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Elon Musk might be on the way out as head of Twitter after nearly 60 per cent of his followers voted for him to be sacked.
After weeks of criticism for how he has run the website since he took it over at the end of October, the Chief Twit put a review of his performance to the people.
More than 17.5million people cast their vote in a poll asking if he should quit his job as CEO.
‘Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll,’ the Chief Twit posted just before 6.30pm on Sunday evening.
When it closed 12 hours later the result was a resounding thumbs down for one of the world’s richest men – 57.5 per cent of users said they wanted him out, equating to over 10million users.
By comparison, 42.5 per cent voted in favour of keeping him on as head of the website, the equivalent of nearly 7.5million users.
It is not clear at this time who will replace him if he does follow through on his threat and step down as boss.
‘Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of the poll,’ Musk asked. The result was a resounding yes
Musk vowed to step down as head of Twitter if people voted him out. Pictured: Musk (centre) stands next to Jared Kushner at the World Cup final in Qatar last night
Elon Musk, 51,put his future in the hands of Twitter’s users, who overwhelmingly said he should step down as CEO
After setting the poll live Musk warned: ‘As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it.’
He later wrote: ‘Those who want power are the ones who least deserve it.’
The move by Musk split the website, with some gloating over his imminent removal.
Lynnette Khalfani Cox said: ‘Could anyone besides a white, male billionaire like Elon Musk even *think* about running a major, publicly-traded biz on the basis of a poll? The Twitter CEO is called “eccentric,” a “maverick,” “genius” etc. But if a woman did this she’d be “irrational” — and promptly fired.’
But supporters of the CEO said it could come back to bite his critics.
Colin Rugg wrote: ‘I have a feeling Elon Musk already has a Twitter CEO picked out and this person will piss the left off even more.’
Luke Rudkowski added: ‘Two hours before the poll closes he will announce a successor that will freak everyone out’
Musk later added: ‘The question is not finding a CEO, the question is finding a CEO who can keep Twitter alive’.
Rapper Snoop Dogg jokingly ran a poll of his own, asking his followers if he should replace Musk by posing the question: ‘Should I run Twitter?’
After 10 hours 81.8 per cent of the one million people who voted in his poll said yes.
Snoop Dogg comically joined in on the debate and posted his own poll, asking followers if he should run Twitter instead
It is yet another dramatic moment in the rollercoaster ride that Twitter has been on since Musk completed his $44billion takeover of the social media site in October.
In this last week alone he has come under criticism for banning journalists who linked to a website showing the location of his private jet, as well as implemented a ban on Twitter accounts that promote Facebook and Instagram before U-turning.
Musk has caught flack in recent days and weeks over his handling of the app, including his recent suspension of notable journalists who have covered him.
On Saturday evening, he kicked Washington Post writer Taylor Lorenz off the app after she was accused of revealing the exact address of TikTok talent scout Ariadna Jacob in a 2020 article.
Lorenz confirmed she was booted from the platform on Saturday night in a TikTok video but Musk said less than 12 hours later he would be lifting her ban.
‘Temp suspension due to prior doxxing action by this account,’ Musk wrote in response to a Tweet about Lorenz’s ban. ‘Will be lifted shortly.’
The head of Twitter also suspended journalists from the New York Times, Washington Post and Buzzfeed last week, accusing them of ‘doxxing’ him and revealing his address.
He banned a total of nine journalists after they reported on his decision to block an account charting his private jet use.
The nine accounts were immediately restored on Friday evening, after he asked his followers to vote on whether they should be reinstated or remain suspended for a week, with users choosing the first option.
Musk had said the journalists ‘doxxed’ him by revealing his private information; the journalists insisted that they had not published his address or location.
On Thursday evening, BuzzFeed News tech reporter Katie Notopoulos hosted a Twitter Spaces discussion, which Musk joined.
‘Everyone’s going to be treated the same,’ said Musk, defending his decision to suspend the reporters’ accounts.
‘They’re not special just because you’re a journalist.’
Shortly before the discussion, he tweeted: ‘They posted my exact real-time location, basically assassination coordinates, in (obvious) direct violation of Twitter terms of service.’
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