The whistleblower complaint by Twitter’s former chief security officer Peter Zatko gives Musk new angles to pursue in his legal battle, including allegations that he failed to disclose weaknesses in his data security and privacy. Musk’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, said on Tuesday that a subpoena had been issued to Mr Zatko. “We found his exit and that of other key employees surprising in light of what we are finding,” Mr. Spiro said in a statement. Earlier, it was revealed that Musk had subpoenaed his friend and former Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey as he tries to back out of his $44bn (£37bn) deal to buy the social networking company, according to a court filing. The Tesla chief – the world’s richest man – announced his plan to buy Twitter in April, but is now fighting not to buy it. Musk and Twitter are headed for a court showdown on Oct. 17, which is expected to determine whether Twitter can force the billionaire to go ahead with the purchase. This month, the SpaceX founder sold $6.9 billion of his Tesla stock as his feud with Twitter continues. Musk alleged that Twitter did not provide sufficient information about the number of fake or “spam bot” Twitter accounts and that it breached its obligations under the agreement by firing top executives and laying off a significant number of employees. Musk’s team expects more information about the bot numbers to be revealed in the trial court’s discovery process, when both sides must turn over evidence. Twitter argues that Musk’s reasons for backing down are just a cover for buyer’s remorse. Mr. Dorsey’s subpoena was served last week and seeks documents and communications related to the acquisition, as well as information on the effect of fake or spam accounts on Twitter’s business and the measurement of daily active users.
