Elon Musk polls Twitter users on whether he should stay on as CEO
Twitter CEO and poll enthusiast Elon Musk posed another question to his followers on Sunday night: should he stay or should he go?
"Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll," Musk tweeted. In a follow-up tweet, he added, "As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it."
With more than 6.1 million votes and nine hours left of the poll, "yes" is winning, with 57.6 percent. In the comments of his tweet, many users encouraged one another to vote "yes" or "no," while others shared their thoughts on why Musk decided to make the poll — some believe he already has a successor in mind, and several are sure Twitter investors from Saudi Arabia and Qatar told him to step down. As The Washington Post notes, Tesla stock has dropped substantially since Musk took over Twitter in October, and experts believe the company's outlook will improve if Musk removes himself from the platform.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Musk's latest poll came hours after Twitter announced it would stop allowing users to directly post links to several other social media websites, including Instagram and Facebook. He acknowledged the backlash this decision received, tweeting, "Going forward, there will be a vote for major policy changes. My apologies. Won't happen again."
Last week, Musk suspended an account that shared the publicly available flight data of his private jet, as well as the accounts of several journalists who reported on the matter; most were reinstated on Saturday, after Musk conducted a Twitter poll to see if their suspensions should be lifted immediately or in a week.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
7 beautiful towns to visit in Switzerland during the holidays
The Week Recommends Find bliss in these charming Swiss locales that blend the traditional with the modern
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Werewolf bill
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
'This needs to be a bigger deal'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
DOJ seeks breakup of Google, Chrome
Speed Read The Justice Department aims to force Google to sell off Chrome and make other changes to rectify its illegal search monopoly
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bluesky: the social media platform causing a mass X-odus
The Explainer Social media platform is enjoying a new influx but can it usurp big rivals?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
What Trump's win could mean for Big Tech
Talking Points The tech industry is bracing itself for Trump's second administration
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Racist texts tell Black people in US to prepare for slavery
Speed Read Recipients in at least a dozen states have been told to prepare to 'pick cotton' on slave plantations
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Australia proposes social media ban before age 16
Speed Read Australia proposes social media ban before age 16
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
FTC bans fake online product reviews
Speed Read The agency will enforce fines of up to $51,744 per violation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is the world ready for Tesla's new domestic robots?
Talking Points The debut of Elon Musk's long-promised "Optimus" at a Tesla event last week has renewed debate over the role — and feasibility — of commercial automatons
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
States sue TikTok over children's mental health
Speed Read The lawsuit was filed by 13 states and Washington, D.C.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published