The leftist backlash against Twitter CEO Elon Musk has ramped up in recent days in response to new policy proposals including one that would have banned the promotion of several other social media platforms.
Although that controversial policy was soon reversed, Musk seemed to acknowledge that a growing number of users would like to see him ousted as the head of the company he acquired earlier this year.
As with multiple previous decisions he has made at Twitter’s helm, he posted a poll on his personal account that asked users to vote on whether he should step down from his current role.
With more than 17.5 million votes cast, 57.5% of respondents indicated that they would like to see him ousted.
“I will abide by the results of this poll,” Musk wrote.
Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022
Countless users speculated on the pros and cons of replacing Musk as the head of Twitter — including Tom Anderson, who became a household name as the co-founder of MySpace, one of the first successful social media platforms.
In response to the recent poll, Anderson wrote: “Depends on who you get to run it!”
For his part, Musk has subsequently posted a few cryptic tweets about what could become of Twitter.
“As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it,” he tweeted on Sunday.
He also reacted to another user who speculated that he “already has the new CEO picked out” and plans to transition into the chairman of Twitter’s board.
“No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive,” Musk wrote. “There is no successor.”
Musk also came under fire in recent days after a number of accounts — including several prominent reporters — were suspended in connection with posts that identified the real-time location of his private jet.
He also used a Twitter poll to determine when those accounts would be restored.
One of Musk’s other notable uses of Twitter polls came ahead of his decision to reinstate the profile of former President Donald Trump, who was banned in the aftermath of last year’s riot on Capitol Hill.
When a slim majority voted in favor of the move, Musk wrote: “The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei.”
