An upcoming book called "Battle for the Bird" revealed the behind-the-scenes of how a single Twitter account tracking Musk's private jet triggered a multibillion-dollar acquisition that would forever transform the social media platform.
Book exposes how tracking Elon Musk's jet on Twitter led to a $44 billion Twitter acquisition.
Elon Musk vs. Jet Tracking Twitter Account
As the New York Post first reported, it all began with a Twitter handle: @ElonJet. Operated by Jack Sweeney, a college student, the account meticulously tracked Musk's private jet using publicly available information. Musk found himself irked by this constant surveillance, leading to an intriguing chain of events.
In his routine updates, Sweeney tracks the departures and arrivals of aircraft owned by several prominent individuals, including billionaires, high-profile artists, and other notable figures.
His report additionally looks into their travel habits and estimates their carbon footprint, using data from the Federal Aviation Administration and expert tracking of broadcast signals.
The book claims that Musk's initial attempts to persuade then-CEO Parag Agrawal to shut down @ElonJet were met with resistance. Denied this request, Musk pivoted to a more audacious plan: acquiring Twitter itself.
Fast forward to October 2022, and Musk's acquisition of Twitter sent shockwaves through the tech industry. Forking over a staggering $44 billion, Musk gained control of his favorite online platform.
In a swift move, he ousted Agrawal and implemented sweeping changes, signaling a new era for Twitter under Musk's leadership.
However, the aftermath of the acquisition proved to be tumultuous. Musk's vision for Twitter as an "everything app" clashed with existing policies, leading to conflicts with advertisers and internal strife.
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Taylor Swift's Jet
One of the most intriguing subplots involves Jack Sweeney, whose persistence in tracking Musk's jet persisted even after the acquisition. Despite legal threats from Musk, Sweeney remained undeterred.
Recently, the involvement of other high-profile individuals, such as Taylor Swift, adds another layer to the story. Swift's representatives accused Sweeney of jeopardizing her safety by posting her locations, underscoring online privacy and security implications.
With this, Taylor Swift's team recently threatened Sweeney it would "escalate" legal action against the University of Central Florida junior.
"Her team thinks they can control the world," Sweeney told the press in response.
Latest Update
Taylor Swift's fans are still keeping a close eye on her $54 million Dassault Falcon-9 business jet as it flies from Tokyo to Las Vegas, where the pop sensation is expected to cheer on her NFL player boyfriend, Travis Kelce.
Despite Swift's legal team's plea for restraint, the Independent tells us that fans have used public platforms such as FlightRadar24 and JetSpy and social media channels to track the 12-hour journey's progress.
Stay posted here at Tech Times.
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