Paramount Pictures had a strange moment on Tuesday when its official X account got hacked. As reported by Variety, the bio on the account said “proud arm of the fascist regime” for a short period of time. This happened right after news broke that David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount Skydance, made a hostile offer to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. The timing of the hack made the situation look even more dramatic.
Paramount’s account has more than three million followers, and the studio has not given any comment on the hack yet.
How The Paramount Warner Bros Bidding War Started
As per the report, the hack came only one day after Ellison launched a bold and aggressive offer to purchase WBD. His offer goes straight to the company with an all-cash bid of $30 per share.
This directly challenges Netflix, which had offered $27.75 per share along with a mix of cash and stock. Due to these big moves, the competition between the companies has become intense and emotional.
At the same time, many streamers, labour unions, and industry watchers fear that a merger like this could create major problems for the market. Their concerns grew even more when people started talking about Ellison’s close relationship with President Donald Trump.
Some believe Ellison’s push to buy WBD is connected to wanting Trump’s support, especially during federal reviews. Trump had already said that the Netflix-WBD deal “could be a problem” for the market, but he said this before Paramount jumped into the race.
Trump’s Role Behind The Scenes
Ellison reportedly felt confident because he believed he had a “Trump card.” Both he and his father, Larry Ellison, have a long friendship with Trump, and Trump has praised David Ellison since he took over Paramount in August.
Even Trump’s son-in-law is part of Ellison’s investor group, adding more political weight to the offer.
Meanwhile, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos secretly visited the White House earlier this year to talk with Trump. Larry Ellison also reportedly discussed CNN hosts whom Trump dislikes.
All of this shows how politics, business, and personal ties are mixing inside this billion-dollar fight.
