As pressure mounts for Elon Musk to abide by a public vote urging him to step down on Twitter, attention is now turning to who might take over if he does indeed fall on his sword.
Musk asked his 122 million Twitter followers if he should step down and vowed to stick with what they decided in a poll.
Of the 17.5 million voters, about 10 million said he should resign.
He insisted he doesn’t have a new CEO in mind just yet – but there are a few potential candidates whose names keep coming up.
Musk asked his 122 million Twitter followers if he should step down and vowed to stick with what they decided in a poll. Of the 17.5 million voters, about 10 million said he should resign
Then there are wildcards, including Snoop Dogg, who — despite his lack of corporate experience — appears to have won the public’s vote, with 57 percent saying “yes” when asked if he should be crowned Twitter’s next boss.
Oprah Winfrey, who wanted to add Musk to the Twitter board when he took office, is also an option, and even whistleblower Edward Snowden has thrown his hat in the ring.
Silicon Valley’s “Fix It” team: Jason Calacanis, David Sacks, and Sriram Krishnan, who helped Musk when he bought Twitter
Among the most serious contenders is Jason Calacanis, who is said to be one of Musk’s closest friends and allies.
After acquiring Twitter in November and firing most of the existing leadership, Musk brought in his own inner circle — and Calacanis was among them.
He has also previously expressed interest in the job, telling Musk in a text exchange, “Put me in the game coach! Twitter CEO is my dream job.”
But while Calacanis is confident he could follow in Musk’s footsteps, his Twitter followers see it differently.
Jason Calacanis (left) and David Sacks (right) were among the top advisors Musk brought in when he bought Twitter, and their names head the list of frontrunners to take on
Calacanis has added speculation that he could be named as Musk’s successor
In a recent poll of who would take over as Twitter CEO in Musk’s absence, only 8 percent voted for Calacanis.
They were more excited at the prospect of him sharing the job with David Sacks — a member of the “PayPal mafia” whose professional relationship with Musk dates back decades.
Saks denied having an official role on Twitter during Musk’s initial acquisition, but admitted he was involved, tweeting, “I have no official role. I’m not “responsible” for anything.
“I’m doing what Silicon Valley investors are trying to do, which is to be helpful on the fringes.”
Another key member of Musk’s “Fix it” team is Sriram Krishnan — an angel investor and tech guru who previously led engineering teams at Yahoo
Another key member of Musk’s “Fix it” team is Sriram Krishnan — an angel investor and tech guru who previously led engineering teams at Yahoo.
Krishnan was touted by Fortune Magazine as a potential next CEO earlier this year, before Musk’s troubles mounted.
Alex Spiro: Musk’s trusted attorney who helped him through the “pedo” diver libel trial and was part of Twitter negotiations
Spiro has worked with Musk since 2019, when he represented the eccentric billionaire in a messy defamation lawsuit against Vernon Unsworth, a diver Musk called a “pedo” for trying to help rescue a group of Thai boys living in were trapped in a cave.
Musk emerged victorious from that case — Unsworth had sued him for $190 million, claiming the remark took a disastrous toll on his life.
The jury echoed Musk, thanks in no small part to Spiro.
Attorney Alex Spiro in 2018. He represented Musk in his 2019 defamation lawsuit against diver Vernon Unsworth
After Musk first offered to buy Twitter in April, he tried to get out of the deal.
Spiro was his advisor when he tried to wriggle out of the agreement.
He ended up paying the original price of $44 billion.
Omead Afshar: Musk’s top lieutenant who was transferred to SpaceX from Tesla
Omead Afshar worked in the “CEO’s office” under Musk until he was suddenly transferred to SpaceX earlier this year to serve as vice president
Ashfar is a strong contender given his history with Musk and his companies.
He worked in the “CEO’s office” under Musk until he was suddenly reassigned to SpaceX earlier this year to serve as vice president.
There were rumors at the time that it was an expense scandal at Tesla that caused others to be fired.
Tesla’s Tom Zhu
Musk brought Zhu to the US earlier this year from China, where he was Tesla’s China President.
China had routinely outperformed Tesla’s operating factories in the US, which analysts attributed to Zhu.
He’s a proponent of the “hardcore” work ethic that Musk favors.
Elon Musk with Tesla’s Tom Zhu. Zhu was brought to the United States this year from China, where he ran Tesla operations for years
Sheryl Sandberg: Facebook veteran COO who resigned from Meta in June
Sandberg is one of the more serious names floating around to replace Musk.
She was widely credited with implementing the lucrative advertising structure still in place at Facebook, where she withstood several scandals before resigning earlier this year.
Now that Meta is in turmoil, Sandberg has yet to be caught for her next role.
Sheryl Sandberg stepped down as Meta’s COO in June of this year. She is pictured in New York in November
Sarah Friar, former CFO of Square with ties to Slack, Nextdoor and Walmart
Friar has an impressive technical resume and is also financially savvy having held senior positions at Square.
She sits on multiple boards, including those of Nextdoor, Slack, and even Walmart.
She hasn’t weighed the Musk drama or the possibility of taking over Twitter.
Sarah Friar, former CFO of Square with ties to Slack, Nextdoor and Walmart
Lex Fridman: Russian podcaster and AI specialist
Fridman has also offered to take over Musk – but says he will do it for free.
In his offer, he tweeted: “Let me do some twitter. No salary. Everything in it.
“Focus on great technique and increasing love in the world.
Podcast host Lex Fridman also applied for the job. His offer caught Musk’s attention
Fridman’s offer caught Musk’s attention – but was turned down yesterday
‘I’m only offering my help on the off chance that it’s useful.’
Fridman’s offer caught Musk’s attention – but was turned down.
“You must be very fond of pain. One catch: Twitter needs to invest its life savings, and it’s been on the fast track to bankruptcy since May. Do you still want the job?’ he answered.
Undeterred, Fridman shot back, “Yes, we’ll flip it.”
….And now to the wildcards!
Jared Kushner: Trump’s son-in-law, who watched the World Cup final with Musk in Qatar
Kushner has held a senior advisory role in his father-in-law’s White House but has kept a low profile since Trump left office in 2021.
Jared Kushner and Elon Musk watch the World Cup final in Qatar on Sunday
Trump officially announced his 2024 campaign earlier this year, but his daughter Ivanka has already confirmed that she would not play a role in any future administration.
It is all the more likely that Kushner could also aim for a private role.
Snoop Dogg
The marijuana-loving rapper threw his hat in the ring for Twitter’s CEO and received an overwhelmingly positive response.
Out of 2.7 million voters, 81 percent said “yes” when the rapper asked him, “Should I go on Twitter?”.
Snoop Dogg The marijuana-loving rapper threw his hat in the ring for Twitter’s CEO and received an overwhelmingly positive response
Oprah Winfrey
In leaked text messages before he took office, Musk had proposed bringing Oprah Winfrey to Twitter’s board of directors.
He was exchanging texts with her best friend, CBS host Gayle King, when he suggested bringing Oprah on board.
In leaked text messages before he took office, Musk had proposed bringing Oprah Winfrey to Twitter’s board of directors
“Perhaps Oprah would be interested in joining the Twitter board if my offer is successful.
“Wisdom about humanity and knowing what is right is more important than so-called ‘governance’ skills, which in my experience mean next to nothing,” he said.
King had tried to get an interview with the Tesla CEO.
Edward Snowden
The whistleblower threw his hat in the ring on Twitter after Musk announced he would resign if the public wanted it.
‘I accept the payment in Bitcoin!’ He tweeted in response to Musk’s claim that there was “nobody” who wanted the job who would actually be able to do it.
Snowden fled to Russia after being charged by the US with stealing NSA documents. He is now a naturalized citizen.
The whistleblower threw his hat in the ring on Twitter after Musk announced he would resign if the public wanted it