Axios

Nintendo has delayed its first major expansion into film in decades, with its animated Super Mario movie postponed from December 2022 to April 2023.

Why it matters: It’s the latest delay hitting the company’s biggest projects, some of which are set to reinvent the gaming giant.

Activision Blizzard shareholders will vote Thursday about whether their company should sell to Microsoft, but they’re voting on even more than that.

Why it matters: The vote is both a referendum on a massive merger and the next step in an exploration of fairness and consequences at the corporate level.

Bitcoiners are an argumentative bunch, but if there's one thing they really want — as soon as possible — it's an exchange traded fund (ETF) that holds actual bitcoin in the United States.

Why it matters: An ETF would make it easy for the casual investor to hold a little bitcoin in the same account they hold stocks in. That's nice for those who want that.

The EU on Tuesday said that Twitter must "quickly adapt" to its rules on content moderation after Elon Musk, who has been vocal about freedom of speech on the platform, agreed to buy the company for $44 billion.

What they're saying: "Be it cars or social media, any company operating in Europe needs to comply with our rules — regardless of their shareholding," Thierry Breton, the EU's internal market commissioner, tweeted. "Mr Musk knows this well."

Two right-wing social media upstarts, Rumble and the parent company of Truth Social, last year agreed to be taken public by SPACs.

Fast forward: Rumble remains on track to complete its merger, and possibly to build more than just a niche alternative to YouTube. Truth Social's deal is stuck in limbo, and yesterday lost its raison d'être.

SonarSource, a Geneva-based code quality maintenance startup, raised $412 million at a $4.7 billion valuation co-led by Advent International and General Catalyst.

Why it matters: Perhaps only thing harder than writing source code is keeping it clean, particularly as new releases accelerate and proliferate.

Twitter's most precious asset isn't its technology, its business, its data, or its employees. What makes Twitter unique is the attention it has won from the media profession — and that is what Elon Musk bought for $44 billion Monday.

Catch up quick: Journalists fell in love with Twitter because it's a fast, open medium for sharing news. Then their presence on the platform transformed what was once just a buzzy, ephemeral social network into a conduit for world leaders, public institutions and social debates.

Right-wing politicians were among those most excited by Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter, while those expressing the most worry were groups representing women, people of color and the LGBTQ+ community.

Why it matters: While it is far too early to fully understand how Elon Musk's ownership will end up changing Twitter, it's worth noting who is most excited and who most fearful of the shift.

Twitter's board had a choice: Continue to fight Elon Musk or take the path of least resistance. It picked the latter, declaring victory and going home.

The big picture: Twitter is a very tough business to manage, with critics at every turn. The board decided to make it someone else's problem.

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey expressed his support for Elon Musk's acquisition of the social media giant on Monday.

Why it matters: Dorsey, who helped take Twitter public in 2013, made clear in his Twitter post that he saw Musk as the solution to the platform's future, saying of the company: "It has been owned by Wall Street and the ad model. Taking it back from Wall Street is the correct first step."

This originally appeared in Axios Finish Line — our healthy, helpful newsletter, hitting your inbox as the day winds down. Sign up here.

Elon Musk is running some of the most important platforms in media ... and electric cars ... and underground travel ... and private space trips ... and brain-implanted computer chips ... and batteries.

Why it matters: Name a person, perhaps outside the U.S. president, with more commercial and cultural clout.

• Spoiler: You can’t.

Jeff Bezos on Tuesday questioned Elon Musk's business interests in China in light of his billionaire space rival's Twitter bid.

Driving the news: Some commentators have raised concerns of potential Chinese government interference if Musk owned Twitter, given he has a Tesla factory in China. Bezos responded to one of these points on Twitter, raised by New York Times journalist Mike Forsythe's post:

• Representatives for Musk did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.