The software went into lockdown before the sale was agreed to, certainly as a precondition from Musk.
The lockdown is good. But who monitors and enforces the lockdown?
not to mention that software these days uses a repository that handles version control. Its part of how software companies control access to the source code and revert to older code if there is a problem with new code. Any change is traceable to a user and any change that is bad can be switched back to the known-good code in just a few minutes.
There was likely a huge escrow requirement. You can’t spend that much money and have one person destroy the entire company too easily. I’m sure it could be done like a WorldCom, but I’d say this is HIGHLY unlikely. The current people in charge just simply lost and will have to walk away otherwise face huge prison time if they sabotage such a deal.
“The software went into lockdown before the sale was agreed to, certainly as a precondition from Musk.”
Beyond that, anyone trying to be ‘cute’ will leave breadcrumbs and could easily find their entire lives ruined.
Time bombs could have been inserted when he first talked about the sale, with the intent that they could be removed if the sale fell through.