57.5% of Twitter users voted for Elon Musk’s resignation as CEO
In a poll launched by Elon Musk on Twitter, the majority of participants voted on Monday for the entrepreneur to give up the direction of the social network.
More than 17 million voters voted 57.5% in favor of the departure of Mr. Musk, who promised to respect the result but did not immediately react.
“Should I stop managing Twitter? “, he asked the billionaire on the social network on the night from Sunday to Monday.
“I will stand by the results of this inquiry,” he said.
In an exchange with one of his Twitter followers, Mr. Musk confirmed that he has no designated successor. He said in another post that the platform was “on the fast track to bankruptcy.”
Since late October, the Tesla and SpaceX boss has sparked controversy by cutting half of Twitter’s workforce, restoring suspended accounts, suspending journalists’ accounts and launching a new paid subscription.
“From the failed subscription plan to the banning of journalists to the daily political squabbles, it’s been a whirlwind with advertisers fleeing and Twitter widening its deficit,” according to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, who estimates the company’s potential losses. 4 billion dollars a year.
Mr. Musk is also under pressure from Tesla’s board to let go of Twitter and focus on the automaker, whose shares have fallen more than 33% since the social network’s acquisition, according to investment adviser Gary Black.
“The numbers are hard to ignore,” Mr Black tweeted.
The inquiry, launched by Mr Musk, comes after the social network’s new decision sparked a backlash.
Should I resign as head of Twitter? I will follow the results of this inquiry.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022
Misunderstanding the new rules
Twitter announced Sunday that it will no longer be possible to post links to rival networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon or Truth Social, Donald Trump’s social network.
Now it is forbidden to tweet a message like “Thank you for following me on Instagram @ID”.
These new rules have caused confusion among many users, including Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey.
Mr Musk confirmed his decision after some accounts, including those of investor Paul Graham, were suspended under the new rule.
He initially tweeted that instead of targeting individual tweets, the policy would be limited to “suspending accounts only when that account’s ‘primary’ purpose is to promote competitors.”
The tempestuous billionaire then claimed that “major political changes” on the social network would be subject to a systematic vote.
Accounts suspended
Last week, Mr. Musk deleted and then reinstated the accounts of several American journalists from CNN. New York Times and Washington post especially the reaction of the European Union and the UN. The vice president of the European Commission even threatened the entrepreneur with sanctions.
The multibillionaire first suspended the @elonjet account on Wednesday, which automatically reports private jet travel, and then the accounts of journalists who tweeted about the decision, accusing them of putting his family at risk.
These were restored on Saturday, but some said they needed to delete certain posts if they wanted to fully use the platform.
From a journalist’s Twitter account on Saturday evening Washington postTaylor Lorenz, in turn, was suspended for several hours.
“Elon Musk suspended my Twitter account,” said a journalist covering the technology sector Washington post.
His account was restored on Sunday.
Since taking the helm of Twitter, Mr. Musk has reinstated many of the banned accounts, including Mr. Trump’s. He also ended the fight against misinformation about COVID-19.
On the other hand, he suspended the account of rapper Kanye West after the publication of several messages deemed anti-Semitic and refused to return to the platform of far-right assassin Alex Jones.
