• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all

2

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back

3

Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026

1

When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all

2

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back

3

Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026
TechElon Musk

Elon Musk just responded to the Twitter CEO with a poop emoji

Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
By
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
By
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 16, 2022, 2:26 PM ET

In a long tweet thread posted Monday, Twitter’s CEO Parag Agrawal laid out what the company does to block and remove bots and spam from the social media website. 

Twitter’s future owner, billionaire Elon Musk, replied with a poop emoji. 

In a series of 13 tweets, Agrawal laid out how Twitter attempts to keep bots off of its platform including updating its rules and systems constantly and locking millions of accounts each week that can’t pass verification challenges like a captcha or text verification. The tweet thread was in response to Musk’s demands last week that he needed to verify Twitter’s claim that fewer than 5% of Twitter users were fake accounts. 

Agrawal emphasized on Monday that the company has several ways to perform spam and bot estimates internally, based on “multiple human reviews.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t believe that this specific estimation can be performed externally, given the critical need to use both public and private information (which we can’t share),” Agrawal wrote.

The CEO added that the company “shared an overview of the estimation process with Elon a week ago and look forward to continuing the conversation with him, and all of you.”

After his initial poop emoji response, Musk explained his thoughts a little more clearly.

“So how do advertisers know what they’re getting for their money? This is fundamental to the financial health of Twitter,” he wrote.

Elon Musk did not immediately responded to Fortune’s request for comment. A Twitter spokesperson declined to comment.

💩

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 16, 2022

Musk said last week that his deal to buy Twitter was on hold because he wanted to verify Twitter’s claim that fewer than 5% of users on the platform are fake accounts.

“Twitter deal temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of users,” he tweeted Friday.

Although he later said in a tweet that he was “committed” to buying Twitter, attempting to hold up the deal over Twitter’s spam metrics could be a sign that Musk is souring on the $44 billion deal that he struck to buy the platform earlier this month.

Although his agreement with the company has him buying all of the company’s outstanding shares at a price of $54.20 per share, the company’s stock price is trading well below that following a widespread tech stock thrashing last week. As of Monday, Twitter was trading at about $38 per share. 

Musk’s Monday tweet is also the latest example of the billionaire using the platform to insult Twitter employees and executives. After striking a deal that prohibited him from disparaging the company or its executives in tweets, he has criticized some influential employees, including Twitter’s top lawyer Vijaya Gadde. Last month, he tweeted a meme critical of her, that included her photo. Her Twitter feed was immediately flooded with harassing messages. 

Musk has also railed against Twitter’s content moderation policies, which he said was one of the major reasons he said he wanted to buy Twitter. In the press release announcing his takeover, Musk emphasized that he wanted to emphasize “free speech on the platform.” 

“I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans,” Musk said in a statement on April 25.

Musk seems to be doubling down on his criticism of Twitter’s moderation policies. In a tweet posted over the weekend, the Tesla CEO posted instructions for how his 93.5 million followers could “fix” their Twitter feeds, which he said are being manipulated by the company’s algorithm.

“I’m not suggesting malice in the algorithm, but rather that it’s trying to guess what you might want to read and, in doing so, inadvertently manipulate/amplify your viewpoints without you realizing this is happening,” he said in the tweet.

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.
About the Author
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezReporter
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Role: Reporter
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez is a reporter for Fortune covering general business news.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Anthropic cofounder and CEO Dario Amodei pictured in profile.
AIAnthropic
Anthropic disables Fable and Mythos AI models after U.S. government bars it from giving foreigners access
By Jeremy KahnJune 13, 2026
1 hour ago
Courtney Robinson, head of policy and communications, at Akoya speaks on a panel at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026.
RetailBrainstorm Tech
AI shopping agents are coming. No one is ready for them
By Jeremy KahnJune 12, 2026
6 hours ago
AI can be a ‘secret sauce’ or a way of ‘democratizing mediocrity’—Here’s how business leaders are getting the best of the technology
C-SuiteBrainstorm Tech
AI can be a ‘secret sauce’ or a way of ‘democratizing mediocrity’—Here’s how business leaders are getting the best of the technology
By Amanda GerutJune 12, 2026
6 hours ago
Elon Musk stands behind the Nasdaq opening bell and in front of a "SpaceX" background.
Startups & VentureSpaceX
Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, Valor, and the biggest VC winners from SpaceX’s IPO
By Allie GarfinkleJune 12, 2026
9 hours ago
Sven Gerjets, chief technology officer at Gap, speaks on stage on a panel at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026.
Future of WorkBrainstorm Tech
Why companies are treating AI as a strategic partner rather than a passive technology, and how to avoid an ‘AI hangover’
By Sebastian HerreraJune 12, 2026
10 hours ago
Elon Musk stands behind the Nasdaq opening bell and in front of a "SpaceX" background.
Future of WorkElon Musk
Despite his new trillionaire status, Elon Musk says money ‘will stop being relevant’ in the future because of AI
By Sasha RogelbergJune 12, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all
Investing
When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all
By Jim EdwardsJune 12, 2026
19 hours ago
Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
Environment
Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
By Catherina GioinoJune 9, 2026
4 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 12, 2026
17 hours ago
American taxpayers have spent $33 billion on sports stadiums. They got fewer seats—and higher prices
Success
American taxpayers have spent $33 billion on sports stadiums. They got fewer seats—and higher prices
By Catherina GioinoJune 11, 2026
1 day ago
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
Energy
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
By Sasha RogelbergJune 10, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 11, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 11, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 11, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.