London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Elon Musk says his dog is now Twitter's CEO - as company's name gets quietly changed

Elon Musk says his dog is now Twitter's CEO - as company's name gets quietly changed

Prior to his takeover, Elon Musk spoke of an ambition to turn Twitter into "X, the everything app". According to a court document filed in California, and a subsequent tweet by Musk, that plan is beginning to take shape.

Elon Musk has said his dog has replaced him as Twitter's chief executive after appearing to back away from a pledge to step down.

The billionaire SpaceX boss took over the day-to-day running of the social media platform after buying it for $44bn (£38bn) last October.

After a tumultuous start to his tenure, which included thousands of staff sacked and warnings from regulators, Musk appeared to commit to quitting as CEO.

He set a Twitter poll in motion last December, writing: "Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll."

Reminded of the pledge during an impromptu live BBC interview on Tuesday, Musk said: "I did stand down. I keep telling you I'm not the CEO of Twitter, my dog is the CEO of Twitter."

Musk, 51, has regularly made light of the controversy surrounding his stewardship of Twitter, and recently replaced its recognisable bird logo with the icon of cryptocurrency Dogecoin - a Shiba Inu like his dog Floki.

The "w" in Twitter was also removed from signage outside the company's San Francisco headquarters.

Musk's rare interview

Musk's BBC interview was broadcast in a Twitter Spaces call, and came after the broadcaster objected to being labelled "government-funded media" on the platform.

The BBC said it was arranged at short notice and took place at the firm's HQ.

Musk is regularly critical of media outlets, and recently removed The New York Times' verification tick after the newspaper said it would not pay to keep it.

Accounts will soon have to be signed up to subscription service Twitter Blue to have a blue checkmark.

After numerous false starts, Musk has said legacy checkmarks will finally be removed on 20 April. Journalists are among the accounts set to be impacted.


 Running Twitter 'a rollercoaster'

Having remained CEO, Musk admitted running Twitter had been "quite a rollercoaster" - and suggested he only went through with the takeover because a judge would have forced him to.

Musk had tried to back out after making his initial offer in April 2022, prompting Twitter to sue.

He said he has around 1,500 employees left after last year's mass lay-offs. Among those let go were engineers responsible for preventing service outages, sources told Reuters news agency.

Twitter has suffered several bugs and outages since the turn of the year, according to internet watchdog group NetBlocks, but Musk said any problems had not lasted long.

Musk also rejected claims that there had been a rise in hate speech and misinformation on Twitter.

Is a new name imminent?

The interview came as it emerged Twitter Inc no longer exists as a company.

According to a court document filed in California, it has been merged into a firm dubbed X Corp.

Musk appeared to confirm the move by tweeting an "X".

 Prior to his takeover, Musk spoke of an ambition to turn Twitter into "X, the everything app".

The vague idea has been compared China's WeChat, which combines features such as messaging, a marketplace, and public Twitter-style posts into one place.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×