Elon Musk claims no one wants to run Twitter after losing poll to decide his future as CEO
Topics: Elon Musk, Twitter, Social Media, US News, News
Rachel Lang
Featured Image Credit: UPI / Alamy. M4OS Photos / Alamy.
Topics: Elon Musk, Twitter, Social Media, US News, News
Millions of people have voted for Elon Musk to step down as the head of Twitter, but the billionaire reckons it'll be tough to replace him.
By the time the poll had closed on Monday (December 19), 57.5 per cent of respondents had opted for him to step aside.
There were more than 17 million votes from Twitter users, while the post itself also racked up hundreds of thousands of retweets and likes.
As Shakespeare once put it, it seems like Musk has been 'hoist with one's own petard'.
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Or better yet, Musk's own words: "As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it."
Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022
But, despite the Space X founder's somewhat chaotic move, the rogue billionaire has revealed that there is no one waiting in the wings of the blue bird to take over.
Many had suggested he had conducted this poll knowing full well who was going to take his place, but Musk said the opposite is the case at the moment.
While responding to someone on Twitter, Elon wrote: "No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive. There is no successor."
Yikes.
So, there you have it.
It is unknown who would replace Musk at the helm of the bird app if he does indeed step down, so it seems we are stuck with him a little while longer.
In another string of tweets, Musk revealed the hunt for a Twitter head honcho is a tough one.
"The question is not finding a CEO, the question is finding a CEO who can keep Twitter alive," he tweeted.
In another post, Musk added: "Those who want power are the ones who least deserve it."
No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive. There is no successor.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 19, 2022
Those who want power are the ones who least deserve it
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 19, 2022
After Musk took over Twitter, thousands of employees have quit or been sacked, new features have been added, modified, and dumped, and loads of celebrities and normal users have said they're never coming back to the platform.
The poll ends a rather rocky week for the billionaire after the Twitter doxxing disaster that kicked off on December 14, which saw college student Jack Sweeney suspended from the platform.
The 20-year-old set up the @ElonJet account, which uses publicly available data to track Musk's private jet.
Any account doxxing real-time location info of anyone will be suspended, as it is a physical safety violation. This includes posting links to sites with real-time location info.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 15, 2022
Posting locations someone traveled to on a slightly delayed basis isn’t a safety problem, so is ok.
Musk has been against Sweeney's account and said it was akin to doxxing.
Shortly after @ElonJet was suspended, the tech billionaire said a ‘crazy stalker’ followed a car carrying his son in Los Angeles and that's another reason why Sweeney's account should be blocked.
Musk then went on to suspend several journalists who had written about Sweeney's ban from the social media platform.
That move saw the Twitter head criticised for his actions, as they directly went against his vow to bring free speech to the social media site.
Just one month ago, Musk had even tweeted that he would not ban the @ElonJet account, writing: "My commitment to free speech extends even to not banning the account following my plane, even though that is a direct personal safety risk."
Twitter has been approached for comment.