The billionaire’s takeover of the platform has been a very public disaster. The action behind the scenes was even crazier

Elon Musk‘s tumultuous takeover and rebranding of Twitter — now X — played out in very public fashion: the $44 billion offer, an attempt to walk it back, and a lawsuit that forced Musk to complete the deal were followed by massive layoffs, a spike in misinformation and extremism on the platform, botched updates, and the return of notorious bad actors whose accounts had been permanently suspended — as well as an exodus of the advertisers that account for the site’s revenue.

Through it all, Musk himself kept up the commentary on his profile, promising a new and improved app, posting cringeworthy memes, sniping at his critics, and mixing it up with his new MAGA-world friends while amplifying their false claims and conspiracy theories. But this ugly spectacle doesn’t tell the whole story. Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter, a new book out today from New York Times tech reporters Kate Conger and Ryan Mac, takes readers behind the scenes of the unusual acquisition and its messy consequences.