Elon Musk Vs. Twitter: What to Know About the Trial as He Faces Deposition

After backing out of a $44 billion agreement to buy Twitter, Elon Musk now must spend multiple days fielding questions from the platform's lawyers.

The deposition begins on Monday and will last until at least Tuesday, possibly Wednesday, the Associated Press reports. It comes ahead of Musk's trial, which is scheduled to start in Delaware on October 17 and will ultimately settle whether he has to carry on with the Twitter deal or not.

As of late Sunday, it remained unclear whether the Tesla CEO would face Twitter's lawyers in person or via video.

In April, Musk agreed to purchase the social media platform with promises to install laxer content restrictions and to crack down on spam accounts. However, he changed his mind by July and attempted to walk away from the deal, claiming that he'd been misled about the number of fake accounts.

Twitter's board soon announced plans to sue Musk for breaking the contract, saying in a statement that it would "enforce the merger agreement" in court and was "confident" of victory.

Musk's October trial will likely last around five days. Meanwhile, former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has been subpoenaed, as have Intel's former CEO Robert Swan and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, according to Fox Business.

Former Twitter security head-turned-whistleblower Peiter Zatko also faced deposition earlier this month, according to CNN Business. The Tesla CEO had at one point included claims by Zatko as part of his rationale to nix the deal.

Zatko alleged that Twitter is plagued by security and privacy vulnerabilities that may endanger investors, users and even national security, according to CNN Business. He also stated that Twitter doesn't have a handle on the true number of fake bot and spam accounts, nor does it have much of an incentive to keep a full and accurate tally.

Twitter, though, has said Zatko's claims are part of a "false narrative" that's "riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies."

For its part, Twitter alleged that Musk cited those complaints as pretexts. The social media giant said that Musk had come to regret his decision to purchase the company after the market declined.

Newsweek has reached out to Musk's representatives for comment.

Musk Feared a Looming 'World War III'

Earlier this month, news broke that Musk had mentioned fears about a looming World War III as reasoning to pump the brakes on the Twitter acquisition. He said the deal would no longer "make sense" under such a global conflict.

Back in May, while texting with a banker, the billionaire cited a speech that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be giving the next day.

"Let's slow down just a few days," Musk's texts read, according to Insider. "Putin's speech tomorrow is really important. It won't make sense to buy Twitter if we're heading into World War 3."

Despite his ongoing legal woes with the site, Musk is still taking to the platform to post his own musings.

On Sunday, he tweeted out a comic strip of Mario and Princess Peach with the caption, "Of course, there's no way to prove we're living in a simulation." He then posted photos of himself and ex-girlfriend Grimes dressed as Mario nemesis Wario and Princess Peach during a 2021 Saturday Night Live performance.