UPDATE 03:30 a.m. PST: Elon Musk’s poll has ended and the verdict is “Yes,” the world’s second richest man should step down as Head of Twitter, with 57.5% voting in favor.
The poll lasted for 12 hours and was tweeted yesterday afternoon PST at which point Musk, whose tenure in charge of Twitter has been replete with controversy, asked his 122.1M followers whether he should step down and said he would “abide by the results of this poll.”
Musk is yet to tweet acknowledging the result but tweeted “Those who want power are the ones who least deserve it” around 10 hours ago.
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PREVIOUS: Elon Musk is putting his future as CEO of Twitter in the hands of the platform’s users. The owner of the social network created a poll asking if he should remain at the helm of the company.
“Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll,” he tweeted.
As of this writing, the poll had over 3 million votes, with “Yes” taking the lead 57% to 42%. With a little more than 11 hours left until the poll ends, if the results remain as-is, Twitter users would oust Musk of his current position.
Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022
In the past, Musk has honored the results of his Twitter polls, reinstating Donald Trump to the platform and lifting the ban on suspended journalists earlier this week.
Following his most current poll, Musk warned his followers to “be careful what you wish, as you might get it.”
As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022
Musk engages with his followers and some have suggested he hire someone to run the social media platform. The Tesla owner replied to a user that “the question is not finding a CEO, the question is finding a CEO who can keep Twitter alive.”
The question is not finding a CEO, the question is finding a CEO who can keep Twitter alive — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022
Another user suggested Musk let him run Twitter for free to which the former replied, “You must like pain a lot. One catch: you have to invest your life savings in Twitter and it has been in the fast lane to bankruptcy since May. Still want the job?”
You must like pain a lot. One catch: you have to invest your life savings in Twitter and it has been in the fast lane to bankruptcy since May. Still want the job? — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022
Musk also replied to a user that suggested he already had a “new CEO picked out.”
“No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive. There is no successor,” Musk said.
No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive. There is no successor. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 19, 2022
The latest controversy around Twitter comes as a new policy became active today banning links from promoting other social networks like Instagram, Facebook and Mastodon. However, after uproar from users, Musk modified the policy and accounts would only be suspended when their “primary purpose is promotion of competitors.”