What does Elon Musk plan to do with Twitter? That's the $44 billion question, and no one seems to have the answer. The purchase of the social network was very quick, but it will take months before it is formalized, according to Bloomberg. In the meantime, the financial media outlet says, only the bankers involved in the deal seem to know Musk's plans.

The $44 billion involved in the deal makes the unsolicited purchase of Twitter the fifth-largest technology acquisition in the last 20 years, according to 451 Research, a research and advisory firm belonging to S&P Global. It surpassed other landmark purchases in the sector, such as Microsoft's acquisition of LinkedIn ($26.4 billion) and Facebook's purchase of WhatsApp (now Meta, which added $19 billion).

What will Twitter shareholders receive once the transaction is complete? US$54.2 in cash, representing a 38% premium over the share price on April 1. The transaction amount represents 9.9 times Twitter's revenue over the last twelve months, which exceeds virtually all merger and acquisition valuations over the last 20 years, according to S&P Global.

The 10 largest acquisitions of technology companies in the last 20 years

Source: 451 Research