Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey took to his own platform Thursday to poke fun at the yes or no questions he was asked at a congressional hearing.
During a hearing before two subcommittees of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, several representatives asked Dorsey, Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai yes or no questions, and at times cut them off when the witnesses did not abide by their requests.
Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.), before posing a yes or no question, asked the witnesses if they “know the difference” between the words “yes” and “no.”
“I am going to ask you a ‘yes or no’ question, and just tell me if you know the difference in these two words, ‘yes’ and ‘no’,” Long said.
Dorsey, Zuckerberg and Pichai all responded “yes.”
Long thanked the witnesses, saying his colleagues did not think he could get them all to answer “yes” or “no” to a question, adding “I did it.”
Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) asked the witnesses if their platforms “bear some responsibility” for spreading misinformation relating to the election and promoting the “Stop The Steal” rally that led to the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, adding, “My time is short and I ask that you make your responses as brief and to the point as possible. If I asked you a yes or no question, I’m just looking for a ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ so please respond appropriately.”
Dorsey was the only one of the three witnesses who abided by Doyle’s request, though he still gave a brief explanation after answering in the affirmative. Zuckerberg and Pichai, on the contrary, were cut off by Doyle after responding to the question in detail, and without answering “yes” or “no.”
“Yes, but you also have to take into consideration a broader ecosystem, it’s not just about the technology platforms that we use,” Dorsey answered.
Zuckerberg said Facebook was responsible for building “effective systems” to help fight the spread of misinformation.
Around 2:30 p.m., Dorsey tweeted a poll with a question mark and the choices “Yes” and “No.”
Later in the hearing, Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) asked Dorsey which was winning in the poll, “Yes” or “No.”
“Yes,” Dorsey succinctly answered.
“Your multitasking skills are quite impressive,” Rice responded.
Dorsey, Zuckerberg and Pinchai on Thursday testified virtually in a hearing examining social media’s role in promoting extremism and misinformation.