United Kingdom, March 5 -- Elon Musk has told a jury that "people read too much" into his social media posts.

The world's richest man was defending himself against claims from investors who have accused him of trying to manipulate markets with misleading messages in the lead-up to his purchase of Twitter in October 2022.

Musk explained that posts written after he had agreed a deal to buy the social media platform were "extremely literal" and not written with the aim of reducing the price that he would have to pay.

When asked if he had contemplated the impact of his posts, the Tesla tycoon said: "I was simply speaking my mind.

"People tend to read too much into things that I do."

At other points during the trial in San Francisco, Musk...