Twitter: Elon Musk visits HQ as deal deadline looms

Elon Musk has posted a video of himself walking into Twitter's office carrying a sink, raising speculation astir the destiny of his planned takeover.

The billionaire faces a Friday deadline to implicit the $44bn (£38bn) purchase, which helium announced months agone but past tried to abandon.

He agreed to determination guardant earlier this month, conscionable weeks earlier a tribunal proceedings implicit those moves was owed to start.

"Entering Twitter HQ - fto that descend in!" Mr Musk wrote.

He besides updated his bio to work "Chief Twit".

Mr Musk has said the societal media tract needs important changes. At slightest 1 study has suggested helium is readying large occupation cuts.

It was not wide whether the Tesla brag met with executives astatine Twitter connected Wednesday, but helium listed his determination arsenic the Twitter office successful San Francisco connected the societal media platform.

When Elon Musk archetypal revealed plans to bargain Twitter, helium said helium wanted to cleanable up spam accounts connected the level and sphere it arsenic a venue for escaped speech.

But Mr Musk, the world's richest antheral and a prolific Twitter idiosyncratic known for his impulsive style, balked astatine the acquisition conscionable a fewer weeks later, citing concerns that the fig of fake accounts connected the level was higher than Twitter claimed.

Twitter executives denied the accusations, arguing that Mr Musk wanted retired due to the fact that helium was disquieted astir the price.

It yet filed a suit to clasp him to the deal, and Mr Musk revived his takeover plans for the institution connected the information that ineligible proceedings were paused.

Investors voiced scepticism that the takeover would spell ahead, particularly arsenic Mr Musk was seen arsenic offering a heady terms for a steadfast struggling to pull users and grow.

However, the woody indispensable beryllium completed by 28 October, oregon helium volition look proceedings implicit the contract.

"I'm excited astir the Twitter situation," Mr Musk said during a caller Tesla net call.

"I deliberation it's an plus that has conscionable benignant of languished for a agelong clip but has unthinkable potential, though evidently myself and the different investors are overpaying for Twitter close now," helium added.

It came arsenic Tesla, the electrical car-maker, reportedly faces a transgression probe successful the US implicit claims that the company's electrical vehicles tin thrust themselves.

According to Reuters reports, 3 radical acquainted with the substance said that the US Department of Justice launched the probe past twelvemonth aft much than a twelve crashes, immoderate of them fatal, involving Tesla's operator assistance strategy known arsenic "Autopilot", which was successful usage during the accidents.

During the aforesaid call, Mr Musk said Tesla would soon merchandise an upgraded mentation of "full self-driving", though its website says customers indispensable support their hands connected the instrumentality and support power of their cars adjacent erstwhile utilizing the Autopilot feature.

Neither Twitter nor Tesla responded instantly to the BBC's petition for comment.