• Dankenstein@beehaw.org
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          1 year ago

          He was forced to follow through with the sale, the law is what protected Twitter’s board of executives and shareholders from Musk not taking Twitter private.

          After the business is private, the owner has no contractual obligation to take actions that benefit the company (unlike a CEO), he probably could have just shut Twitter down right after he bought it if he wanted to.

          Idk how many Twitter employees held shares and how many shares they held but the shares were their legal protection against Musk taking Twitter private and running it into the ground.

          I agree that we need changes that favor employee protections but it’s a slippery slope as to who exactly is liable. Is it Musk? Twitter’s BoD/shareholders? What exactly are they liable for? [Quick edit] Also, what would the penalties be and who would be the claimants?

          Not so quick edit: I was thinking about something related to unrealized gains if someone was promised that the sale of Twitter would net them greater profits than keeping the company public but that really only applies if the asset(s) haven’t already been sold. Hoping someone can add something more specific and credible, interesting to think about.

        • PersnickityPenguin@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          But Tesla isn’t a private business. It’s a public business that’s traded on the stock exchange. That’s a huge difference from the bird site.

          • tintory@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            Don’t forget both Tesla and SpaceX ( who are heavily subsided by the American government also) employees was taken from their jobs and working on making more of a mess of Twitter

        • jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de
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          1 year ago

          Private companies shouldn’t be able to do that because it still has a negative impact on society. When a company implodes there are employees that have their lives ruined, suppliers that will now have problems of their own, which will lead to more lives ruined.

          This view that if you aren’t a shareholder you aren’t an important stakeholder in a company is incredibly damaging to the social fabric.

    • Belgdore@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      We have it, it’s called “Piercing the corporate veil.” Twitter being a California company should make it easier.

    • Dankenstein@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      It’s a private business, Musk can do whatever he wants with the site so long as it isn’t illegal and whoever helped him raise the cash doesn’t mind.

      • underisk@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        OP suggests we add legal protections against what Musk is doing and your response is to point out that he’s not doing anything illegal. Thanks man, wise words.