Majority Rule Within One's Fandom... Musk-Style 'Twitter Democracy'

Repeated Major Decisions via Twitter Polls
"The Voice of the People is the Voice of God" Quoted
Some Criticize "Twitter as a Tool for Self-Confirmation"

He sold 10% of his Tesla shares. He restored former U.S. President Donald Trump's account. The decision on whether to step down from the frontline management of Twitter was also made. All of these decisions were made by Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, through 'Twitter polls' conducted over the past several years.

After acquiring Twitter, one of the world's largest social networking services (SNS), Musk CEO's so-called 'Twitter democracy' has continued its relentless progress. Even significant corporate management decisions, such as whether to resign as CEO, were decided by user polls. Musk CEO emphasizes the importance of respecting the "voice of the majority." However, some critics argue that the sloppy polling method, mainly participated in by his millions of followers, cannot replace democratic decision-making.

Survey Results on Twitter Conducted by CEO Musk from Last Year to Recently

Musk's Relentless 'Twitter Democracy'

Musk CEO, an influencer with 120 million followers (as of the 20th), has been conducting Twitter polls for several years. The most representative case was the poll posted last November on "selling 10% of Tesla shares." At that time, the reason he considered selling shares was due to taxes.

Musk CEO explained, "There has been much discussion recently about unrealized gains becoming a means of tax avoidance," adding, "Therefore, I am proposing to sell 10% of my Tesla shares."

3.5 million users participated in the poll, and about 58% supported the sale of shares. Subsequently, Musk CEO actually sold 13.5 million Tesla shares, realizing approximately $14 billion in proceeds.

Twitter logo and Elon Musk photographed on October 28, 2022

After acquiring Twitter for $44 billion last October, his 'Twitter democracy' moved into even more significant and controversial areas. On November 18 (local time), Musk CEO conducted a poll to decide whether to restore former President Trump's Twitter account. Twitter had permanently suspended Trump's account in January last year, citing "risk of further incitement of violence."

This poll attracted as many as 15 million users, and the approval and disapproval rates were close. However, with 51.8% in favor, it was decided to restore former President Trump's account.

Most recently, from the 18th to the 19th, a poll asking whether Musk CEO should resign as Twitter CEO was conducted over about 12 hours. Approximately 17.5 million people participated, with 57.5% expressing support for resignation.

Considering that Musk CEO has never gone against decisions made through Twitter polls so far, it is highly likely that he will respect the 'public' opinion this time as well and step down from frontline Twitter management. This would be just two months after he acquired Twitter.

Musk: "The Voice of the People is the Voice of God"... Critics Say "Using Twitter to Confirm His Own Decisions"

Musk CEO's 'Twitter democracy' has already caused enormous waves both domestically and internationally. From selling Tesla shares to CEO resignation, the voting results have been reported by major foreign media such as The New York Times (NYT), The Washington Post (WP), and The Guardian.

Musk CEO argues that regardless of liking or disliking the results, the "will of the people" is important. Regarding the controversial poll result on restoring former President Trump, he conveyed his stance with the Latin phrase "Vox Populi, Vox Dei," meaning "the voice of the people is the voice of God." This implies that the will of the majority decided by majority rule must be strictly followed.

CEO Musk acquired Twitter last October.

However, some critics argue that his 'democratic decision-making' is merely superficial. The polls posted through Musk CEO's Twitter account last only 12 to 24 hours at most, and those who express approval or disapproval are unspecified general users. Moreover, due to the nature of the SNS platform, poll participants are likely already Musk CEO's 'followers,' making it easier to obtain favorable results for him.

In fact, some media speculated that the poll on whether Musk CEO should resign as Twitter CEO might have proceeded according to Musk CEO's intentions. WP reported, "Musk is known for using Twitter polls to confirm decisions he has already made," adding, "He was likely already decided to step down as CEO before sending out the online poll."

Since Musk CEO acquired Twitter last October, Tesla's stock price has plummeted from about $260 per share to $149 (closing price on the 19th). This is attributed to a combination of factors, including investor sentiment dampened by central banks' monetary tightening policies and shareholders' anxiety that "Musk CEO might neglect Tesla while focusing on Twitter." After the voting result on the 19th that he should resign as Twitter CEO, Tesla's stock price surged nearly 5% intraday.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.