The richest man on earth again used his Twitter account to make jokes, while creating waves among investors.
“Also, I’m buying Manchester United ur welcome,” Musk told his 103 million followers on Twitter late Tuesday.
After several news articles were published about Musk’s claim, the billionaire then posted it as a joke. “No, this is a long-running joke on Twitter. I’m not buying any sports teams,” he responded to a user who asked him if he was serious.
Shares of Manchester United initially soared following the tweet and pulled back later. The stock was still up about 3% in early trading Wednesday.
Manchester United is worth nearly $4.6 billion and is controlled by the Glazer family, which also owns NFL franchise Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Known for posting memes, lashing out at people or making confusing statements, Musk has drawn criticism before for his tweets and even clashing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. His feud with the SEC dates back to his now-infamous 2018 tweet stating, “Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.”
The most recent chapter was on May 13, 2022, when after weeks of speculation, he tweeted that the deal to buy Twitter was temporarily on hold, plunging the social media stock.
