'Be careful what you wish for': Twitter votes for Elon Musk to quit as chief exec after he holds public poll
19 December 2022, 06:39 | Updated: 19 December 2022, 12:09
Elon Musk should set down as Twitter chief, according to the result of a public poll he called via his own account,
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The billionaire launched his latest vote after previously unbanning accounts like Donald Trump's when the public backed such a move.
He promised to abide by the result, which finished 58% in favour of him quitting and 42% for him staying.
He earlier warned "be careful what you wish" before more than 17 million users chose between "yes" or "no".
Mr Musk bought the social media platform in October, having raised concerns about whether it was committed to free speech.
Since then, he embarked on a mass sacking spree and pledged to police expression on the platform differently, saying that while hate speech within the law would not be taken down, it would be made less visible.
His approach has led to support and criticism, with detractors worrying about whether poor behaviour would gain traction on the site.
Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022
Most recently, he gained controversy when the accounts of journalists who criticised him were suspended, claiming they had "doxxed" him and put him at risk by live tracking him. He unbanned them after a vote.
"Going forward, there will be a vote for major policy changes. My apologies. Won't happen again," he said before posting a new poll asking if he should step down as Twitter boss.
The move would see him remain as owner but hire a new CEO to lead the company.
He later warned: "As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it."
And another tweet said: "Those who want power are the ones who least deserve it."
As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022
In replies to Twitter users, he said: "The question is not finding a CEO, the question is finding a CEO who can keep Twitter alive."
He claimed: "No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive. There is no successor."
Mr Musk has implemented a Twitter Blue subscription service, saying such a move was needed to stop the platform from going bankrupt, among a raft of other reforms he said are necessary to keep it afloat.
