Elon Musk vows to step down as Twitter CEO if someone ‘foolish enough’ accepts role
Elon Musk has vowed to officially step down as the CEO of Twitter, once he finds someone “foolish enough” to accept the top role.
The eccentric billionaire, who bought Twitter for $44bn (£36bn) in a protracted deal which was finalised in October, has helmed the social media giant after his controversial firing spree.
But a poll conducted by him via Twitter on Sunday, asking users whether he should step down as boss, has forced Musk’s hand.
“I will abide by the results of this poll,” he said, before the poll, in which more than 17.5 million users voted, landed 57.5 per cent in favour of Musk abandoning the chief position.
Since becoming owner, Musk has faced backlash for the handling of his approaches to content moderation and the infamous Twitter Blue subscription model.
However, the billionaire entrepreneur said he would instead lead the software and server teams.
Soon after the poll, Musk suggested only those who pay for a Twitter Blue subscription – which gifts users a blue verified tick – will be able to participate in future polls.
It is not the first time Musk has made significant decisions off the back of polling his Twitter followers.
Musk reinstated a number of banned accounts earlier this month after putting the move to a vote, including former US president Donald Trump.
At the beginning of October, Musk also agreed to sell 10 per cent of his Tesla stock, to abide by the ruling of another poll.