Welcome to Wednesday, readers. Shivering over here in New York City, I'm your host, Jordan Parker Erb.
It's time to scrap everything you thought you knew about the Elon Musk-Twitter legal saga, because Musk just shook it up even further.
The billionaire has offered (again) to buy Twitter for $44 billion. Twitter is still reviewing the offer, but seems likely to accept the deal.
I've got the details on this, and more, below. Let's get to it.
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1. Elon Musk has once again offered to buy Twitter. In a surprising twist in his monthslong legal feud with Twitter, Musk said he'd purchase the social media company at the original $44 billion price point. Twitter said it intends to close the deal at that price.
- The letter, filed confidentially late Monday, is a straightforward renewal of Musk's agreement to take Twitter private at $54.20 per share. The letter is being reviewed by Twitter lawyers — and the deal seems likely to be accepted.
- If accepted, the agreement would put a swift end to months of litigation between Twitter and Musk. Musk had agreed in April to buy the company for $44 billion, but backed out of the agreement in July. Twitter sued him soon after.
- Experts told Insider that Musk's decision is an attempt to dodge a likely court loss, as the pretrial discovery process showed his odds of winning were low. See what else experts said.
Read Musk's letter to Twitter here.
In other news:
2. Amazon has kicked off a corporate hiring freeze for its retail division. According to The New York Times, the company's hiring freeze will last until the end of 2022. Everything we know so far.
3. A software engineer who ditched the Bay Area explains why she doesn't regret breaking up with Silicon Valley. Maricris Bonzo, a 28-year-old software developer working on web3 communities, moved to Sacramento after living in the Bay Area. Here, she discusses what the move has been like.
4. Elon Musk said he is "obviously" pro-Ukraine. Hours after he was blasted for parroting Russian President Vladimir Putin's propaganda, the Tesla CEO tweeted his support for Ukraine, adding that SpaceX has spent $80 million running Starlink in the country. More on his comments here.
5. A leaked Microsoft presentation sheds light on its Azure cloud revenue. Instead of reporting Azure revenue directly, Microsoft has opted to report overall cloud revenue. We got a look at an internal presentation that reveals how much US customers have spent on Azure — $11 billion in its previous fiscal year. Everything else we learned from the leaked presentation.
6. An Amazon delivery driver describes what the job is like. Ulises Perez, 22, told Insider he mentally prepares himself every morning for the strenuous and hectic day ahead, but that he loves the flexibility and the connections he makes with people on his route. He shares what it's like to drive for Amazon.
7. What influencers should learn from Kim Kardashian's $1.26 million SEC settlement. Kardashian's settlement, which comes after failing to disclose how much she'd been paid to promote EMAX tokens, is a wake-up call for influencers and marketers. We outlined what influencers should do to comply with the SEC — these are the six key takeaways.
8. America's "first solar-powered town" was a success story amid Hurricane Ian. As millions of other Floridians lost power, one community was left largely unscathed by the storm, CNN reported. Get a look at the solar-powered Babcock Ranch.
Odds and ends:
9. Heading on a trip this fall? These gadgets will make your life easier. From a portable battery to noise-canceling headphones, we've got a list of tech that will help make sure you're ready for anything on your next trip. See our guide for must-have travel gadgets.
10. You can use secret Netflix codes to unlock hidden categories. If you're looking for something new to watch — especially if your favorite genre is an obscure one — you can use Netflix codes to find and watch titles that are hidden from the homepage. Here's how they work.
What we're watching today:
- TechEx North America starts today in Silicon Valley.
- SpaceX's Crew-5 mission is scheduled to launch to the ISS.
- The EV World Congress kicks off in London.
- One year ago today, Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testified before a Congressional committee.
Keep updated with the latest tech news throughout your day by checking out The Refresh from Insider, a dynamic audio news brief from the Insider newsroom. Listen here.
Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email [email protected] or tweet @jordanparkererb.) Edited by Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) in London.