Elon Musk is polling Twitter users asking if he should resign as head of the social media platform.
Mr Musk, one of the world’s wealthiest men, bought Twitter for $44 billion in late October, but his short tenure has been turbulent.
The Tesla and SpaceX owner, who launched his vote just after 11pm UK time, wrote: “Should I resign as head of Twitter?
“I will abide by the results of this poll.”
About 20 minutes later, as the “yes” votes piled up, he added: “As the saying goes, be careful what you want because you might get it.”
Just after midnight, more than 3 million users voted, with 57.7% saying Musk should step down.
Earlier Sunday, he declared war on Twitter’s social media rivals by banning their accounts from promoting them on his platform.
That means users could have their accounts suspended, locked or deleted if they post links to their profiles on other social media sites, including Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, as well as Mastodon and Donald Trump’s Truth Social.
Last week, he reinstated the Twitter accounts of several journalists who had been suspended for a day over concerns that public data about his plane would be made public.
The billionaire fired thousands of employees when he took over, raising concerns about the site’s misuse and misinformation policing.
Last week, the site disbanded its trust and safety committee, which was made up of charities and activists who advised the site owner on its moderation policies.
The three committee members who quit complained that Mr Musk was creating a “two-tier” Twitter where paying users would get more benefits than free ones.
They warned it would “undercut the system’s credibility and Twitter’s appeal as a platform where anyone can hear”.
read more:
Analysis: There’s no point in trying to craft Elon Musk’s Twitter grand strategy — he doesn’t
Elon Musk warns he faces EU sanctions after kicking reporter off Twitter
Donald Trump’s Twitter account restored after polls vote to lift ban
After taking office, Mr. Musk promised to improve Twitter, eliminate fake accounts and improve free speech.
But it has lost many of its major advertisers amid growing concerns about its direction – and its ability to pay interest on the $13bn in debt Mr Musk took on to buy it.
On Saturday, Reuters revealed that Musk’s team had sought more funding from investors, just days after he sold an additional $3.6 billion worth of Tesla stock — meaning he has already sold 100% of his other shares this year. Nearly $40 billion worth of stock in electric car companies.