Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Dozens of jurors have been dismissed from tech billionaire Elon Musk’s civil trial regarding his actions during his takeover of Twitter, now known as X, after his own lawyer admitted so many Americans “hate him.” A group of investors is suing Musk in a San Francisco federal court for allegedly making misleading statements about bot accounts on Twitter, causing its stock price to plummet. His comments were made during his drama-filled $44 million acquisition of Twitter. Nine jurors were picked out of a pool of 93 Americans in a selection process that took more than five hours Thursday, Bloomberg Law reports. Nearly 40 prospective jurors were quickly removed after they said they would not be able to push aside their biases. open image in gallery Dozen of jurors have been dismissed from tech billionaire Elon Musk’s civil trial regarding his actions during his takeover of Twitter, now known as X, after his own lawyer admitted so many Americans 'hate him' (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images) Musk’s attorney, Stephen Broome, raised concerns about the ire prospective jurors had toward his client. Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is the richest person in the world. He thrust himself into the political spotlight during his stint as the head of President Donald Trump’s federal workforce-cutting Department of Government Efficiency. “We have so many people in the venire who hate him so much that we’re becoming desensitized,” Broome said, per Bloomberg Law. He explained that if a prospective juror said they hated the defendant in any other case, they would definitely be eliminated. open image in gallery A group of investors is suing Musk for allegedly making misleading statements about bot accounts on Twitter during his drama-filled acquisition (Twitter account of Elon Musk/AFP via Getty Images) But U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer said this isn’t like any other case, likening Musk to “the president of the United States,” according to reports. “He is a public figure, and as a public figure, he will excite views, strong views. The question is whether or not they can set them aside,” Breyer said. open image in gallery Musk thrust himself into the political spotlight during his stint as the head of President Donald Trump’s federal workforce-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) Musk reached a deal to buy Twitter in April 2022. The deal eventually went through in October of that year, but not before Musk made his indecision over the acquisition publicly known. On May 13, 2022, Musk tweeted that the deal was on hold “pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of users.” Twitter shares fell a staggering 9.6 percent that day. The class action trial between Musk and Twitter investors is expected to begin on March 2 and last for two weeks. More about