ALBAWABA - Twitter's owner Elon Musk said he’s been sleeping on a 7th floor couch in a San Francisco Twitter Library and even joked about making his dog Floki the CEO.
The comment came in a spontaneous interview with the BBC, which had objected to Twitter that its main account had been labelled "government-funded," while the reputable England-based news organization insists that it is "publicly-funded."
BBC has often been accused of adopting the government's line in its reporting. The news organization rejects the claim.
Elon Musk just said he's sleeping on a 7th floor couch in a Twitter library, sparred with a BBC journalist over prevalence of misinfo on Twitter (telling him "You just lied!"), declared his dog is CEO of the company and said "Covid is no longer an issue" https://t.co/BbSFxwX8vn
— Faiz Siddiqui (@faizsays) April 12, 2023
In the interview with BBC correspondent James Clayton, Musk said he always wanted to be as "truthful and accurate as possible." He said: "I think we're adjusting the label to be publicly-funded, which I think is not too objectionable. We're trying to be accurate."
He said he has the "utmost respect for BBC."
The BBC asserted last week that it is, and "always has been, independent." It explained that the outlet is "funded by the British public through the lisence fee."
Musk Dismisses Concerns About Misinfo And Hate On Twitter, Jokes His Dog Floki Is CEO Now https://t.co/ZH4acQwPSi pic.twitter.com/gRVjKSPD5n
— Forbes (@Forbes) April 12, 2023
Twitter's website defined "government-funded media" as an outlet where there may be "varying degrees of government involvement over editorial content."
In the middle of the interview, Musk informed Clayton that he was “not CEO anymore…my dog Floki has taken over," according to Forbes.
Earlier this week, Musk changed the Twitter app logo from a blue bird to a Shiba Inu dog, prompting a 30-percent surge Monday in the price of the Dogecoin.
Musk, who agreed to step down in December after a nonscientific Twitter poll declared he should, said he had abided by that pledge.
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 12, 2023
“I did stand down,” he said. “I keep telling you I’m not the CEO of Twitter, my dog is the CEO of Twitter.” https://t.co/jauvu0YLKh