November 8, 2024

Elon Musk says he will step down as Twitter CEO if voted out by a poll he tweeted

CEO of Twitter #CEOofTwitter

Hear how Musk responded to journalists before he hung up mid-question

SHARE

SHARE

TWEET

SHARE

EMAIL

What to watch next

  • Why Can’t Republicans Quit Donald Trump?

    Why Can’t Republicans Quit Donald Trump?

    MSNBC

  • Rep. Gerry Connolly: “Donald Trump has to face his reckoning.”

    Rep. Gerry Connolly: “Donald Trump has to face his reckoning.”

    MSNBC

  • January 6 committee report: Your guide to the missing pieces

    January 6 committee report: Your guide to the missing pieces

    CNN

  • Hear what the FAA is saying about the flight where dozens were hurt

    Hear what the FAA is saying about the flight where dozens were hurt

    CNN

  • What the Jan. 6 committee means for Biden’s legacy

    What the Jan. 6 committee means for Biden’s legacy

    MSNBC

  • Kevin McCarthy scrambles to find enough GOP votes to become House Speaker

    Kevin McCarthy scrambles to find enough GOP votes to become House Speaker

    MSNBC

  • Visitors flock to Minnesota town to see massive nutcracker collection

    Visitors flock to Minnesota town to see massive nutcracker collection

    CBS News

  • "CBS Weekend News" headlines for Sunday, December 18, 2022

    “CBS Weekend News” headlines for Sunday, December 18, 2022

    CBS News

  • Famous Iranian actress arrested

    Famous Iranian actress arrested

    NBC News

  • Peruvian government says most foreign tourists evacuated

    Peruvian government says most foreign tourists evacuated

    NBC News

  • State of emergency declared at Texas border

    State of emergency declared at Texas border

    NBC News

  • Velshi: Antisemitic rhetoric is a precursor to antisemitic violence.

    Velshi: Antisemitic rhetoric is a precursor to antisemitic violence.

    MSNBC

  • Hear John Dean's prediction about DOJ filing charges against Trump

    Hear John Dean’s prediction about DOJ filing charges against Trump

    CNN

  • Good Liars create 'Honest Trump Cards' focusing on 2020 election loss

    Good Liars create ‘Honest Trump Cards’ focusing on 2020 election loss

    MSNBC

  • ‘Packing 537 days into one report’: What to expect from Jan 6 Committee final report

    ‘Packing 537 days into one report’: What to expect from Jan 6 Committee final report

    MSNBC

  • Fmr. Mayor of San Antonio on lifting of Title 42: ‘Our immigration system is not working.’

    Fmr. Mayor of San Antonio on lifting of Title 42: ‘Our immigration system is not working.’

    MSNBC

  • Click to expand

    UP NEXT

    UP NEXT

    Twitter’s mercurial new boss may be out the door after less than two months on the job, if results of a Twitter poll go against him.

    Elon Musk tweeted a poll Sunday evening asking people to vote on whether he should step down as Twitter’s CEO. Musk said he would abide by the poll’s results.

    As of Sunday evening, “Yes” was winning by a margin of 58% to 42%.

    In several follow-up tweets, Musk suggested that he was serious about leaving and made a vague threat about Twitter’s future if he is voted out.

    “As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it,” Musk tweeted.

    Since buying Twitter for $44 billion and taking over as CEO in late October, Musk has journeyed from one controversy to the next.

    A brief and incomplete recap:

    – Musk immediately laid off several top executives and laid off about half of Twitter’s staff.

    – He then gave an ultimatum to the remaining staff that they need to do “extremely hardcore” work or leave — and another thousand or so employees headed out the door.

    – Musk has fired employees who openly disagreed with him and publicly named and shamed former employees who were engaged in difficult moderation discussions as part of the ongoing “Twitter Files.”

    – Musk has also started, stopped and started again a revised verification system that costs $8 for a blue check mark and initially led to widespread account spoofing.

    – Musk has frequently changed Twitter’s rules by executive fiat and with no notice, banning people who violate the new rules — including several tech journalists and an account that tracked his jet. Musk had once tweeted that allowing the ElonJet account to remain on Twitter demonstrated his commitment to free speech on the platform.

    – He has waded deeply into the culture wars, allowing some of the platform’s permanently banned accounts back on, including former President Donald Trump and many people who had been engaged in misinformation, conspiracy theories or hate speech.

    Meanwhile, brands have been removing their advertising from Twitter left and right. Musk has frequently stated that Twitter’s finances are dire.

    Replying to a tweet Sunday, in which MIT artificial intelligence researcher Lex Fridman said he would take the CEO job, Musk hinted he hasn’t been completely happy with his new gig.

    “You must like pain a lot,” Musk tweeted, noting the company “has been in the fast lane to bankruptcy since May.”

    Yet Musk denied that he has a new CEO in mind.

    “No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive. There is no successor,” Musk tweeted. “The question is not finding a CEO, the question is finding a CEO who can keep Twitter alive.”

    For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

    Leave a Reply