Elon Musk is asking Twitter users to decide if he should remain CEO of the social media platform in a just-launched poll.
Musk, who purchased the company and installed himself as CEO in October, posted the 12-hour poll at 6:20 p.m. Sunday evening. Musk pledged in a tweet linked to the poll that he would honor the results. By 6:40 p.m. EST, 1,447,715 votes had been cast, with the results closely split between “Yes” and “No.” The vote had split by 8 p.m. EST, with “Yes” leading “No” 57.8% to 42.2%.
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“Should I step down as head of Twitter?” Musk asked platform users alongside the survey. “I will abide by the results of this poll.”
The Twitter chief appeared to issue a word of caution in a subsequent tweet, writing: “As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it.”
“No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive,” he added in a reply. He went on to claim that there “is no successor” in place to take over the platform.
Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022
This is not the first time Twitter’s new owner has used the platform’s survey tool to make significant company decisions. Musk based his decision to reinstate former President Donald Trump’s banned account on a 24-hour poll he posted last month. Users voted 51.8% to 48.2% in favor of allowing Trump back on the platform, with more than 15 million votes being cast. The Twitter CEO said shortly after the 24-hour window closed that he would honor whatever decision the voters reached.
“The people have spoken,” Musk wrote in a tweet at the time. “Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei.”
“Vox populi, vox dei” is a Latin phrase that translates to “the voice of the people is the voice of God.”
Within minutes of the tweet, Trump’s old account reappeared on the social media site, and users began retweeting old posts.
Musk was embroiled in controversy this week among media figures after temporarily suspending a handful of journalists for tweeting information about a permanently suspended account, @elonjet, which was banned for tracking the movements of the billionaire’s private plane. Musk defended the move, arguing that such content allowed others to find his and his family’s real-time location and harass one of his young children.
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The explanation wasn’t enough for critics, however, and Musk eventually asked Twitter users to decide how to proceed through a poll.
“The people have spoken. Accounts who doxxed my location will have their suspension lifted now,” he wrote after the survey closed.
