When frequent user Elon Musk isn’t active on Twitter, the rumor mill churns, especially with the network’s takeover still up in the air. However, the 51-year-old is back with a snapshot of his papal audience.
Elon Musk had been silent on Twitter for almost two weeks – now the tech billionaire has published a photo on the online network that shows him visiting the Pope. “Honored to have met the pontiff yesterday,” wrote the head of electric car manufacturer Tesla. He is pictured alongside four of his children alongside Pope Francis. Musk did not provide any information about the location of the recording or the circumstances of the meeting. The Vatican also did not comment on the private audience for the richest man in the world.
According to Italian media, the two men talked in the Santa Marta guest house, where Francis also lives, about technology and how it could help people in the future.
Musk hadn’t posted any messages on his Twitter since June 21 — which was notable given that he’s actually an avid user of the online service. With his Twitter messages, the high-tech entrepreneur has repeatedly caused a stir on the stock exchanges. Musk’s Twitter hiatus was also notable in that his plans for a possible takeover of Twitter are hanging in the balance.
The US multi-billionaire announced in April that he wanted to buy the Internet company at a price of 44 billion dollars (42 billion euros). Later, however, he repeatedly stated that the takeover would depend on the number of spam or fake accounts on Twitter. This involves so-called bots – i.e. computer programs that interact with users using algorithms and pretend to be real people.
The board of directors of Twitter had recently confirmed the sale to Musk – even after the share price had slumped and the tech billionaire had ricochets. The board released filings, as it did in May, with unanimous support for Musk’s $54.20 per share bid.
