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On Sunday, following a PR debacle that saw Twitter announce they would suspend accounts for promoting their other social media profiles, new CEO Elon Musk — who apologized for the aforementioned policy decision — put his fate in the hands of the public.
Using the poll feature that he seems so fond of (Musk has also used polls to make policy decisions such as reinstating previously suspended accounts), Musk asked if he should step down as Twitter CEO and promised to “abide” by the results. Musk ultimately “lost the vote 58% to 42% (over 17 million people voted) and responded by saying “be careful what you wish for as you might get it.”
Now, according to a new report from CNBC, Musk is legitimately searching for a new CEO for the company that he paid $44 billion for back in October. As the CNBC report notes, Musk had previously claimed that his stint as CEO would only be on a temporary basis.
Twitter owner and CEO Elon Musk is searching for a new chief executive of the company, sources told CNBC’s David Faber. Musk, who acquired the company for $44 billion in October, has previously said his position as CEO would be temporary.
In court in November, Musk said, “I expect to reduce my time at Twitter and find somebody else to run Twitter over time.” However, on Sunday, he wrote in a tweet that “there is no successor.” [via CNBC]
There has been some speculation about the timing of Musk’s decision, as the 51-year-old was seen in Qatar for the World Cup Final on Sunday — just hours before running the poll — speaking with Qatari and Saudi royals, both of whom have large stakes in Twitter ($400 million and $1.89 billion, respectively). The Verge has also reported Musk was searching for a new CEO prior to Sunday’s poll.
Since acquiring Twitter for $44 billion back in late October, Musk has made various changes to the app, such as giving anyone the ability to purchase a blue checkmark and adding both a grey “Official” checkmark and a golden checkmark. Some Twitter profiles also have square-shaped profile pictures instead of circular ones.
Further reports indicate that Twitter has stopped paying its rent at some locations, is stiffing vendors, and has seen a dramatic spike in hate speech in recent weeks.