Activist investor Carl Icahn told The Wall Street Journal that he’s excited about Twitter. That might seem counter-intuitive coming from a man that has just 20 tweets, but Icahn believes the platform has the potential to raise awareness among shareholders about problems with the corporate governance system and even lead to legislative reform.
Icahn started tweeting in June while in the midst of a battle with Dell founder Michael Dell over the future of the PC maker and has since attracted over 77,000 followers. Earlier on Monday, Icahn tweeted that he was giving up his fight against Michael Dell and Silver Lake.
Interestingly, his vision of organizing shareholders to become more cognizant of their investments fits very closely with Twitter’s efforts to build a “global town square.”
While Icahn cites the potential for corporate governance reform fueling his interest in Twitter, his use of the service has also helped him make quite a bit of money recently. In August, Icahn announced via Twitter that he had taken a “large position” in Apple. That tweet helped drive a 4.75 percent bump in Apple stock. Shares are up a total of 8.43 percent since then.
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Icahn’s comments are also bound to prompt speculation on whether he’ll make the move to invest in Twitter itself. After all, he did arrive on the service by proclaiming that he likes Twitter “almost as much” as he likes Dell.
Buzz continues to build around a Twitter IPO, with recent rumors suggesting that the company has been talking to banks about the process. Reports have suggested that Twitter CEO Dick Costolo is hoping a public offering would be kept “low profile.”
Image credit: AFP / Getty Images
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