Twitter has been ordered to hand over files from its former consumer product head to Elon Musk on spam and bot accounts the billionaire has cited in seeking to abandon his $44 billion purchase of the social media company.
But Twitter was spared from producing documents for most of the employees Mr Musk says are key witnesses on the bots issue.
Mr Musk, whom Twitter has sued to make him complete the deal, accused the company this month of hiding the names of workers specifically responsible for evaluating how much of the platform’s customer base is made up of spam and robot accounts.
He asked the judge to force Twitter to identify them. So far, Twitter has given up the names of “records custodians”, who aren’t as familiar with the data in question.
On Monday, Delaware Chancery Court judge Kathaleen J McCormick mostly denied Mr Musk’s request in a one-page ruling, ordering that Twitter needn’t “collect, review, or produce documents” from any of the other 21 additional custodians Mr Musk asked for.
The exception is Kayvon Beykpour, former head of consumer product, who was fired in May.
Mr Beykpour was the top product executive at Twitter for years before he was unexpectedly dismissed by new chief executive Parag Agrawal.
It was his product team that was most directly responsible for expanding Twitter’s user base — and it is the quality of that base Mr Musk has questioned in seeking to walk away from the deal.
Mr Beykpour joined Twitter in 2015 when the company acquired his live video app, Periscope, and quickly climbed the ranks under former chief executive Jack Dorsey. He was pushing Twitter into new product areas, like live audio spaces and newsletters, before he was ousted.
The departures of Mr Beykpour and Bruce Falck, formerly in charge of revenue product, reflected Twitter’s state of limbo while it awaited a new owner, a state now intensified by the litigation.
Meanwhile, a hiring freeze and other cost-cutting efforts have left some employees unsure of whether the projects or teams they are working on will be prioritised under new leadership.
Lawyers for Twitter and Mr Musk have issued a flurry of subpoenas to banks, investors and attorneys involved in the deal, as the two sides prepare for an October 17 trial in Wilmington.
Twitter claims that Mr Musk, the world’s richest person and the chief executive of Tesla, is using the concerns about spam and bot accounts as an excuse to get out of the transaction.
Mr Musk argues the company has failed to show that spam bots account for fewer than 5 per cent of its active users, as it has said in regulatory filings.
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The%20specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E261hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E400Nm%20at%201%2C750-4%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.5L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C999%20(VX%20Luxury)%3B%20from%20Dh149%2C999%20(VX%20Black%20Gold)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Avengers: Endgame
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin
4/5 stars
Other key dates
-
Finals draw: December 2
-
Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
-
Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
-
Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The specs: 2019 BMW i8 Roadster
Price, base: Dh708,750
Engine: 1.5L three-cylinder petrol, plus 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 374hp (total)
Torque: 570Nm (total)
Fuel economy, combined: 2.0L / 100km
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
All or Nothing
Amazon Prime
Four stars
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
SCORES IN BRIEF
New Zealand 153 and 56 for 1 in 22.4 overs at close
Pakistan 227
(Babar 62, Asad 43, Boult 4-54, De Grandhomme 2-30, Patel 2-64)
