On Wednesday, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk was cleared of wrongdoing in a highly publicized securities fraud trial involving a tweet he posted in 2018.
The tweet, which Musk sent out in August 2018, said he had “funding secured” to take Tesla private. The tweet led to an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which accused Musk of making false and misleading statements.
However, a jury in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan found that Musk was not liable for the tweet, and that the statement was not meant to be taken literally.
The jury’s decision is being seen as a victory for Musk, who had argued that the tweet was merely an expression of his optimism about the potential for taking Tesla private.
The trial was closely watched by the business world, as it was seen as a test of the limits of free speech for high-profile executives like Musk.
The decision was welcomed by Musk’s supporters, who argued that the SEC was overreaching in its attempt to punish Musk for the tweet.
The case has now come to a close, and Musk can now focus on his other projects, such as the development of SpaceX and Tesla’s new electric vehicle.