Ex-Twitter Executives Call Elon Musk’s Spam Concerns Confusing

Former Twitter executives Parag Agrawal and Ned Segal testified on March 6, 2026, that Elon Musk's persistent frustration over spam and bot accounts on the platform was "confusing" to them during the 2022 acquisition process. The comments came during a jury trial in a class-action lawsuit brought by Twitter shareholders, who allege Musk made misleading public statements to drive down the company's stock price in an attempt to renegotiate or abandon his $44 billion purchase deal. Agrawal, the former CEO, and Segal, the former CFO, took the stand to counter Musk's narrative that Twitter leadership deliberately misled him about the proportion of fake or spam accounts.

The executives described their interactions with Musk as marked by his repeated emphasis on the spam issue, which they found puzzling given Twitter's longstanding internal estimates that fewer than 5% of monetizable daily active users (mDAU) were spam or fake. They maintained that the company's methodology—based on sampled account reviews—was consistent and transparently disclosed in SEC filings. Their testimony pushed back against Musk's claims that he was genuinely surprised or deceived, suggesting instead that his focus on bots served as a pretext amid his apparent reluctance to complete the transaction at the agreed price.

The trial centers on Musk's public statements in May 2022, including a tweet declaring the deal "temporarily on hold" pending verification of spam calculations and subsequent assertions that fake accounts comprised far more than 5% of users. Plaintiffs argue these comments violated securities laws by misleading investors and causing stock declines that benefited Musk. Agrawal and Segal's accounts highlighted inconsistencies in Musk's recollection, portraying his spam concerns as evolving rapidly after initial due diligence meetings where Twitter officials explained their processes.

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Broader context includes Musk's long-standing public criticism of bots on Twitter, dating back years before the acquisition, and his post-purchase efforts to address spam aggressively on the rebranded platform X. The executives' testimony aligns with earlier phases of related litigation, where Musk has defended his actions as driven by legitimate concerns over platform integrity and revenue accuracy. The ongoing trial, now in its second week, has featured Musk's own testimony earlier in the week, where he reiterated feeling misled about bot prevalence.

As the case proceeds, the jury will weigh whether Musk's statements were calculated deceptions or genuine expressions of doubt. The outcome could influence perceptions of corporate governance in high-profile acquisitions and set precedents for how executives disclose user metrics. With testimony from key figures on both sides now complete in this phase, closing arguments and deliberations are expected soon, amid continued scrutiny of Musk's management of X and its handling of spam issues.

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