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Judge finds evidence that Tesla, Musk knew about Autopilot defect
(www.reuters.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
No he didn't. The 1 billion fine was not a "get out of the contract" option.
https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/26/elon-musks-twitter-deal-includes-a-1-billion-termination-fee-on-both-sides/
There is an excerpt of the agreement in there. Seems pretty clear to me, but I'm open to hear your interpretation.
The 1 billion termination fee only applied in very specific circumstances. He couldn't just choose to pay it because he didn't want to go ahead with the purchase.
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/13/elon-musk-cant-just-walk-away-from-twitter-deal-by-paying-1-billion.html
Edit: Well, to be clear he actually he could decide to pay 1 billion and walk away but he would be opening himself up to a multi-billion dollar lawsuit from Twitter for breaking the contract.