>Occasional interactions with @ElonMusk weren’t new to me or my team. One coworker used to direct-message him every few months asking for an interview—and to sn

>Occasional interactions with @ElonMusk weren’t new to me or my team. One coworker used to direct-message him every few months asking for an interview—and to sneakily promote my colleague’s book. Sometimes Musk even responded, claiming “New Scientist is my favorite periodical.” Little did we know this flirtation would lead to a takeover offer, on Twitter, for our science magazine one spring day in 2019. >After complaining about our publication’s paywall, Musk asked how much it would cost to just buy New Scientist outright. Ultimately, a deal didn’t happen—though the company was later sold to the Daily Mail Group for about 70 million pounds ($92 million). But Musk’s offer sent management scrambling over how to respond.