·Musk has dug a hole for himself, will he jump out of it? On December 18, he launched a poll asking netizens whether he should step down as Twitter CEO. As a result, nearly 60% of netizens voted in favor.
17.5 million people voted, tens of millions in favor of his resignation
Since taking over Twitter in late October, Musk has been criticized for weeks on end for the way he runs the site.
On the 18th, the billionaire launched a vote and said: "Should I resign as the person in charge of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this vote."
There were more than 17.5 million participants in this vote. When the vote closed 12 hours later, Musk seemed ironic - 57.5% of users said they wanted him to resign, equivalent to more than 10 million users voting for that option. By comparison, 42.5% voted to keep him in office.
("Should I resign as the head of Twitter?" Musk initiated the vote.)
It is unclear who will replace him if he does fulfill his promise to resign as the head of Twitter.
The rap singer joked about taking over Twitter, and 81.8% of 1 million people supported it.
After launching the vote, Musk tweeted a warning: "As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for, because you may come true." He also added: "People who want power are the people least worthy of it."
Musk's supporters said that if he steps down, his critics may regret it. Netizen Colin Ruger wrote: "I think Elon Musk has picked a Twitter CEO, this person will be more annoying."
The famous American rapper Snoop Dogg jokingly conducted a poll of his own, asking: "Should I be in charge of Twitter?" Ten hours later, in his vote, 81.8% of 1 million people supported it.
(Rapper Snoop Dogg.)
Banned the accounts of nine journalists and prohibited them from promoting competitors on Twitter
This is another dramatic moment for Twitter since Musk acquired the social media site in October.
Just last week, he was criticized by many people for banning Twitter accounts promoting Facebook and Instagram . In November, he warned employees that the company could go bankrupt.
(Musk shook hands with the President of Turkey at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar on the evening of the 18th.)
On the 18th, he stated on the platform that since May, Twitter has been on the "fast track to bankruptcy." On the evening of the 18th, Musk banned the account of " Washington Post " writer Taylor Lorenz after she was accused of revealing the exact address of TikTok talent scout Arianna Jacobs in an article in 2020. Lorenz confirmed in a TikTok video on the evening of the 18th that her Twitter account had been banned, but Musk said that he would lift the ban on her in less than 12 hours.
html On 015, Musk banned a total of 9 journalists' users because he decided to ban an account that recorded the use of his private jet. This matter was revealed by these 9 reporters. They came from news media such as " New York Times ", CNN (CNN) and "Washington Post". Musk has said reporters "tricked" him, meaning they published information about his whereabouts, but reporters insist they did not leak his address.18, Twitter announced plans to ban "accounts created solely to promote other social platforms." Musk also posted a tweet on his account that day, writing: "Only when the main purpose of the account is to promote a competitor, the account will be suspended, as this complies with anti-spam regulations."
Social networking sites on the "competitor" list include: Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth social, Tribel, Post and Nostr. The new rules state that posts promoting alternatives to Twitter, such as through tweets or bios, will be frozen and may also be deleted.In response, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey , who initially supported Musk's acquisition, responded with a simple question: "Why?"
(Twitter co-founder, Former CEO Jack Dorsey asked "Why?" about the new ban)
The FBI was revealed to have asked Twitter to provide information, causing netizens to worry
In recent weeks, Musk has been releasing so-called "Twitter documents" revealing how the website interacted with the US government before he took over. The first batch of documents related to Hunter Biden, the son of US President Biden, who was trying to remove indecent photos of himself from the website.
In a report released again by reporter Matt Taibbi on the 18th, the FBI asked Twitter executives to provide them with information on how to implement cybersecurity initiatives. Emails released by
show that after receiving a request from Agent Elvis, former "Twitter censor" Joel Ross was concerned that the FBI was breaking the law to help US intelligence agencies participate in domestic operations in the United States. He responded: "Frankly, I am confused by this request. It seems more like we are getting instructions from a congressional committee rather than the bureau."
FBI officials even asked Twitter to provide the operating locations of some accounts, which raised concerns about free speech. Since taking over the site, Musk has declared it a bastion of free speech and has sought to invite back people who had previously been banned from the site.
In November last year, he made overtures to former US President Donald Trump . Trump was banned from Twitter in January 2021 after the riots in the US Congress. Shortly after Musk acquired Twitter, he announced that he had restored Trump's account, which had more than 88.9 million followers. However, Trump rejected his offer, prompting Musk to launch a series of posts blasting him as ungrateful.
(correspondent Heechul)
