Dec 19,2022:A majority of Twitter users said Elon Musk should step down as chief of the company in a poll the billionaire pledged to follow, casting new uncertainty on the social-media platform after more than seven weeks of turmoil since he took it over.
More than 17 million users had voted by the time the poll on the platform closed after 6 a.m. ET, with 57.5% saying he should leave as head of the company. Mr. Musk, who in October closed a $44 billion deal for Twitter, had said when he launched the Twitter poll on Sunday that he would abide by the results.
It isn’t clear who would take over leading Twitter Inc. if Mr. Musk steps aside as CEO, or what his role would be, given that he still owns the company. Most of the company’s prior leadership was either fired or left after he took over.
“No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive. There is no successor,” Mr. Musk tweeted Sunday.
The billionaire’s leadership at Twitter has been tumultuous and weighed on sentiment toward his other businesses, particularly car maker Tesla. Shares in the auto maker have fallen more than 56% this year, frustrating some retail investors who partly blame Mr. Musk’s focus on Twitter for the decline. Mr. Musk’s Twitter involvement also has dented Tesla’s brand image.
Tesla shares gained more than 2% Monday amid the suggestion that Mr. Musk would stop running Twitter.
There have been questions since Mr. Musk first showed interest in buying Twitter how he would juggle running the company while also pursuing all his other endeavors.
