By Natalia Rueda 
Elon Musk, the controversial billionaire behind Tesla and SpaceX, has announced plans to appoint a new CEO for his recently acquired company, Twitter. Musk revealed in a Thursday tweet that the new CEO would begin in “~6 weeks,” while he will assume the role of CEO and CTO, overseeing product, software and systems.
Though the new CEO has yet to be named, the tech world is already abuzz with speculation. Some predict the new CEO will be a well-known figure from Silicon Valley, while others point to the possibility of a female executive or someone with a diverse background.
Since purchasing the social media giant in October, Musk has presided over the immediate firing of much of his executive staff and thousands of other employees. He has also renamed the company “X” and earned the moniker of “Chief Twit.” Despite the shake-up, it is unlikely that giving someone else the CEO title will make Twitter any less wild.
The announcement comes after a survey of Musk’s followers on the platform resulted in 17.5 million responses, with 57.5 percent indicating he should no longer be CEO of Twitter.
The poll was not the first indication that Musk would eventually find someone else to take over Twitter’s day-to-day operations. In November, while testifying in court about his compensation as Tesla’s CEO, he said he hoped to reduce his time at Twitter and “find someone else to run Twitter over time.”
The news has sparked questions about the impact of Musk’s divided attention on his other companies, most notably Tesla. In December, Tesla investors were openly calling for Musk to step down from his position at Twitter when the car company’s share price fell to $101, just one-third of its peak price over the past year. Tesla has since slashed vehicle prices and is facing lower margins in what some are calling an electric vehicle price war amid increasing competition.
Regardless of who the new CEO turns out to be, the move is sure to have a lasting impact on Twitter and the tech landscape as a whole. With Musk’s track record of shaking up the status quo, it’s a move that nobody should ignore.