Elon Musk is the founder of Tesla and CEO of Twitter. He posted on his Chinese Weibo account for the first time in four weeks. He announced his intention to step down as the head of the US social media network four weeks later. Musk claimed he would resign once he named a replacement.
Without providing any explanation, the 51-year-old billionaire made a statement on Weibo on Wednesday. The statement reads, “caring more about words than actions does not bode well for civilization.” In reaction to news about Stanford University’s list of toxic words, Musk tweeted the same statement.
In a recent survey on whether to step down as CEO of Twitter, the CEO received 17.5 million votes. Among the total votes, 57.5 percent of respondents said “yes.” When he finds “someone foolish enough to take the job.” Musk said he would step down on Tuesday and focus on leading the company’s software and server teams.
Chinese internet users responded to Musk’s recent Weibo tweet with hundreds of comments. He was debating the logic of Musk’s decision to purchase Twitter in the first place and criticisms of Tesla vehicles. With over 2 million followers and a Weibo account that he started in 2014, Musk frequently writes about Tesla’s development. He also writes about issues involving artificial intelligence and renewable energy sources.
Weibo user asked “What’s the purpose of buying Twitter, then”
“What’s the purpose of buying Twitter, then? Since it’s all words there,” said one Weibo user with the handle “Tianjinfan 1952”.
“Technically, Tesla is important, but humans also need a place to communicate, debate, to understand each group,” said another user named “Xianju2021”.
“Can you focus on Tesla? No improvement, no new models, no localization of Model X and S …,” said one top-voted comment under the post. “I think you should open a vote on Weibo regarding whether you should step down as Tesla CEO.”
Opinions are split regarding Musk’s takeover of Twitter in October. He has restored hundreds of previously banned accounts as a defender of free expression. The list of accounts also included the account of former US President Donald Trump.
Chinese authorities extended the red carpet to the outspoken Elon Musk
But he has also fired hundreds of workers. Moreover, it was criticized for suspending the accounts of several journalists. According to the billionaire, the journalist violated recently established rules on sharing real-time location data. Later, some of the accounts were restored.
Chinese authorities extended the red carpet to the outspoken Musk, a well-known businessman when he inaugurated his sizable Giga plant in Shanghai in 2019. Due to his participation with Starlink, a satellite internet network run by Musk’s SpaceX, he is also regarded by some in China as a possible national security danger.
Hu Xijin, the former editor of the nationalist state tabloid Global Times, and Musk recently got into a fight over remarks Hu made about the crisis in Russia and Ukraine. Elon Musk did, however, make a comment in August that was interpreted by some as a gesture to Beijing in the official journal of China’s internet watchdog, saying that he was delighted to share his “thoughts on technology and humanity’s vision” with “Chinese friends.”
