Elon Musk is threatening to have to resign as Twitter chief because of a poll he set up himself. Musk asked his followers whether he should step down as boss of the social media company. After more than 13 million responses and with about four hours to go, 56.6 percent of voters said yes.
So far, a majority of voters think he should resign. The poll on Musk staying on as head of Twitter came online at 0:20 a.m. and ends after 12 hours. In the first fifteen minutes, a million Twitter users already cast their votes.
In his tweet, Musk promises to abide by the results of the poll. In previous polls, he did the same. In November, for example, he sold $5 billion worth of shares in his company Tesla after asking his followers if he should sell 10 percent of his shares. The majority (57.9 percent) voted in favor.
In response to a follower's tweet, Musk wrote that there is "no successor" ready for him yet in case the result goes against him.
Increasing criticism of Musk
Since Musk's $44 billion takeover of Twitter, he has received a lot of criticism. For example, he recently suspended journalists working for CNN and The New York Times, among others. According to Musk, the journalists put his family in danger when they reported - sometimes indirectly - on the location of his plane.
Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022
The Twitter chief restored the accounts after he took a poll on that too. In it, he asked users whether he should lift the suspension immediately or only at a later date. A majority of Twitter users chose the former.
The suspensions met with fierce criticism from Twitter. For example, UN chief António Guterres said he was "very concerned." Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an organization dedicated to press freedom, spoke of "a threat to democracy." And media organizations and several countries also condemned the move.
In addition, it was announced Sunday that Twitter users are no longer allowed to link to their profiles on other social media platforms, such as Mastodon, Facebook, and Instagram. Even a reference that does not contain a link is now prohibited.