Science and TechSocial Media

Actions

Elon Musk says he is sleeping on couch at Twitter headquarters

Elon Musk talked about his time at Twitter, allegations of hate speech on the platform and possibly selling the company.
Image of Elon Musk
Posted at 5:07 PM, Apr 12, 2023

Elon Musk claims he has been spending a lot of time at work.  

Musk, who purchased Twitter for $44 billion in 2022, told the British Broadcasting Corporation that it's not uncommon for him to spend the night at Twitter headquarters in San Francisco. 

"There's a library that nobody goes to on the seventh floor and there's a couch there, and I sleep there sometimes," he said.

Musk gave a wide-ranging interview to the BBC on Wednesday amid criticism. He has recently been criticized for labeling the BBC as a "government-funded" media organization. The broadcaster says it's funded by the public, which pays the government a licensing fee. 

Musk agreed to change the label. As of Wednesday, the BBC's official Twitter account no longer said it was "government-funded." 

NPR headquarters.

NPR leaves Twitter after being labeled as 'government-funded media'

NPR says it won't use Twitter anymore and directed its audience to find it on other social media outlets.

LEARN MORE

Musk has made numerous changes at Twitter that have upset his critics. He granted former President Donald Trump access to his account. Trump's account was suspended following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Despite having access again, Trump has yet to tweet since having his account reinstated. 

Musk, who says he is an advocate for free speech, has also faced criticism from users who believe Twitter has become a place where hate speech has run rampant. 

Musk published part of the interview on his Twitter account in which the BBC reporter was unable to give him an example of speech that users claim should be moderated. 

However, the BBC later said in an article that it has analyzed "1,000 previously-banned accounts that had been let back on Twitter after Mr. Musk's takeover, and found that since being reinstated, over a third of them had spread abuse or misinformation."

Musk appears content, at least for right now, with his purchase of Twitter. He said he'd only sell the company if the buyer was committed to pursuing the truth.

Musk shows 'w' painted over on sign at Twitter's headquarters

Musk shows 'w' painted over on sign at Twitter's headquarters

Elon Musk tweeted a photo of the 'w' in the Twitter sign covered up on the company's building in San Francisco.

LEARN MORE