Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Even his worst critics agree he has one quality that distinguishes him from all others: he never ceases to amuse!
So, now, moving up and down on the global billionaires’ snakes-and-ladders, Elon Musk has asked Twitterati if he should step down as head of the controversial social media site!
Ever since he acquired the microblogging site for USD 44 billion during the turbulent April-December era of 2022, the maverick innovator has completely transformed Twitter Inc. into a technology company struggling to survive. He has sacked nearly half of his 7,500 staff, including top officials, and almost embraced a controversy-a-day as a way of life.
Now, under fire for sweeping policy changes at the social media site, Musk is asking users to vote on whether he should step down as Twitter’s head.
The billionaire owner of Twitter and chief executive officer of Tesla Inc. will abide by the results of the poll, he pledged in a tweet Sunday. Musk also said that going forward he will hold votes on major policy changes, the media reported.
Since his reluctant takeover of Twitter in October, Musk has weathered criticism for changes at the social network, including bringing back previously barred accounts, and calls to refocus on Tesla, whose share price has been plummeting. The Tesla chief has since spent much of his time on Twitter itself.
Last week, he posted late into the night on Thursday after tangling with journalists, Twitter’s most engaged and active contributors. The microblogging platform banned several journalists from major publications like the Washington Post and CNN, alleging they were doxxing his location. This invited condemnation from, among others, the American Civil Liberties Union and even the United Nations, who called it a “dangerous precedent.”
Over the weekend, Twitter also announced a policy change to bar accounts “created solely” to promote competing social networks. That decision led to the suspension of at least one prominent account, that of Twitter’s Indian challenger Koo, prompting Musk to say he’ll adjust the policy, hours after its introduction.
His remaking of Twitter’s rules on the fly has also sparked discontent among users and advertisers, leading to unpredictability about the content that can and cannot be posted.
On Sunday, Musk apologized and said he’ll conduct votes on major policy changes. Three minutes later he published the poll asking if he should step down. With 10 hours left and 4.3 million votes cast, 58 percent of polled users have said yes.
Will he, won’t he?