Kasturi to step down as Twitter CEO once he finds ‘somebody stupid’ enough as successor

Dec 20 (Reuters) – Billionaire Elon Musk said on Tuesday he would step down as chief executive officer of Twitter Inc after finding a replacement, but would still run some of the social media platform’s key divisions.

Musk wrote on Twitter, “As soon as I see a fool who can take the job, I will resign as CEO! After that, I will just run the software and server teams.”

Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in October has been marked by chaos and controversy, with some investors questioning whether he is too distracted to properly run his electric vehicle automaker Tesla Inc. (TSLA.O)In which he is personally involved in the production and engineering.

This is the first time after Twitter users mentioned Musk stepping down as head of the social media platform voted For him to resign in a poll, which the billionaire launched on Sunday evening.

In the poll, 57.5% of approximately 17.5 million people voted “yes”. Musk said on Sunday that he would follow up on the results. He has not provided a timeframe for when he will step down and has not named a successor.

The election results capped a whirlwind week that included changes to Twitter’s privacy policy and the suspension — and reinstatement — of journalists’ accounts, which drew condemnation from news organizations, advocacy groups and officials across Europe.

Wall Street calls for Musk to step down had been growing for weeks and recently even Tesla bulls have questioned his focus on the social media platform and how it could distract him from running the EV maker.

Musk himself has said he has a lot on his plate, and will be looking for a Twitter CEO. He said Sunday, however, that there was no successor and “doesn’t want a job that can really keep Twitter alive.”

Reporting by Ann Maria Shibu and Jubi Babu in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler, Anne Marie Rowntree and

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