Musk to Step Down as Twitter CEO

Image copyright: Reuters

The Facts

  • On Tuesday, Elon Musk said he would resign as Twitter's CEO as soon as he finds a replacement, having agreed to either stay on or step down from the role based on a Twitter poll launched on Sunday.

  • The poll ended with 57.5% of more than 17M users voting for Musk to leave his role. However, the vote is informal, and it's unclear when he will step down.


The Spin

Narrative A

Since Musk took control, Twitter has been subjected to reckless decisions, leaving it in a chaotic state. Stepping down as CEO would be the start of cleaning up the mess he has made. However, his replacement needs to be someone who understands that the protection of users comes before the whims of an erratic billionaire.

Narrative B

While Musk has made some questionable decisions, this latest move isn't one of them. Involving users in key decisions is a refreshing overhaul to Twitter's — and the broader tech world's — policymaking, which is dominated by only a select few. Others should take heed.

Cynical narrative

Given that Twitter is mainly made up of software and servers, Musk is set to keep de-facto control of the company even if he's not CEO. As is the case with his other companies, it's unlikely a change in his title will bring an end to his leadership.

Nerd narrative

There is a 3% chance that Elon Musk will hold major political office in the US before Feb. 2033, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


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