Elon Musk didn't lie but just used the 'wrong words' in his Tesla funding tweet, his lawyer says

[highplainsdem]

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/elon-musk-tesla-funding-tweet-didnt-lie-wrong-words-2023-1

Tesla investors sued Musk in a class-action lawsuit, claiming the billionaire manipulated the electric-vehicle maker's share price with his notorious tweet. That's because the automaker's shares surged 11% in price in a matter of hours after Musk's disclosure, before plunging as the deal got questioned.

Musk however didn't commit fraud, his lawyer Alex Spiro argued in opening statements at the trial. "You will come to learn very soon that this was not fraud, not even close," Spiro said, per Reuters.

"In a rush, he used the wrong words," Spiro continued, adding that "he hadn't planned to tweet this."

Previously, Musk claimed he thought he had funding secured from Saudi Arabia's Investment Fund. He said he had a handshake deal with the fund to provide the necessary money for Tesla to delist from the S&P 500. To prevent the news from leaking, Musk made a "split-second decision" to tweet he had funding secured, Spiro argued.

Elon Musk, an inspiration to liars everywhere. Just claim you "used the wrong words." George Santos and Donald Trump, are you listening?

[Effete Snob]

1. I saw that one a couple of weeks ago

That "used the wrong words" thing was used in another high-profile context recently, but I can't recall it.

But it's a great phrase, you know?

Anytime you are caught lying, it's not that you were lying, you simply "used the wrong words".

Like if someone calls out George Santos for saying his mother died on 9/11, he could just say, "I used the wrong words."

You see how easy that is? You aren't dishonest or anything, it's those darn words that were wrong.

[highplainsdem]

2. It has definite appeal for con artists and liars of all types.

[Effete Snob]

3. I actually started using it

Like if my wife asks me where the leftover spaghetti went and I say "I don't know."

Then, she sees the tomato sauce stain on my shirt and says "you ate the leftover spaghetti, and are lying to me," then I say, "Oh, I used the wrong words."

Like instead of "I don't know," the right words would have been "I ate it," but through some inexplicable quirk of reality, the wrong words just came out of my mouth.

[c-rational]

7. +1 - Thanks for that laugh.

[Initech]

4. As long as they have power and control, they don't care.

[Whiskeytide]

5. Was it the untrue ones? n/t

[gratuitous]

6. And as usual, those wrong words just happened to accomplish the desired end

What was Bartcop's Law of Mistakes: If someone makes a "mistake" that puts more money in his pocket, he'll keep making that same "mistake" until stopped.

[Midnight Writer]

8. "I didn't cheat on my spouse. Not even close. I simply slept with the wrong person."

[Effete Snob]

10. "In a rush"

Yeah, how embarrassing when that happens, eh?

[Silent3]

13. I mean, really! Do they expect us to check IDs before having sex...

...to make sure it's our spouse? Who bothers with that?

[Disaffected]

9. "In a rush, he used the wrong words,"

Right. And he corrected himself shortly thereafter.

[Torchlight]

11. I work for a living, so I can't use his excuse.

The people I've seen terminated for "using the wrong word" and "hadn't planned to do this" are probably greater in number than those, like Musk, who keep trying to get away with it. Until...

[lame54]

12. I didn't cuss out my boss. I just used the wrong words