Musk buys job tool Laskie in first acquisition for Twitter

ELON Musk’s X, the parent company of Twitter, has made its first acquisition: a tech talent recruiting service called Laskie, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The deal, which was part equity and part cash, recently closed, the person said, asking to remain anonymous discussing a private transaction. The company matches tech talent with potential employers, saying on its website that its tool can “confirm mutual interest, set clear expectations, and give visibility into the hiring process”.

The acquisition marks one of the billionaire’s first major initiatives since he bought the social media service for US$44 billion in October. Most of Musk’s moves since then have shrunk the service, from firing much of its staff to reducing its server footprint.

Musk, who recently appointed a chief executive officer to improve the company’s reputation among advertisers, has said he plans to turn Twitter into an “everything app”, with a variety of features to entice new users including financial services.

It’s unclear how Musk plans to integrate Laskie into his holding company. As of Monday, its website displayed a message that “the Laskie platform is no longer available”. The company’s founder, Chris Bakke, is a prolific tweeter of viral jokes and commentary on the tech industry, with more than 140,000 followers including Musk.

Axios earlier reported the acquisition. BLOOMBERG