Just because I tweet something…: Elon Musk downplays impact of tweets in Tesla trial

Elon Musk, Tesla Inc’s chief executive, testified on Friday that investors do not always react to his Twitter messages as he expects, defending himself in a fraud trial over his 2018 tweet that he had funding to take the electric carmaker private.

Musk’s testimony began with questions about his use of Twitter, the social media platform he bought in October. He called it the most democratic way to communicate but said his tweets did not always affect Tesla stock the way he expected.

“Just because I tweet something does not mean people believe it or will act accordingly,” Musk told the jury in San Francisco federal court.