Elon Musk launches poll asking if he should step down as Twitter CEO

Elon Musk has launched a Twitter poll asking users if he should step down as CEO less than two months after acquiring the company, promising to abide by the poll’s results.

On Sunday, December 18, Musk asked users, “Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.”

Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022

Over 17 million people voted, with a whopping 57.5% of participants voting ‘yes’ and 42.5% voting ‘no.’

Musk followed up the poll with several tweets suggesting that he was genuine about leaving his role as CEO behind, writing, “As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it,” and “Those who want power are the ones who least deserve it.”

As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022

Those who want power are the ones who least deserve it

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 19, 2022

Elon Musk’s tumultuous time as Twitter CEO

In the nearly two months after Musk took the role as CEO, the news cycle has been filled with the antics that took place behind-the-scenes. Some of these events included Musk’s immediate layoffs of several top executives and half of Twitter’s staff. Musk also fired employees who openly disagreed with him.

Additionally, he publicly shamed former employees who took part in moderation discussions that took part in moderation discussions regarding the removal of Trump, and news surrounding material found on what is alleged to be Hunter Biden’s laptop. Musk’s actions were part of his so-called ‘Twitter Files’ initiative, where he stated that he wished to show ‘what really happened’ behind the scenes of Twitter during that time.

In response to Musk taking over Twitter, brands have been removing their advertisements, and Musk has stated in the past that Twitter’s finances were dire. Musk himself took on $13 billion in debt when he acquired the platform. He recently lost the title of “World’s Richest Person” to LVMH’s Bernard Arnault.