The people have spoken: Elon Musk’s poll determines he should step down as Twitter CEO

POLICY

After Twitter Inc. Chief Executive Elon Musk polled users on if he should quit as the boss, the results are in, and it looks as though he will step down — if he keeps his promise.

On Sunday, Musk asked, “Should I step down as head of Twitter?” More than 17 million people cast a vote, and today it was revealed that 57.5% said he should quit. Musk had said he would do as the people asked when he first started the poll process, although it’s not certain yet what will happen. So far, his stewardship of the social media network has been nothing short of chaotic.

Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022

Musk hasn’t yet revealed any details about what will happen with the company, although he has tweeted about the subject. He wrote today, “Those who want power are the ones who least deserve it.” Maybe he didn’t think he’d lose, and now he’s uncertain how he might fulfill his obligation to his democratic poll. He had said before the result was out that no one “who can actually keep Twitter alive” would want the job. He added, “There is no successor.”

It’s hard to ascertain what is going through the man’s mind. He has certainly changed it a lot of late, taking down accounts and reinstalling them soon after, which seems to have turned some of his diehard fans against him. As for the company he’s renowned for running, Tesla Inc., Musk has been selling his stock at quite a worrying rate for other shareholders. The company’s share price has also slumped considerably over the last few months.

Some people believe Musk might do better if he concentrates on what he seems to be good at: running a car company and sending rockets to space. Maybe he knew how that vote would go, and now he has a reason to step down as Twitter CEO without looking like he has let anyone down. He did say in November that his plan was always for “somebody else to run Twitter over time.”

It’s also worth pointing out that even if he does relieve himself of his executive position, he still owns Twitter. He can appoint who he wants as the next boss and can ensure that person does as he wants. Forgetting free speech and seemingly haphazard suspensions, that’s for Twitter to actually make some money.

“Twitter’s big problem as I see it is that it’s just not profitable for what it currently offers,” one of his followers on Twitter posted today. “It needs to be a platform for content creators — video, writing.” Musk’s short and sweet reply: “True.”

Photo: Alexander Shatov/Twitter