Hours later — and after several news articles were published about his bold claim — Musk clarified that it was all a joke.
“No, this is a long-running joke on Twitter. I’m not buying any sports teams,” he said after a user asked him if he was serious about the purchase.
Shares of Manchester United, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, initially soared after hours Tuesday following the tweet but pulled back from their gains. The stock was still up about 3% in early trading Wednesday though.
He even quipped in a 2019 tweet: “Some people use their hair to express themselves, I use Twitter.”
However, Musk’s tweets about Tesla have landed him in hot water, multiple times, with the US 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 nine-word tweet sent Tesla stock surging at the time, but the SEC then accused him of misleading investors. Musk and regulators eventually reached a deal that included, among other provisions, a requirement that Musk gain pre-approval from other Tesla executives prior to tweeting about the company.
-— Robert Mclean contributed to this story.
