Elon Musk: What it's like to interview the billionaire Twitter boss

Over the play I decided to driblet Elon Musk an email. He'd conscionable added a statement connected Twitter to a BBC relationship saying "government funded media". I thought I'd nonstop him a nexus to however the BBC is funded - predominantly done the licence fee.

"Is the Twitter statement accurate?" was the effect I got which came from Mr Musk, alternatively than a media team.

My exertion suggested I person a bash astatine asking for an interview. Why not person a go, we thought.

On Tuesday lunchtime I typed an email, requesting a chat astir his archetypal six months arsenic Twitter boss. To my surprise, helium responded.

"Sure, however astir tonight?" helium said.

I wasn't wholly definite if helium was being serious. I prepped for the interview, hoping it would hap - but wondering if it really would.

The curveball came conscionable earlier the interrogation - erstwhile Elon Musk's squad insisted the interrogation should beryllium unrecorded connected Twitter Spaces.

We responded saying if Twitter Spaces was going to beryllium live, past we'll enactment it connected the BBC transmission too. "Cool," helium said.

Straight disconnected the bat, it was wide helium was going to reply my questions.

"Did you bargain Twitter due to the fact that a tribunal was going to unit you to?" I asked.

He replied: "Yeah, yea I did". It was a startlingly frank reply - which acceptable the code for the interview.

A tribunal whitethorn person forced Mr Musk to bargain Twitter, due to the fact that helium made an connection for the societal media level past backed retired of the deal.

It's the archetypal clip Mr Musk has admitted that, even erstwhile helium walked into Twitter with that sink - each successful smiles - helium didn't truly privation it to happen. He'd alternatively person not bought the company.

Since helium has taken implicit Twitter, helium has laid disconnected ample swathes of his workforce and made what galore spot arsenic unorthodox concern decisions including introducing paid-for-verification. Many besides accidental Twitter has go a much unsafe level for users without capable due moderation.

The billionaire loves chaos and messing with the media. Several times it felt similar helium was trying to interrogation me.

Asking him whether Twitter had go a much hateful place, Mr Musk pushed maine to effort and sanction circumstantial examples I'd seen. He was enjoying it astatine this constituent

Twitter Spaces had 3 cardinal radical listening - according to his team.

I pointed retired that you can't person it some ways - a level that allows radical to station what they privation without being censored, surely besides disseminates misinformation?

But Mr Musk claimed reducing bots, which helium says helium is doing, volition trim misinformation. This felt similar his weakest answer.

We covered each sorts of subjects: from misinformation and the challenges of artificial quality to his emotion beingness and whether it was lonely to beryllium a billionaire. He told maine he'd often beryllium swarmed by men astatine parties talking astir projects - and that it was hard to spot people.

His answers were also, astatine times, absurd.

In 1 infinitesimal helium told maine his canine runs the company.

While helium wriggled retired of immoderate questions, determination were galore questions helium took the clip to consider.

For example, erstwhile I asked him whether helium believed TikTok should beryllium banned. He told maine that portion that would beryllium bully for Twitter - 1 little rival - helium was mostly against banning things.

I was expecting astatine the extremity of the interrogation for him to permission arsenic I asked him for "one much question", but helium did thing of the sort.

The interview, initially slated to beryllium 30 minutes, ended up moving for astir 90 minutes.

At the extremity helium said his goodbyes and went to his bureau to work. "I usually spell to slumber betwixt 3am and 6am," helium said.

As helium disappeared we reflected connected a whirlwind of an interrogation - and however nary of this would person happened if I hadn't sent that email.