Elon Musk might be serious about taking over Twitter. Or his hostile bid might be just a rich man's whim, a distraction he'll abandon when it begins to bore him. Or maybe he's punking everybody.
Because it's Elon Musk, it's hard to tell. Yes, he transformed the automobile industry with electric-car maker Tesla. His rocket ship company, SpaceX, reinvigorated an industry long dominated by plodding defense contractors such as Lockheed and Boeing. Remarkable accomplishments both.
But he's been sued for defamation, has defended himself by saying no one takes him literally and was fined by the government for making fraudulent business claims. On Twitter, where he regales his 80 million followers with a 24/7 stream of pure Musk, he's fashioned himself into a jokester, a provocateur, and, when the mood suits him, a clown.
