Elon Musk has gone silent after 10 million Twitter users voted for him to resign down as CEO. Musk has stated that he would follow the poll results – but did not specify when he would stand aside if the votes were not in his favour.
Elon Musk polled users late on Sunday, asking, “Should I step down as head of Twitter?” in response to widespread criticism of his unusual leadership style.
Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022
Twitter users unanimously approved Elon Musk’s resignation as CEO of the social media company – a backlash against the billionaire less than two months after he took over in what has been a tumultuous and contentious tenure.
More than 17.5 million votes were cast in less than 12 hours, with 57.5 per cent voting in favour of Mr Musk relinquishing control.
“As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it,” writes Musk, shortly after sending the poll live. And, ambiguously, “Those who want power are the ones who least deserve it.”
Yep, he already has the new CEO picked out.
Elon will retire to being Chairman of the Board and Tweeter.
— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) December 18, 2022
The billionaire CEO, usually an active Tweeter, has tweeted just a handful of times since; and is avoiding openly addressing the scathing poll.
How to Change Twitter’s Course
The poll results conclude a frenetic week, including modifications to Twitter’s privacy policy and the suspension – and subsequent reinstatement – of journalists’ accounts. All of this brought outrage from news organisations, advocacy groups, and officials throughout Europe.
“By Musk’s – and some analysts’ assertions – drastic measures are needed if Twitter’s business model is to remain viable. There’s an argument that without Musk at the helm, it’s going to be difficult to find someone with enough gusto to change the course of Twitter’s ship,” says Sophie Lund-Yates, an analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.
Twitter has been in decline since the Musk takeover in October; when he went to war with tech giant Apple and sent dramatic emails to the remaining company personnel.
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