Elon Musk: "Just deleted my Twitter account," says Tesla founder
Serial-tweeting Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter Sunday night that he "just deleted" his account, 10 months after his use of the social media site to pump up the electric car company's investment prospects landed him in trouble with U.S. securities regulators. However, Musk's account was still listed as active on Twitter as of Monday morning, suggesting the tweet was a joke and prompting many amused responses from his followers.
Musk's strange weekend on Twitter also included a display name change to "Daddy DotCom" on Father's Day. Daddy.com is an existing website that provides parenting information to new and expecting fathers.
Musk also lashed out against former Tesla CEO Martin Eberhard Saturday night, claiming Tesla is successful "in spite" of Eberhard, reported Business Insider.
Eberhard, who is now the chairman of an electric vehicle battery startup called Tiveni, co-founded Tesla in 2003, but was fired from the startup in 2007 in an ouster led by Musk. Tesla accused the former CEO of leaving the company finances in "shambles."
"Tesla is alive in spite of Eberhard, but he seeks credit constantly & fools give it him," Musk reportedly said in response to an anonymous user.
Musk got in trouble with the Securities and Exchange Commission in August for tweeting he had secured funding to take Tesla private, without any evidence to support the claim. Tesla stock rose on his tweet and fell on the aftermath. Musk and Tesla each paid $20 million in September to settle with the SEC.
As part of the court settlement, Musk is required to have Twitter posts approved by a company lawyer if they have the potential to affect the company's stock.
Some investors may have appreciated Musk's vow of silence on Twitter: Tesla's share price increased nearly 2.5% in Monday morning trading to about $220.
