Elon Musk

The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, and Musk will take questions directly from Twitter employees, the source added.

The news, first reported by Business Insider, comes after Twitter said last week that it anticipated a shareholder vote on the sale by early August.

A Twitter spokesperson confirmed that Musk would attend the company all-hands meeting this week.

Ever since Musk's takeover bid, many Twitter employees have expressed concerns that the billionaire's erratic behavior could destabilize the social media company's business, and hurt it financially.

In a letter filed with regulators, Mr Musk said he was entitled to do his own measurement of spam accounts.

The letter formalises a dispute that has simmered for weeks after Mr Musk declared the deal "on hold" pending further information.

Twitter has defended its estimates.

But Mr Musk has said he believes spam and fake accounts represent a far greater share than the less than 5% of daily users that Twitter reports publicly.

The new policy was shared in emails that were leaked to social media.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment on the messages, one of which appeared to be addressed to executives.

People who are unwilling to abide by the new rules can "pretend to work somewhere else" Mr Musk said on Twitter, when asked about the policy.

"Everyone at Tesla is required to spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week," he wrote in one of the emails. "If you don't show up, we will assume you have resigned."

Mr Musk tweeted that the deal "cannot move forward" unless Twitter backs up its claims that less than 5% of daily users are fake or spam accounts.

Twitter has defended its figures, adding that Mr Musk waived rights to "due diligence" to clinch the deal.

The spat has raised doubts about the takeover.

Analysts have speculated that Mr Musk may be looking for ways to renegotiate the price of the deal or walk away.

The richest man in the world agreed a $NZ70 billion takeover bid with the Twitter board last month.

But he said it was not a done deal and that ideally it would be completed in the next two to three months.

Twitter's decision to ban the former US president was "morally wrong and flat-out stupid", Musk told the Financial Times Future of the Car summit.

In January 2021, Twitter said Trump's account was "permanently suspended ... due to the risk of further incitement of violence" following the storming of the Capitol.

Musk, who made the shock bid less than two weeks ago, has claimed he is the right person to "unlock" the social media firm's "extraordinary potential".

He has suggested a series of changes from relaxing its content restrictions to eradicating fake accounts.

The firm initially rebuffed Musk's bid, but it will now ask shareholders to vote to approve the deal.

In a surprise announcement, Musk said he would pay $54.20 a share for Twitter, valuing it at about $41b.

It recently emerged that Musk was Twitter's biggest shareholder after he built up a large stake in the firm.

He said that if his offer was not accepted: "I would need to reconsider my position as a shareholder".

A filing with the US financial regulator appeared to show text and/or voice messages from Musk to Twitter's board, showing that he had raised the idea at the weekend that the business should go private.

The ultimate aim of Musk's 73.5 million share purchase worth $2.9 billion, based on the closing price Friday, is not clear. Yet in recent weeks Musk, who has 80 million Twitter followers and posts there often, has questioned free speech on Twitter and whether the platform is undermining democracy.

The regulatory filing Monday describes Musk as a long-term investor looking to minimize his buying and selling of the shares.

It comes days after he asked his 63 million Twitter followers whether he should sell 10% of his stake in Tesla.

The company's shares fell by around 16% in the two days after the poll came out in favour of him selling shares, before regaining some ground on Wednesday.

Tesla is the world's most valuable carmaker, with a stock market valuation of more than $1tn.

Mr Musk sold more than 930,000 shares in the company, about 0.5% of his stake, according to filings with the US stock market regulator.

The 49-year-old told viewers he was "the first person with Asperger's" to host the long-running programme - to loud cheers from the audience.

People with Asperger's interpret the environment around them differently to other people.

It is thought to be the first time Mr Musk has spoken about his condition.

The tech boss was guest hosting the sketch show - a coveted role that has been filled by an array of celebrities since SNL's inception in the 1970s. These include Adele, Chris Rock, Ringo Starr, and Will Ferrell.