Social Media Buzz: Elon Musk, Exxon Mobil, Jeopardy!

(Bloomberg) -- What’s buzzing on social media this morning:

BUZZING COMPANIES

Elon Musk says he asked Bill Gates via text message if he had shorted Tesla stock after the Microsoft co-founder approached him about philanthropy. When asked on Twitter if a screenshot of text messages, allegedly between the two billionaires, was real, the Tesla CEO responded “yeah,” adding “but I didn’t leak it to the NYT.” A spokesperson for Bill Gates was not immediately available for comment about the exchange. Musk has previously said he thinks Gates has a short position on Tesla and has called conversations with him “underwhelming.”

Exxon Mobil plans to prohibit the LGBTQ-rights flag from being flown on its corporate flagpole outside its Houston, Texas, offices during Pride month in June, Bloomberg reported. The guidance banning “external position flags” also includes Black Lives Matter and Pride flags. The rule permits a flag representing an LGBTQ employees’ group that does not prominently feature Exxon’s corporate logo. 

The move prompted backlash from Houston-based employees. The company said the policy is aimed at “neutrality.” “The updated flag protocol is intended to clarify the use of the ExxonMobil branded company flag and not intended to diminish our commitment to diversity and support for employee resource groups,” a company official said.

BUZZING HEADLINES

A 23-year-old contestant on the game show Jeopardy!, Mattea Roach, secured her 14th win on Friday. With her total winnings at $320,081, she has become eighth on the all-time consecutive games list. She took home $34,000 in her 14th game. 

U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin says upcoming public hearings on the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol “will tell a story that will really blow the roof off the house,” NBC News reported. The bipartisan panel investigating the violence, including whether former President Donald Trump knowingly misled his supporters about the results of the 2020 election, has interviewed over 800 people, Raskin said at a Georgetown University event.

St. George’s Day, commemorating the death of the patron saint who lore has it slayed a dragon, is on Saturday. The day, which isn’t a public holiday, is a celebration of England’s national saint. The flag, a red cross on a white field, traces its origins to the emblem of the City of London in the 12th century -- the flag was used in King Richard I’s Crusade and thereafter became a symbol of Englishness.

Beyond England, St. George is the patron saint of Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania, Portugal and some Spanish communities. St. George’s Day is celebrated on the same day as the anniversary of William Shakespeare’s birthday and death. 

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