Elon Musk asks Twitter users if he should step down

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of the microblogging site Twitter, has launched a 12-hour online poll asking users if he should step down as the head of Twitter.

“Should I step down as head of Twitter?” Mr Musk tweeted late Sunday saying “I will abide by the results of this poll.”

Along with the question, he gave “Yes” and “No” options.

The poll has attracted over 15.8 million voters as of the time of this report with over 50 per cent saying he should step down.

In a separate tweet, Mr Musk wrote that there is no successor in line if he steps down.

“The question is not finding a CEO, the question is finding a CEO who can keep Twitter alive,” he wrote.

“As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it,” Mr Musk tweeted again.

Hours after the poll was announced, Mr Musk said “those who want power are the ones who least deserve it.”

Mr Musk’s comments came after he reversed a Twitter policy on Sunday that barred users from linking to certain rival social media websites, including Facebook, Instagram, and Mastodon.

He later said: “Going forward, there will be a vote for major policy changes.”

Last week, high-profile journalists and Twitter users were suspended without warning or explanation.

Mr Musk later accused the journalists of sharing private information about his whereabouts.

Following criticisms of his action, Mr Musk asked his followers if he should have the accounts reinstated. About 59 per cent of respondents said yes.

“If Twitter owner Elon Musk truly wants to foster a platform that allows free speech for all, it makes no sense to remove journalists from the platform,” the New York Times quoted Jodie Ginsberg, president of the Committee to Protect Journalists, as saying in a statement at the time.

Mr Musk later reinstated the accounts of the journalists including reporters with The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and other publications.

Mr Musk, 51, completed a $44 billion buyout of Twitter in late October. His tenure has already been marked by mass layoffs and executive resignations at Twitter. He has shut down the company’s office in Ghana.