Status: 12/19/2022 12:58 PM
Elon Musk is stepping down as CEO of short-messaging service Twitter. In a survey he initiated himself, the majority of users voted in favor of replacing him.
Tech multi-billionaire Elon Musk is said to be stepping down from his top job, according to Twitter users. This is the result of an online survey organized by Musk himself. Of the 17.5 million votes cast, 57.5% were in favor of the resignation and 42.5% against, a vote Musk said he wanted to stick to.
“Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will follow up on the results of this poll,” Musk wrote on Twitter that night.
Users can vote “Yes” or “No”. Musk did not say when he would step down, if poll results suggest so. “There is no successor,” he replied when asked by a Twitter user about a possible change to the post.
Twitter acquired for $44 billion
The 51-year-old Tesla boss joined forces with other investors to buy the short-messaging service in October for $44 billion and laid off much of the workforce to cut costs at the loss-making company.
There were concerns in parts of politics and civil society that the multi-billionaire could use the world’s leading short message service to his liking and negatively influence democratic opinion-forming, for example by allowing barely any action against fake information.
Not the first poll
Other actions of the controversial entrepreneur have also attracted sharp criticism. He recently blocked the Twitter accounts of several US journalists, but later unblocked them.
It’s not the first poll Musk has taken on Twitter. Last year, for example, he voted on Twitter to sell a tenth of his shares in Tesla. In November, he voted on whether former US President Donald Trump could work for the short message service again. Yes it can, was the narrow majority response, after which Twitter unblocked the account again.
Musk’s plan to no longer allow Twitter users to advertise their presence on certain competing platforms – including Facebook, Instagram or Mastodon – has caused displeasure.
Musk promised in another tweet on Monday evening that important changes to the platform’s guidelines would also be voted on in the future. “My apologies. It won’t happen again.”
Presented as a champion of free speech
Musk has always presented himself as a champion of free speech. Eventually she propagated the conspiracy theories on Twitter and used the platform to promote US Republicans in her tweets.
In recent years, the online service has become an important communication platform. Governments, authorities and politicians from all over the world use Twitter for their public relations work.
Is Elon Musk stepping down as head of Twitter?
Nils Dampz, ARD Los Angeles, 12/19/2022 14:47
