Elon Musk was in a jovial mood Friday, on the same day Twitter laid off more than 3,000 people, impersonating Al Pacino’s performance in “The Godfather Part III”He spoke at an investor conference in New York City.
Talking to an audience at the Lincoln Center’s Metropolitan Opera that numbered about the same as those he laid off by email, the Tesla, SpaceX and now Twitter CEO joked about his acquisition of the social-media platform.
“I tried to get out of the deal,”Musk laughed while making the audience laugh at his appearance at Baron Investment Conference.
Then, he stretched his arms out like he was performing the Michael Corleone scene.
“I tried to get out, but tried to get back in,”Musk spoke, struggling to do the impersonation, while keeping a wide smile, before discussing the $44 Billion purchase of Twitter and the subsequent layoffs that have already triggered at most one lawsuit.
“But you told me you wanted me to ask tough questions,”The moderator replied, laughing.
“I mean I think most people would say, given how market has evolved this year, the price is on the high side,”Musk stated.
Musk claimed that he expected the layoffs will save Twitter $400 million per year, while also pitching his plans for charging verified users $8 per month.
“You’ll get a lot more than just the blue check mark for $8 a month,”Musk stated. “Because now we can afford long-form video, long audio, podcasts, and we can also start sharing revenue with content creators, which is essential.”
He also stated that Twitter might someday be a reality. “become one of the most valuable companies in the world,”Citing SpaceX and Tesla’s successes.
A press release announcing Musk’s appearance at the conference Midmorning: Friday. But According to Business Insider, conference guests did not know of it until they saw the day’s agenda in their programs or on poster boards around the Lincoln Center.
Below is a video excerpt from the Musk interview that was published by Wall Street Journal. His Pacino impression can be compared with Here’s the real deal.