Elon Musk and Parag Agrawal.Getty/ Chesnot/ Kevin Dietsch
Elon Musk and then-Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal acquired dinner collectively in March 2022.
Musk got here away from the assembly describing Agrawal as a pleasant man, however not the “fire-breathing dragon” Twitter wanted.
That is in accordance with an excerpt revealed in The Wall Avenue Journal from Walter Isaacson’s forthcoming biography of Musk.
Elon Musk and Parag Agrawal, then the CEO of Twitter, acquired dinner collectively in March 2022, and Musk emerged from the assembly pondering Agrawal was lacking a minimum of one key high quality in a frontrunner.
Walter Isaacson, a author who spent three years trailing the Tesla CEO, detailed the aftermath of the encounter in his forthcoming biography, “Elon Musk.” The e book is about to be revealed on September 12. The Wall Avenue Journal ran an excerpt of the biography on August 31.
After the assembly, Musk stated Agrawal was a “very nice man.” However, in Musk’s opinion, being a CEO does not require being appreciated, Isaacson wrote.
“What Twitter wants is a fire-breathing dragon,” Musk stated after that assembly, per Isaacson. “And Parag is just not that.”
The context for the assembly — which predates Musk’s $44 billion deal to accumulate Twitter and which Isaacson says was held over a secret dinner alongside Twitter’s board chair on the time, Bret Taylor — is vital.
Simply prior, it had turn into public data that Musk was shopping for up inventory within the platform nonetheless referred to as Twitter. By spring 2022, Musk had turn into Twitter’s greatest shareholder.
Whereas that is Isaacson’s retelling of Musk’s model of occasions, one other report of the pair’s dinner exits.
Messages between Musk and Agrawal had been launched in September 2022 as a part of a lawsuit Twitter filed in opposition to Musk in July 2022. The messages confirmed that a minimum of outwardly, the pair appeared cordial after that assembly.
“Hey Elon – nice to be related immediately. Would love to talk,” Agrawal wrote in a message to Musk on March 27, 2022.
“Nice dinner :),” Musk responded.
“Memorable for a number of causes,” Agrawal texted. “Actually loved it.”
Quickly after the dinner, Agrawal introduced that Musk was becoming a member of Twitter’s board.
However the cracks appeared quickly after. In April, Musk fired off a tweet asking “Is Twitter dying?”
Agrawal and Musk then sparred over messages, with Musk writing: “I am not becoming a member of the board. It is a waste of time. Will make a proposal to take Twitter personal.” Isaacson, too, recounts the same model of occasions.
In April, Musk provided to purchase Twitter for $54.20 a share in money whereas saying he wasn’t assured about Twitter’s administration — together with Agrawal.
The 2 additionally clashed over what number of bots had been on the social media platform.
A deal was lastly agreed upon to take Twitter personal in October. One of many first issues Musk did was to fireplace Agrawal.
In April Agrawal, Twitter’s ex-chief monetary officer Ned Segal, and Vijaya Gadde, the previous authorized chief, sued Twitter for $1 million in unpaid payments.
In July, Musk rebranded Twitter to X and stated he wished to “bid adieu” to “all of the birds,” referring to Twitter’s brand.
Agrawal didn’t instantly reply to Insider’s request for remark despatched exterior common enterprise hours.
Learn the total excerpt from Isaacson’s e book on The Wall Avenue Journal’s web site.
Learn the unique article on Enterprise Insider