Elon Musk's BBC interview attracts over 3 million listeners and addresses advertiser return and Twitter's future

Running Twitter for Musk is "quite painful" and "a rollercoaster".

During the interview, Musk claimed that most of the advertisers who abandoned Twitter after his $44 billion acquisition have returned, suggesting the struggling platform is regaining its footing. He reaffirmed that Twitter is operating at about breakeven and could become profitable as soon as this quarter.

Musk said he acquired Twitter last year after a battle with the company’s management and board, who at one point sued the entrepreneur to get him to close the deal. Despite being legally obliged to, he said he probably wouldn't sell Twitter even if offered the same price.

During the interview, Musk also discussed his thoughts about firing thousands, his greatest challenges in the past six months, and constantly shooting himself in the foot with impulsive tweets.

"I need bulletproof shoes"

He also addressed Twitter's future, stating that he doesn't see any social network surviving without paid verification, and that charging for blue check marks is the only workable way to avert misinformation bots swamping an online platform.

The interview touched on serious topics such as the handling of sexism, as well as absurd topics, with Musk repeatedly claiming that his dog is now Twitter's CEO. In a post-interview Q&A with Spaces listeners, Musk also addressed Twitter's merger with a newly formed shell firm called X Corp, stating that "Yes, there is something more to it," and that he still wants to build X, the everything app akin to Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s WeChat.

Despite the combative nature of the interview at times, the fact that over 3 million concurrent users tuned in to the almost two-hour-long conversation suggests a great deal of interest in Twitter's future under Musk's ownership.