Elon Musk bought Twitter for approximately $44 billion in October 2022, completing one of the largest technology acquisitions in recent years. On October 26, 2026, online personality Sneako accused Musk of purchasing the platform to spread what he called "Mossad propaganda."Sneako made the allegation in a post on X, formerly Twitter, now owned by Musk.Musk’s acquisition was originally announced in April 2022, according to TIME’s April 25, 2022 report. The purchase later led to legal disputes over the deal and Musk’s disclosures to investors.How much did Elon Musk pay for Twitter?According to TIME, Elon Musk agreed to purchase Twitter for approximately $44 billion after negotiations with the company’s board. The deal valued Twitter shares at $54.20 each, matching the offer Musk had made earlier that month.Musk’s initial proposal represented a 38% premium over Twitter’s closing share price on the last trading day before he disclosed his 9% stake in the company, TIME reported. Twitter’s board had initially adopted a “poison pill” defence against the unsolicited offer, but later began seriously considering the proposal after Musk arranged financing for the transaction.TIME reported that Musk lined up $46.5 billion in financing, including more than $25 billion from Morgan Stanley and other institutions, alongside $21 billion in equity from Musk himself. At the time, Musk was already Twitter’s largest individual shareholder.The acquisition was completed in October 2022, according to The Guardian’s May 4, 2026 report. Twitter subsequently became X, and Musk later integrated it into his business structure, folding it into his artificial intelligence company xAI before xAI was folded into SpaceX.Elon Musk @elonmuskLINKthe bird is freedThe purchase gave Elon Musk control of a major social media platform. He had described himself as a “free speech absolutist” and said he wanted to make Twitter’s algorithms more transparent, introduce an edit button, and address spam accounts, according to TIME.Later lawsuits regarding the dealThe Guardian reported on May 4, 2026, that Elon Musk had settled a civil lawsuit brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission over his delayed disclosure of his initial Twitter share purchases in 2022.Under the settlement, a trust in Musk’s name agreed to pay a $1.5 million civil penalty without admitting wrongdoing.The SEC had alleged that Musk’s 11-day delay in disclosing his initial 5% stake allowed him to purchase more than $500 million in additional shares at artificially low prices before revealing a 9.2% stake. Musk described the delay as inadvertent, according to The Guardian.The Guardian also reported that Elon Musk would not have to repay the $150 million the SEC alleged he saved through the delay.