Why Twitter / X, Literally Now Owned by Saudi, [But] Censored Every Palestinian Attempt, Every Palestinian Keyword
This week, Judge Susan Illston of the Northern District of California ruled in favor of a motion to intervene that I filed in a civil case called Anoke v. Twitter in order to unseal a list of X’s shareholders. X’s lawyers filed the list under seal last year in one of the many civil lawsuits resulting from Elon Musk’s chaotic takeover of Twitter and his mass firing of thousands of employees. After Judge Illston’s ruling, the list soon appeared on the court docket (apparently it’s just a matter of a clerk clicking to change permissions on a limited-access filing) and was reported on first by the Washington Post and then in many other publications.
I’ll get to the contents of the list below, but please allow for a little throat-clearing and context-setting.
I was able to get this document thanks to the generous help and smart lawyering of Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP), a storied legal organization devoted to pro bono First Amendment work. If you’re a journalist looking to get a document unsealed or if you have a First Amendment concern, reach out to them.
The case in which we intervened, Anoke v. Twitter, is just one of many X-related civil suits wending their way through the courts — from the four fired executives suing for $128 million to lower level employees who didn’t receive promised severance or claim that they were forced to break laws to fulfill Musk’s mercurial edicts (turn Twitter HQ into an employee hotel, mount a giant blazing X on the roof without permits, etc).
Not only does Musk owe a lot of money to his creditors, but he’s knee-deep in litigation that one might argue would never have been necessary had he abided by existing legal agreements, contracts, and labor law. Yes, it can save money in the short-term to stiff your landlord and cloud provider, or to forego state law-mandated severance payments. But it creates a lot of billable hours for lawyers and expensive potential settlements, along with the threat of regulatory enforcement. (As for reputational damage, Musk doesn’t seem to care.)
Musk, who decries lawfare, has aggressively pursued his own brand of it — from financing Gina Carano’s lawsuit against Disney to suing the National Labor Relations Board when it began an enforcement process against SpaceX for firing eight engineers who signed a letter criticizing Musk’s sexism. And there’s much more. “Musk and his companies have filed at least 23 lawsuits in federal courts alone since July of 2023,” according to Fortune.
With so many lawsuits before him, it’s almost inevitable that X’s lawyers would have to file sensitive company information with a court. Litigants have asked for a shareholder disclosure list to see if the judge has any conflict of interest and to see which entities might be impacted by an adverse ruling against X. Whenever possible, they seek to filed this information under seal to prevent its dissemination.
The list X filed with the court mentions 95 names and legal entities. Some of them are familiar names for Musk-watchers: Andreessen Horowitz, 8VC, Jack Dorsey, Ross Gerber, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Sequoia, et al. There are 26 entries related to Fidelity, the mutual fund colossus. There’s Larry Ellison, the Oracle founder and one of the richest people in the world, along with Sean Combs Capital (yup). There’s Vy Capital, the UAE-based venture capital firm, and something called Q Tetris Holdings LLC, whose directors seem to be part of the Qatari government. Binance, the global crypto giant which recently paid a $4.3 billion fine to the US government for facilitating money laundering by terrorist groups and sanctioned entities, is listed an X investor. (Binance’s CEO, Changpeng Zhao, pleaded guilty to money laundering violations and is finishing up a short stint in federal prison.)
There are two entries for Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal and another for his Kingdom Holding Company, which was the largest outside shareholder of Twitter when it was a public company.
Prince Alwaleed briefly opposed Musk’s takeover — prompting some gentle sparring on Twitter — but he soon came around. Given Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s years-long crackdown against dissent and powerful businessmen and political rivals — which included imprisoning and torturing hundreds of prominent Saudis, including Prince Alwaleed, in Riyadh’s Ritz Carlton hotel — it’s likely that MBS controls those shares.
The question of the Saudi government’s ongoing relationship with X and Musk is essential, especially with Saudi security services still regularly doxing online dissidents — or merely everyday people with few online followers who post the slightest critique — and then imprisoning, torturing, and killing them. There are yet more ongoing lawsuits against Twitter for failing to stop the Saudi spy ring operating inside Twitter and serving up its most vulnerable users to a brutal dictatorship.
McKinsey, the consulting firm, is a defendant in one of these cases for its role in producing for the Saudi government a list of prominent Saudis on Twitter — which essentially became a list of targets for regime enforcers.
While the list doesn’t include ownership amounts, it is valuable because these are the official legal names of the entities who own a piece of X. That’s a great starting point for journalists, researchers, regulators, activists, and anyone else who wants to know what’s going on behind the scenes of this important company. What are some of these obscure overseas companies and trusts? What’s Shahidi Tactic Group LLC? How does Andrea Stroppa, a young Italian cybersecurity professional who talks to Musk regularly on X and claims to have helped addressed the site’s issues with child exploitation, own a piece of the company? Why didn’t Musk’s close associates like David Sacks and Antonio Gracias not pitch in money?
X Shareholder List, as of 6/9/23
8VC Opportunities Fund II, L.P.
ADREM X LLC
ADREM Y LLC
Afshar Partners, LP
Andrea Stroppa
Andreessen Horowitz LSV Fund III, L.P.
Anthem Ventures, LLC
ARK Venture Private Holdings LLC
BAMCO, Inc.
Bandera Fund LLC
Baron Opportunity Fund
Baron Partners Fund
Binance Capital Management Co., Ltd
Brookfield Project X L.P.
CCM 2020 Investments LLC
Cheng and Chen Family Trust
CNK Fund IV, L.P.
Danilo Kawasaki
Dayton Family Enterprises, LLC
Dayton Family Investments, LLC
DFJ GROWTH IV, L.P.
DFJ GROWTH IV PARALLEL FUND, LLC
DFJ GROWTH X-I, L.P.
Eden Relationship Capital L.P.
Elon Musk as Trustee of the Elon Musk Revocable Trust dated July 22, 2003
FIAM Target Date Blue Chip Growth Commingled Pool By: Fidelity Institutional Asset Management Trust Company as Trustee
Fidelity Blue Chip Growth Commingled Pool By: Fidelity Management Trust Company, as Trustee
Fidelity Blue Chip Growth Institutional Trust By its manager Fidelity Investments Canada ULC
Fidelity Canadian Growth Company Fund by its manager Fidelity Investments Canada ULC
Fidelity Central Investment Portfolios LLC: Fidelity U.S. Equity Central Fund - Communication Services Sub
Fidelity Contrafund: Fidelity Advisor New Insights Fund - Sub A
Fidelity Contrafund: Fidelity Advisor New Insights Fund - Sub B
Fidelity Contrafund: Fidelity Contrafund
Fidelity Contrafund: Fidelity Contrafund K6
Fidelity Contrafund: Fidelity Series Opportunistic Insights Fund
Fidelity Contrafund Commingled Pool By: Fidelity Management Trust Company, as Trustee
Fidelity Destiny Portfolios: Fidelity Advisor Diversified Stock Fund
Fidelity Global Growth and Value Investment Trust - Sub A By its manager Fidelity Investments Canada ULC:
Fidelity Global Innovators Investment Trust by its manager Fidelity Investments Canada ULC
Fidelity Growth Company Commingled Pool By: Fidelity Management Trust Company, as Trustee
Fidelity Insights Investment Trust By its manager Fidelity Investments Canada ULC
Fidelity Mt. Vernon Street Trust: Fidelity Growth Company Fund
Fidelity Mt. Vernon Street Trust : Fidelity Growth Company K6 Fund
Fidelity Mt. Vernon Street Trust: Fidelity Series Growth Company Fund
Fidelity OTC Commingled Pool By: Fidelity Management Trust Company, as Trustee
Fidelity Puritan Trust: Fidelity Puritan Fund - Equity Sub B
Fidelity Puritan Trust: Puritan K6 Fund - Equity Subportfolio
Fidelity Securities Fund: Fidelity Blue Chip Growth Fund
Fidelity Securities Fund: Fidelity Blue Chip Growth K6 Fund
Fidelity Securities Fund: Fidelity OTC K6 Portfolio
Fidelity Securities Fund: Fidelity OTC Portfolio
Fidelity Select Portfolios : Select Communication Services Portfolio
G64 Ventures LLC
Gerber Kawasaki Inc.
GFNCI LLC
Gigafund 0.21, LP
Glacier Ventures LLC
Go Mav, LLC
HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud
HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud
IMG US, LLC
Jack Dorsey Remainder LLC
Jack Dorsey Tr Ua 12/08/2010 Jack Dorsey Revocable Trust
Kingdom Holding Company
Lawrence J. Ellison Revocable Trust
Linda Ye and Robin Ren Family Foundation
Litani Ventures
Luchi Fiduciaria SR POS. 365
Manhattan Venture Partners X LLC
Mirae Asset Innovation X ONE, LLC
Mirae Asset Project X Fund I, LP
Olivier Janssens
Q Tetris Holding LLC
Ross Gerber
Santo Lira LLC
SC CDA1 LLC
SCGE Fund, L.P.
SCGGF III – U.S./India Management, L.P.
SCHF (M) PV, L.P.
Scott Nolan
SC US/E Expansion Fund I Management, L.P.
Sean Combs Capital, LLC
Sequent (Schweiz) AG as Trustee of the Debala Trust
Sequioa Capital Fund, L.P.
Series N Dis, a series of Atreides Special Circumstances Fund, LLC
Shahidi Tactic Group, LLC
Steve Davis
T. One Holdings LLC
The Pershing Square Foundation
TM33 Partner Holdings LLC
Tresser Blvd 402 LLC
UnipolSai S.P.A.
Variable Insurance Products Fund II: VIP Contrafund Portfolio - Subportfolio A
VYC25 Limited
X Holdings I Investment, LLC
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Again, by Jennifer Koonings, one brightest member CODEPINK Alert
Jennifer Kooning and her friend Samantha, and also another codepink CODEPINK Alert CODEPINK’s Newsletter founding member Ann Wright ann Wright
co founder CODEPINK
At least 12-13 days Jennifer Koonings, PMHNP, MS, MS, NYSAFE , one brilliant CODEPINK Alert CODEPINK’s Newsletter under Medea Benjamin, hunger strike outside White House in the wake US complicit Genocidal Gaza. This is [click link] her writing as member of CODEPINK Alert CODEPINK’s Newsletter. Jennifer is Certified Forensic Examiner for Adults and Children, really full knowledge about sexual assault, such as sexual assault by Israel to every Palestinian, like NYT reporting [photo uploaded].
We as Muslim prohibited to fasting at least 6 days for entire year [365, or 366 in leap year]. 2 Days Eid Fitr / Eid el-Fitr [1 Shawwal and 2 Shawwal / Syawal Syawwal], Day of Eid Adha / Eid el-Adha [10 Dzulhijjah / Dhul-Hijjah - today], and days of Tashriq [11th, 12th and 13th Dhul-Hijjah / Dzulhijjah, or in Gregorian Calendar 2024, the days of Tashriq means 17-19 June]. But doesn’t mean prohibited for ‘less eating or hunger strike.’ As sacrifice in DC at least 13 days by Jennifer Koonings just because her protest about Gaza, I keep ‘eating less’ not only for her but also for Palestine, at least until 19 June. And for June 20th, back again for nonmandatory fasting, normally 17-18 hours, as even Jennifer, with her gut, sacrifice herself for Gaza. Wisdom quote I hear since war [Israel - Gaza] nonstop ‘’...You can't make people care about a genocide happening right in front of their eyes. They either do immediately, or a chip is missing up there, and they never will.’
For solidarity, since she started to hunger strike, I put myself eat 1 very tiny plate/day for break the fasting and for entire day after, extreme fasting 16.5 hours [based on my location]. I’m still continued for hunger strike, because its very easy. In last 17 years, I already [minimum] 340 days / year to fasting [29 - 30 days for mandatory fasting for muslim, ramadan session, the rest is voluntary fasting / sunnah]. Photo Jennifer with ann Wright, retired retired US Army and also [Ann] retired State Department. Sometimes I’m fasting up to 22 hours / day because forgot to break my fasting.
Medea Benjamin Medea Benjamin Medea’s Substack and Jennifer Koonings Medea Benjamin
footage by CODEPINK Alert CODEPINK’s Newsletter, multiple nurses in DC, after humanitarian duty in Gaza
![Dem Operatives: [Best Hope] 'JOEVER' Biden Died Naturally, Immediately, Better, to 'Change the Horse'](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff7d57ea0-bc62-4f54-8043-64ceeca7124c_470x468.png "Dem Operatives: [Best Hope] 'JOEVER' Biden Died Naturally, Immediately, Better, to 'Change the Horse'")
Please keep donating to [1] PCRF / Palestine Children’s Relief Fund or [2] Freedom Flotilla.
As PCRF pictures by Dr Rajha in Gaza, Ariana Grande - Butera, and CODEPINK Alert
Jennifer Koonings PMHNP, MS, MS, NYSAFE part of CODEPINK AlertJen
Unlike Israeli and pro zionist student [very easy] get a money [thanks for multiple billionaire], contrary, Palestinian very hard to get a money [like encampments across the world]. Link attached by CODEPINK Alert Jen Jennifer Koonings PMHNP, MS, MS, NYSAFE is Nagham, same healthcare worker like Jennifer but in Palestine. 3 Months ago is Nagham’s birthday. Link to donate. Nagham is still alive.
Link to help journalist Abdelrahman Alkahout, Reshare by CODEPINK Alert
Jen Jennifer Koonings, PMHNP, MS, MS, NYSAFE. Abdelrahman is still alive after Rafah bombing 3 weeks ago
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Yellow Flower, Jennifer Koonings in Betlehem [around 3pm local time West Bank, 5 weeks ago], nearly same exact result voting UNGA [11.17am NYC - Rockefeller Building of United Nations], 143 votes in favor, nine against, and 25 abstentions for Palestinian membership.
Footage by mine. Minutes before Jennifer
Jennifer Koonings literally singing also for foundation - charity movement Sing for Hope. How golden heart.
her mine
My mine. Doppelganger cat
Love you, Jennifer Koonings PMHNP, MS, MS, NYSAFE. Dont know how deteriorated of you after Hunger Strike