On Sunday Elon Musk shocked Twitter users, when he posted a poll asking whether he should resign as the CEO of Twitter. Musk tweeted-
"Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll," adding subsequently "As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it".
-Elon Musk, CEO Twitter
As of Sunday evening, according to the poll, which had over 4 million votes, 57.9 percent of respondents said Musk should step down, and 42.1 percent said he should not step down. When the poll closed on Monday,10 million respondents (some 57.5%) said he should step down.
Prompted by the backlash Twitter received over the weekend, for announcing a policy that would ban the promotion of content from other social media platforms such as Facebook, Truth Social, Tribel, Instagram, Mastodon, Nostr and Post from the platform, this latest move by Musk appears to be his response. In a now-deleted tweet from Twitter Support it stated-
"Specifically, we will remove accounts created solely for the purpose of promoting other social platforms and content that contains links or usernames for the following platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Nostr and Post,"
-Twitter Support
The announcement drew criticism with a swift response. Former Twitter CEO and founder Jack Dorsey, essentially tweeted- "Why?"
Musk then followed hours later with a seeming apology for the policy. He tweeted-
"Going forward, there will be a vote for major policy changes. My apologies. Won’t happen again,"
-Elon Musk, CEO Twitter
Regarding the poll – responses were mixed:
As the majority owner of the privately held company, no one can force Musk out. Though it remains to be seen whether he will step down or not, Musk appears to be focused on finding a balance for Twitter, that has not been a part of the media giant previously. The days ahead will tell. If he finds someone to take reins – he will hopefully still be directing major policies there – to the advantage of free speech. So far, Musk has kept his promises.
In October, Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion with the promise of restoring free speech on the platform, then installed himself as its head just 50 days ago. He has previously insisted there is no successor in the wings. Musk tweeted-
“No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive,”… “There is no successor.” [Reportedly in replying to another user, who said they could do the job, Musk added] “you must like pain a lot. One catch: you have to invest your life savings in Twitter and it has been in the fast lane to bankruptcy since May. Still want the job?”
-Elon Musk, CEO Twitter
And finally, to his credit Musk has already faced the stench of the unwinding, off-lidding and uncovering of what has gone on previously, at this media giant, especially as it relates to the violations of our own government entities regarding free speech. He obtained Twitter, uncovering years of deception and has done more in his short tenure there than anyone could have imagined. For all his seeming quirks, Musk has really been getting to the truth of things. Every week the revelations have been staggering. We have yet to see proverbial bottom of the barrel. Gratefully, freedom of speech is literally poised to get a hearing come January, thanks in no small part to Elon Musk.
“The truth does not require a majority to prevail, ladies and gentlemen. The truth is its own power. The truth will out. Never forget that.”
-Rush Limbaugh