AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes has never been one to stay out of the public eye, having previously been seen helping flight attendants hand out free drinks on a flight.
Even so, the 60-year-old may have just raised the bar with his latest antic.
Last Sunday (Dec 8), Malaysia-based DJ Lau Hoe Yin, known as Blink, posted a TikTok clip of his mini “collaboration” with Tony.
The in-video caption read: “When a billionaire hires you as his private DJ.”
@blink_mys
For bookings :- billionairesonly (at) email (dot) com
♬ POWER – G-DRAGON
Clad in a colourful printed top, mustard-neon vest and matching trousers, with a pair of white sneakers, Tony shimmied across the room solo with Blink following closely behind.
The latter didn’t have much of a choice but to follow mere footsteps away really, as the CEO had on a pair of wired headphones attached to a synthesiser that the DJ was holding.
With music seemingly directed only to Tony’s headphones, it appeared that no one else in the room had a clue what music was being played.
Was this a silent disco for a party of one?
Based on the video, nobody could be seen dancing along and one person was spotted in the background appearing to stifle a laugh.
In the comments section, netizens appeared to notice the awkward situation.
“When you try to be cool and impress people but get the total opposite reaction!” one TikTok user said.
A few others weren’t too bothered by his dance moves, though.
The clip’s viral nature propelled it onto Reddit too, where netizens tried to make sense of what the AirAsia CEO was up to.
While a few likened Tony’s behaviour to that of controversial figure Elon Musk, some stood up for him.
They suggested that Blink was likely hired by Tony to perform at AirAsia’s annual dinner and dance event.
Controversy, once again
In October 2023, Tony posted a photo of himself topless in an office, receiving a massage during a conference call.
This drew flak from the online community, and his LinkedIn post has since been deleted.
Tony claimed that he was in pain following an 18-hour flight and the massage was a spontaneous suggestion by a female colleague, reported The Straits Times.
In July 2021, Tony was in hot water for the behaviour of his airline’s Thailand CEO Tassapon Bijleveld during a virtual meeting.
A clip of Tassapon dropping the F-bomb and telling a female colleague to “shut up” circulated online, reported Malaysian publication Malay Mail.
Despite being present in the meeting, Tony did not call out Tassapon at the time. He eventually apologised for the Thai CEO’s behaviour.
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amierul@asiaone.com
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