Who might become Twitter’s new CEO if Elon Musk actually steps down?

By Krystal Scanlon

Twitter is certainly ending this year with a bang, or rather an understanding that Elon Musk won’t be “Chief Twit” for much longer. Or at least not by name.

It’s been less than 24 hours since Musk tweeted that he will stand down as CEO of Twitter as soon as he finds “someone foolish enough to take the job!” — having only been at the helm for a mere, yet disastrous 55 days.

Since then, Twitter HQ has seen more chaos than the average soap opera. Within seven weeks Musk announced he would form a content moderation council in a bid to create Twitter as a free-speech platform, introduced “Twitter Blue” charging $8 per month to verify accounts with a blue tick, removed a policy which aimed to combat Covid-19 disinformation, reinstated banned accounts including former President Donald Trump — and then suspended (then reinstated) journalists’ accounts on the platform.

And let’s not forget, Musk came to this incredibly difficult decision via a Twitter poll in which he asked his 122.4 million followers if he should step down as head of Twitter, and stated he would abide by the results.

Of the 17.5 million votes, 57.5% of respondents said yes, Musk should step down, while 42.5% said he should continue.

Since floating the idea, there has been a barrage of hot takes about who should take on the somewhat sinking ship and bring it back to the Twitter the industry once knew and loved.

So here’s our hot take on who that individual should be, along with some informed opinions on the breadth and depth of challenges they will undoubtedly face, while acknowledging the crossroads the business finds itself at.

Internal or external candidate?

Twitter’s new CEO should be hired externally. Though that’s probably down to a lack of viable options internally. Arguably the top internal candidates for the job swiftly resigned shortly after Musk arrived. (Let that sink in!)

So an external candidate seems to be the obvious choice. But whoever lands the role will likely be someone Musk hand-picks — which will be an interesting elimination process to watch. Or as Kaela Green, VP paid social at Basis Technologies suggested, we might witness a mini election where Musk polls Twitter’s users to aid his decision.

But will he promote someone from within his own portfolio of companies, or look to the tech aristocracy for an industry veteran?

Skills and talent

Twitter’s new top dog needs to be a proven financial commercial professional with international relationships, who can lead the company’s sale, according to Jack Myers, founder of Media Village.

Moreover, they need to be willing to challenge Musk, and not simply be a lackey. It’s important for them to make difficult decisions and stand up for what they believe are the company’s best interests, noted Omri Hurwitz, …read more

Source:: Digiday