Twitter Takeover Was Brash and Fast, With Musk Calling the Shots

It was one of the most frenzied and unpredictable takeover bids ever, with Elon Musk sealing a deal to acquire Twitter Inc. for $44 billion within weeks of anyone even knowing he was an investor.

A month ago, Musk’s main connection to the social media platform was as a prolific user. From there he outed himself as Twitter’s largest shareholder, before becoming a short-lived prospective board member, a hostile suitor and finally a successful dealmaker -- tweeting dozens of times along the way.

The transaction came together at breakneck speed in part because Musk waived the chance to look ...