Y Combinator’s Garry Tan Goes to the MatRead more

Elon Musk considered Oprah Winfrey for Twitter's board, messages show. Photo by Bloomberg.

Who Could Run Twitter? Musk’s Friends Had a Few Ideas

Photo: Elon Musk considered Oprah Winfrey for Twitter's board, messages show. Photo by Bloomberg.

The question of how Elon Musk will manage Twitter if he is forced to buy it has largely been overlooked amid the legal wrangling over the $44 billion deal. But new court filings today identify a variety of people that Musk’s advisers and other associates recommended he consider for key roles, before he decided to back out of the deal in May.

Venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson, a former Tesla board member, recommended Musk hire former Uber executive Emil Michael to run Twitter. Morgan Stanley banker Michael Grimes, Musk’s main financial advisor on the deal, suggested Musk consider either Magnolia Medical Technologies Chief Financial Officer Patrick O’Malley or former Etsy and World Wrestling Entertainment CFO Kristina Salen for the role of finance chief, at least in a temporary capacity. It’s not clear how seriously Musk took any of the suggestions.

One person that Musk himself considered for a role was Oprah Winfrey, whom he floated as a candidate for the board, messages show.

Access on the go
View stories on our mobile app and tune into our weekly podcast.
Join live video Q&A’s
Deep-dive into topics like startups and autonomous vehicles with our top reporters and other executives.
Enjoy a clutter-free experience
Read without any banner ads.
Former Apple design chief Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Photos by Getty.
Exclusive
Designer Jony Ive and OpenAI’s Sam Altman Discuss AI Hardware Project
Jony Ive, the renowned designer of the iPhone, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have been discussing building a new AI hardware device, according to two people familiar with the conversations.
From left to right: Blair Effron, Robert Pruzan and David Handler. Photos by Getty; Tidal Partners.
Exclusive Finance
Disputes, Employee Misconduct Rattle Centerview’s Silicon Valley Dreams
The San Francisco Bay Area–based bankers at Centerview Partners, the investment bank that advised Silicon Valley Bank’s owner and Credit Suisse through recent turmoil, got two doses of bad news last week.
Art by Clark Miller
Exclusive startups entertainment
MasterClass Takes a Crash Course in Frugality
MasterClass had a problem with the shoot featuring its latest star instructor, Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Photos via Getty
Exclusive microsoft ai
How Microsoft is Trying to Lessen Its Addiction to OpenAI as AI Costs Soar
Microsoft’s push to put artificial intelligence into its software has hinged almost entirely on OpenAI , the startup Microsoft funded in exchange for the right to use its cutting-edge technology.
From left: Paul Graham, Garry Tan and Michael Seibel. Photos by Getty. Art by Mike Sullivan.
Exclusive startups ai
Y Combinator’s Garry Tan Goes to the Mat
Garry Tan was in his happy place. Surrounded by food trucks and techies basking in San Francisco’s September sun, the CEO of Y Combinator snapped selfies with entrepreneurs as he meandered through a crowd of 2,700 attendees at the startup accelerator’s annual alumni event.
Dave Rogenmoser, cofounder of Jasper. Photo via Getty.
Exclusive startups ai
Jasper, an Early Generative AI Winner, Cuts Internal Valuation as Growth Slows
Jasper AI, an early darling of the generative artificial intelligence boom, has cut the internal value of its common shares 20%, according to former employees who were notified by the company.