Elon Musk says he will step down as CEO of Twitter – as soon as he finds a replacement

CNN
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Twitter owner Elon Musk confirmed Tuesday evening that he will step down as CEO of the company, but only when he identifies a successor, addressing for the first time a Twitter poll he created this week in which millions of users voted to oust him.

in a tweetMusk said he would quit “as soon as I find someone stupid enough to take the job!”

He added that after he resigns as CEO, Musk will manage the “software and server teams” at Twitter, indicating that he may continue to exert significant influence over the company’s decision-making process.

This announcement comes after more than a day of silence about the poll following its results. On Monday, after more than 17 million users voted — 57.5% of them said Musk should quit — the billionaire CEO addressed the results only indirectly. He noted that future Twitter polls could be limited to users of Twitter Blue, the company’s subscription service.

Musk’s poll asking users if he should resign as CEO followed a backlash on Twitter Sudden suspension of many journalists Who covers it, as well as Twitter’s decision To block and then unblock links to other social media platforms Including Facebook, Instagram, and Mastodon, a fast-growing Twitter competitor that has more than doubled in size since October.

Musk’s short tenure as CEO led to sweeping and sometimes erratic transformations at one of the world’s most influential social media companies.

Under him, Twitter has laid off – laid off temporarily the majority of its employees, Top Single AdvertisersHe welcomed former President Donald Trump Return to the platform After being suspended in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot at Capitol W Released internal communications to reporters about Twitter’s operations before Musk took ownership of the company.

Musk forced the remaining employees to take pledge to become “extremely rigorous” in their work, and Stop enforcing Twitter’s policy against misinformation about the COVID-19 virus.

Over the course of days, Twitter launched, then was forced to cancel its launch, a paid verification feature that was in place manipulate it immediately Through satirical accounts impersonating major brands, athletes, and other verified public figures on the platform.

Musk’s penchant for making big product changes based on little more than informal Twitter polls has highlighted his improvisational and private management style. But this approach has drawn increasing criticism from many Twitter users. Last week, Twitter suspended several journalists who had reported Musk had permanently banned an account that tracks his plane.

The growing criticism of Musk culminated in Sunday’s poll that served as an effective, if unscientific, poll on Musk’s handling of the company since he closed the Twitter purchase in late October.