In a recent Twitter Space interview with the BBC, Elon Musk revealed for the first time the real reason why he bought Twitter, and how, contrary to popular belief, owning and managing Twitter has been a nightmare for him.
In a recent Twitter Space interview with the BBC, Elon Musk revealed for the first time the real reason why he bought Twitter, and how, contrary to popular belief, owning and managing Twitter has been a nightmare for him.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Twitter CEO Elon Musk has claimed that owning Twitter hasn’t been an easy experience, and contrary to popular belief, it has been a very painful experience for him.
In a sort of an impromptu interview with the BBC, Musk opened up about his time owning and managing Twitter, and what a struggle it has been. He also spoke at length about how the media in the US and the UK have been very harsh about him, and how, in certain countries, the media does dare to go after the powerful.
What was supposed to be an interview, soon turned out to be a town hall of sorts, with Musk taking questions from listeners as well. Because the interview was being broadcast over Twitter Spaces, a lot of people had joined in, about 3.3 million. We take a look at a few of the most pertinent questions that were brought up.
Why Musk bought Twitter
People have often made conjectures as to why did Elon buy Twitter in the first place, especially when he knew that it was going to be such a problem child for him. His response confirmed what most people following the messy acquisition of Twitter had been saying all along – that his hand was forced into buying the platform.
He was asked, why did he flip flop so many times before buying Twitter, and whether he went through with he acquisition because a judge would have forced him to do so. To this, Musk laughed and answered Yes.
A “rollercoaster ride”
When asked how his time at Twitter is going, Musk responded by saying, “It hasn’t been boring. It’s been a rollercoaster ride.” He claimed that things are going “reasonably well,” that use is increasing, and that “the site works.”
He admitted to certain errors, including occasional site outages. Musk also stated that the disruptions were brief and that the site is now operationally sound. Musk also discussed the cash flow problems that existed at Twitter when he took over, which led to his decision to lay off employees at the social media startup. He claimed there was a “$3 billion negative cash flow situation,” giving Twitter “four months to live.”
When Musk took over, advertisers also started to distance themselves from the platform. At one point, over half of Twitter’s top advertisers had pulled themselves from the platform. When he was asked about the advertisers who left when he took over, Musk replied that they’ve all either now come back or have said they will.
“No misinformation on Twitter”
During the interview, Musk was asked about misinformation being prevalent on the platform. At this, Musk became a little defensive.
Musk is pressed on whether Twitter is sufficiently policed, and if not, how this may leave the service exposed to disinformation spreading.
At this Musk responded by asking, “Who’s to say what’s right and wrong?”
The interviewer says that since Musk took charge, there has been an increase in “hateful content” on Twitter, to which Musk responds by challenging him and asking for an example.
Although there have been several studies that indicate the same, Musk continues to claim that if an example cannot be provided, the charge must be “false.”
Musk’s erratic relationship with the media
When questioned about the “emotional strain” of purchasing Twitter, Musk responded by saying that the media writing personal things about him is “hurtful.” He also admited to having an “odd” relationship with the media, describing it as “love-hate, perhaps more hate.”
“The media can trash me on a regular basis in the US and the UK,” he adds, adding that in certain nations “the media can’t say mean things about powerful people.” He followed this up by saying, that he believes it is good to have a free press in which he and other “powerful people” may be written about in such a way.
When pressed about his contention with The New York Times, and the fact that they lost their verified badge, Musk said “It’s a small sum of money, so I’m not sure what their problem is. Everyone will be treated equally.”
He went on to add that he doesn’t want Twitter to further elevate “some anointed class of journalists” who decide what constitutes news.
“I’m hoping that this will be a case of the public choosing the narrative rather than the media choosing the narrative.”
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.