The results of self-proclaimed chief twit Elon Musk’s poll are in, and it looks like the technocrat will have to relinquish control of Twitter.
Elon Musk, the Technoking of Tesla, Imperator of Mars, and Chief Twit on Sunday evening posted a 12-hour tweet to poll over 122 million of his followers and then some if he should step down as the head of Twitter.
Musk added, “I will abide by the results of this poll.†Just over 17.5 million Twitter users responded, with 57.5% voting ‘Yes’ and the remaining ‘No.’Â
Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022Opens a new window
It is unclear if Musk will honor the poll results, given bots can influence them. Although if Musk’s actions post previous polls are any indication, he should give in to the public mandate. Musk previously polled Twitter users on whether he should reinstate banned accounts, including that of former president Donald Trump. Trump’s account was reinstated after a majority voted yes.
Musk closed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in October 2022 after a chaotic to and fro between his coalition and the Parag Agrawal-headed board. His reign since the takeover has been equally chaotic, including firing approximately half of the 7,000 workforce.
The most recent order of business that received backlash was Twitter announcing users cannot post links promoting their profiles from other social media platforms. Twitter retracted and deleted the tweet announcing the policy, while Musk apologized yesterday and saidOpens a new window that the company would put major policy changes to vote going forward.
When Musk, who also heads Tesla and SpaceX as CEO and has interests in Neuralink and The Boring Company, closed the acquisition, he hinted at finding his replacement as the Twitter chief. “The question is not finding a CEO, the question is finding a CEO who can keep Twitter alive, Musk tweetedOpens a new window shortly after the poll.
Musk’s antics at (and, of course, on) Twitter have led several to express concerns about his other ventures. Tesla’s share price has slid by over 34% since Musk took over Twitter on October 28, 2022, while the company’s year-to-date decline hovers around 62.5%.
Indonesian billionaire and third-largest Tesla shareholder Leo Koguan tweeted:
Elon abandoned Tesla and Tesla has no working CEO
Tesla needs and deserves to have working full time CEO
What Tesla BOD should do, do nothing? Elon will find his own successor under BOD independent supervision
— KoGuan Leo (@KoguanLeo) December 14, 2022Opens a new window
See More: John Carmack Quits Meta, Bemoans Deep-Rooted Inefficiencies At the Company
In a recent conversation with SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell, NASA administrator Bill Nelson said, “Tell me that the distraction that Elon might have on Twitter is not going to affect SpaceX.†Shotwell assured Nelson it wouldn’t, according to NBC News.
“I will make sure Tesla shareholders benefit from Twitter long-term,†Musk saidOpens a new window last week.
“No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive. There is no successor,†Musk later addedOpens a new window . Speculations are rife that angel investor, entrepreneur, and Musk’s friend Jason Calacanis could.
Musk has also been critical of the political left, which according to him, had undue influence over platforms such as Twitter. For weeks, the company has been releasing previously hidden information, popularly dubbed ‘Twitter Files.’
Earlier in December, Twitter also suspended accounts of journalists from the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, Mashable, etc., for doxxing, which the company defines as sharing information such as live location data, home addresses, or contact information, earning criticism from the United Nations and the European Union. EU commissioner Vera Jourova also threatened Twitter with sanctions under the Digital Services Act.
“Media freedom is not a toy,†Melissa Fleming, UN’s under-secretary-general for global communications, told the BBC. “A free press is the cornerstone of democratic societies and a key tool in the fight against harmful disinformation.â€
Musk is also pivoting Twitter’s revenue stream from a primarily advertising one (91.25% of total revenue in Q2 2022) to include subscriptions. The company launched Twitter Blue for Business today and relaunched Twitter Blue (for individual users).
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