Elon Musk Stepping Down As Twitter CEO
SAN FRANCISCO, CA– Elon Musk said Tuesday that he plans on remaining as Twitter’s CEO until he can find someone willing to replace him in the job. Muskβs announcement came after millions of Twitter users asked him to step down in an unscientific poll the billionaire himself created and promised to abide by.
βI will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job!β Musk tweeted. βAfter that, I will just run the software & servers teams.β Since taking over San Francisco-based Twitter in late October, Muskβs run as CEO has been markedΒ by quickly issued rules and policiesΒ that have often been withdrawn or changed soon after being made public.
He has alsoΒ alienated some investors in his electric vehicle company TeslaΒ who are concerned that Twitter is taking too much of his attention.
Some of Musk’s actions have unnerved Twitter advertisers and turned off users. They includeΒ laying off half of Twitterβs workforce,Β letting go contract content moderatorsΒ andΒ disbanding a council of trust and safety advisorsΒ that the company formed in 2016 to address hate speech, child exploitation, suicide, self-harm and other problems on the platform.
Musk, who also helms the SpaceX rocket company, has previously acknowledged how difficult it will be to find someone to take over as Twitter CEO.Bantering with Twitter followers last Sunday, he said that the person replacing him βmust like pain a lotβ to run a company that he said has been βin the fast lane to bankruptcy.β
βNo one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive. There is no successor,β Musk tweeted.As things stand, Musk would still retain overwhelming influence over platform as its owner. HeΒ fired the companyβs board of directorsΒ soon after taking control.
