tweet
How much is it?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2019
You’ve got a Twitter account, don’t you?
7. Try not to take things too seriously.
Musk never purchased New Scientist, and as he said on Thursday, he may never purchase Twitter. As a result, it’s wise to answer cautiously, and to take any offer with a grain of salt.
