Musk takes the stand over 2018 Tesla tweet

STORY: Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Friday defended himself in a fraud trial over a tweet he made in 2018… testifying that investors do not always react to his Twitter messages as he expects.

Musk said (quote): "Just because I tweet something does not mean people believe it, or will act accordingly.”

His testimony was less than 30 mins. It began with Musk answering questions about his use of Twitter, but he was not asked about his 2018 tweet that he was considering taking Tesla private and that he had "funding secured."

The San Francisco federal court adjourned until Monday.

That’s when Musk is expected to address why he has insisted he had Saudi investor backing to take Tesla private, which never occurred.

He’s also expected to speak on whether he knowingly made a materially misleading statement with his tweet.

The case is a rare securities class action trial and the plaintiffs have already cleared high legal hurdles, with the judge ruling last year that Musk's funding post was untruthful and reckless.

Shareholders allege that Musk lied with his tweet... and that it cost investors millions.

Earlier on Friday, an investor told the jury that "funding secured" meant to him that "there had been some vetting, some critical review of those funding sources."

Ultimately, a jury of six men and three women will decide whether the tweet artificially inflated Tesla's share price by playing up the status of funding for the deal, and if so, by how much.