Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey to be deposed for social media company’s legal showdown with Elon Musk

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey will be questioned under oath on Tuesday as part of the social media giant’s legal battle sparked by Elon Musk’s efforts to wriggle out of his $44 billion acquisition deal, according to a notice of a deposition.

Dorsey stepped down as CEO of Twitter last November and remained on the board until late May, just one month after the company announced it had agreed to sell to the Tesla tycoon at $54.20 per share. In the weeks and months that followed, Musk has claimed that the company has refused to give him an accurate tally of bots and fake accounts currently on the site. He finally filed a notice to scrap the deal on July 9, prompting the social media company to file suit, and then Musk’s countersuit.

The following month, the billionaire’s legal team revealed they subpoenaed Dorsey for a wide range of information, including all documents and communications regarding the merger agreement as well as those relating to Twitter’s spam accounts and business operations.

Dorsey is set to be questioned by lawyers from both sides via Zoom, according to Bloomberg.

Jack Dorsey (MARCO BELLO/)

Dorsey, one of Musk’s close friends, previously expressed his support for the $44 billion Twitter takeover. He was replaced as CEO earlier this year by Parag Agrawal, who has defended the social media company against Musk’s claims.

Twitter has repeatedly said it disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission an estimate that fewer than 5% of its user accounts are fake or spam, adding in a disclaimer that the number could be higher. The company’s legal team has also argued Musk has no legitimate grounds to back out of the deal, claiming that the 51-year-old is deliberately trying to tank the sale and is using the spam accounts as an excuse because the acquisition no longer serves his interests.

Twitter has also subpoenaed a slew of tech investors and entrepreneurs linked to Musk, including prominent venture capitalist Marc Andreessen and David Sacks, the founding chief operating officer of PayPal.

The trial is slated for Oct. 17 in Delaware.

With News Wire Services