Twitter was ordered to hand over files from its former head of product 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. Judge Kathleen St. Jude McCormick on Monday ordered Twitter to comply in part with a motion to compel from Musk’s attorneys. They requested documents from 22 additional Twitter employees they said had information on the company’s process of analyzing spam or “bot” accounts.
Twitter is already handing over information from some 41 so-called “custodians” of information as part of the case. Musk’s motion to compel for the additional documentation from the former head of product was filed last week confidentially, which means it doesn’t appear on the court’s docket. Nor did his counterclaims that accuse Twitter of a fraudulent “scheme” around its user numbers and metrics. McCormick’s order was made available on the docket.
Twitter is Now Required to Produce Documents from the Former Head of Product
In the meantime, Twitter is now “required to collect, review, and produce documents” from Kayvon Beykpour, the platform’s former head of product for consumers, the judge’s short order said. Beykpour joined Twitter in 2018 under then-CEO Jack Dorsey. Dorsey’s replacement, Parag Agrawal, fired Beykpour in May, along with a few other executives. Beykpour tweeted that it was not his decision to leave the company.
Twitter’s Stock Has Now Risen Nearly 16% Reaching to $54.20 Per Share
Twitter’s stock has more recently recovered, rising 16% in the past month and inching closer and closer to the $54.20 per share that Musk initially agreed to acquire the company for. Such a rebound is likely to make more difficult any attempt by Musk to argue that the company is simply not worth what he agreed to pay for it. Musk’s fortune is largely tied up in Tesla stock, which has also risen in recent weeks. After dipping to a yearly low in June, shares of Tesla are now just under $928, 24% off their all-time high.
Read more: Elon Musk Challenges Twitter CEO to a Public Debate on Bots
