Could Elon Musk’s risky Twitter takeover hurt Tesla?

The Carbon Copy

A couple of weeks ago, Elon Musk offered around $44 billion to buy Twitter. A few days later, the CEO of the world’s biggest electric car company became the owner of one of the world’s biggest social media platforms.

When news of the deal hit, investors got a little spooked. The share price of Tesla dropped by nearly 20% over the following week. Many industry observers began to wonder whether this was going to pose a major problem for the company.

Among them was climate reporter David Ferris. Although many may regard these dramatic moves as simply part of the cost of investing in Musk’s company, David thinks this latest gambit unleashes a whole new set of financial, reputational and strategic risks.

This week on The Carbon Copy: Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover has alarmed investors and consumers. Will his new shiny toy distract from Tesla’s mission-critical work?

Guest: David Ferris is an energy and environment reporter at E&E News. You can read his recent reporting on Musk’s purchase here.

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