Lawyers for Elon Musk and Twitter Inc. are sparring over how a whistle-blower’s accusations could affect the outcome of Musk’s proposed $44 billion takeover of the social media platform.

Retail investors piled into Twitter Inc. stock on Thursday, after the world’s richest person and head of Tesla Inc. roiled the financial world with an audacious bid to purchase the company for $43 billion. Musk later expressed doubt about whether the blockbuster deal will succeed, but that didn’t do much to deter non-professional traders.

The world’s richest person will offer $54.20 per share in cash, valuing Twitter at about $43 billion. The social media company’s shares initially soared in pre-market trading before falling slightly to about $48, after investors began to assess how one of the platform’s most outspoken users will succeed in his takeover attempt.

Twitter shares surged as much as 26% after Musk’s purchase was revealed Monday in a regulatory filing, the stock’s biggest intraday increase in more than four years. The stake is worth about $2.89 billion, based on Friday’s market close.