Elon Musk, who bought Twitter last autumn for US$44bn, has engaged in a candid interview with the BBC's James Clayton, discussing various topics ranging from the challenges of owning Twitter to his habit of tweeting after 3.00am.
Key points from the interview included:
- Musk admitted that he bought Twitter because he believed a judge would force him to complete the transaction, something he had not previously disclosed.
- The billionaire confirmed that Twitter's label on the BBC would be changed to "publicly funded" after a recent dispute over the incorrect "government-funded" tag.
- Musk mentioned working on clamping down on misinformation and addressing concerns about the rise of hate speech on the platform.
- He revealed that Twitter is "roughly" breaking even, a claim that could not be immediately verified.
- Musk called for the creation of an AI regulatory body to ensure AI does not pose a danger to the public.
- During the interview, Musk also defended a man convicted of tricking people out of their vote in the 2016 US presidential election, calling the conviction "over the top."
The interview provided a rare glimpse into Musk's thoughts on various issues and his plans for Twitter.