Unsatisfied with just being Twitter’s largest investor and one of its most followed users, the world’s richest man now wants to buy the company outright. Elon Musk told the board he thinks Twitter isn’t meeting its free speech “societal imperative” and should become a private company. But as Timothy O’Brien notes in Bloomberg Opinion, Musk’s aim isn’t freedom of expression but control. Adding to the attention: A Twitter shareholder sued Musk (who already has a Plan B). For its part, Twitter adopted a poison pill to thwart any hostile takeover bids. Meanwhile, company founder Jack Dorsey has ascended to the rank of Bitcoin spiritual adviser. As Russia repositions its forces in Ukraine for a potential new offensive, U.S. President Joe Biden announced $800 million in additional military aid for Kyiv and the European Union agreed to provide more cash for weapons. Russia’s flagship Black Sea missile cruiser sank this week in what Ukraine said was a missile strike, another blow to Vladimir Putin’s war efforts. And OPEC+ warned that the war could curtail world oil demand and supply. China says it will keep its “Covid-zero” policy, leaving Shanghai’s 25 million people under lockdown despite the growing risk of unrest. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of Exchequer Rishi Sunak did in fact break lockdown rules, the police said, and were fined. In the U.S., the mask mandate for air travelers will be extended while a decline in testing could render future outbreaks harder to detect. The availability of goods in Shanghai has been strained by a lack of couriers to deliver to residents barred from leaving their homes. Above, Covid-19 testing is performed in the city on April 14. Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg As many companies, including Alphabet-owned Google, bid to get workers back in offices, a new study identifies the “sweet spot” for hybrid work that some employers won’t like. Even if managers are eager to get people back at their desks, “corporate leaders would be wise not to overstate the case for in-office work,” Sarah Green Carmichael writes in Bloomberg Opinion. Ford knew it needed something special for the electric version of its F-150 pickup: it’s called the “frunk,” and comes with a handy drain for iced beverages. But can this truck persuade adherents of the gas-guzzling version to go green? The New York International Auto Show will showcase another big one: GM’s Hummer. And Mercedes’s new Smart, which once defined the urban microcar, is now an SUV in its electric incarnation, competing with a crowd of plus-sized EVs. Golf enthusiasts in New York have reason to party—literally. London-based Swingers is opening a “crazy golf” club in Manhattan, with three 9-hole courses, six bar areas and a DJ booth. And if you’ve ever dreamed of traveling to Galápagos National Park but thought you couldn’t handle it without a butler, a new luxury cruise makes that possible. A rendering of the Windmill course at Swingers NoMad in New York. Source: Bloomberg - French President Macron, far right-rival Le Pen face off in debate.
- Hong Kong is set to begin lifting Covid-19 restrictions.
- Tesla and Netflix highlight another busy week for earnings.
- BNEF Summit addresses everything from batteries to climate crisis.
- Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 96th birthday.
Two British private investigators were suspicious of a man they dubbed X-Ray. X-Ray said he had critical information about an unsolved $100 million case of high-seas piracy. Determined to find out whether the information was real, the pair set out to learn what he could tell them about the 2011 hijacking—and whether an elaborate conspiracy had played out on board. Like getting Weekend Reading? Subscribe to Bloomberg.com for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and gain expert analysis from exclusive subscriber-only newsletters. Bloomberg Green Summit: Returning to New York on April 27, the summit brings climate solutions to life through conversations with leaders at the crossroads of sustainability, design, culture, food, technology, science, politics and entertainment. Speakers include climate leaders from Google Earth and QuantumScape. Learn more here. Download the Bloomberg app: It’s available for iOS and Android. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. Learn more |