Musk Searching for New Twitter CEO... Begins Search Before Vote

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, who held a vote on whether to step down as CEO of Twitter, is currently actively searching for a new CEO for Twitter, according to reports.

US economic media CNBC reported this on the 20th (local time), citing sources. The sources said that Musk's search for a new Twitter CEO began even before the vote he posted on his personal account.

Musk, who acquired Twitter for $44 billion last October, had previously indicated in court that his role as Twitter CEO was a "temporary measure." On the 18th, he also conducted a poll on his Twitter account asking, "Should I step down as Twitter CEO?" Among more than 17 million respondents, 57.5% answered that Musk should leave Twitter. Musk added in a follow-up tweet, "The issue is not finding a CEO, but finding a CEO who can keep Twitter alive."

Recently, criticism has been growing among investors that Musk should step away from managing Twitter and focus on Tesla. Since the Twitter acquisition issue arose, Tesla's stock price has plummeted sharply, dropping about 60% this year alone. Concerns have increased due to Musk selling tens of billions of dollars worth of Tesla shares to fund the Twitter acquisition and poaching top talent.

Additionally, there have been ongoing evaluations that Twitter's competitiveness is deteriorating under Musk's leadership, which has been marked by frequent erratic behavior. Immediately after the acquisition, Musk sparked controversy by firing 3,700 Twitter employees?nearly half of the entire workforce?via a single email.

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to the chairman of Tesla's board expressing concerns that Musk and the board are not fulfilling their legal duties to Tesla shareholders. Previously, Warren, who had clashed with Musk over tax issues, requested specific answers from the board regarding conflicts of interest and resource misuse related to Musk's Twitter acquisition.

Earlier, Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator, also expressed concerns to Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX COO, that Musk's divided attention might affect collaboration between SpaceX and NASA.

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