London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Musk: Only blue tick users to vote in Twitter polls on policy

Musk: Only blue tick users to vote in Twitter polls on policy

Elon Musk has said Twitter will only allow users with a blue tick to vote on changes to company policy after his followers voted for him to quit.
Musk launched a Twitter poll asking his followers if he should step down as chief executive — 57.5% voted "yes".

Since then, he has not commented directly on the result of poll.

But he has said that Twitter will alter its rules so that only people who pay for a subscription can vote on company policy.

One user claimed that so-called bots appeared to have voted heavily in the poll about Musk's role at the firm. Musk said he found the claim "interesting".

The billionaire had said when he ran the poll that he would abide by the result. If he does quit as chief executive, he will remain as Twitter's owner.

Bruce Daisley, former vice president of Twitter, compared any potential change to that of a football manager.

"The chairman still remains and Elon Musk is going to be that ever-present voice in the back of the room," he told the BBC's Today program.

In response to a tweet saying Twitter Blue subscribers "should be the only ones that can vote in policy related polls. We actually have skin in the game," Musk said: "Good point, Twitter will make that change."

Twitter's paid-for verification feature was rolled out for a second time last week after its launch was paused.

The service costs $8 per month, or $11 for people using the Twitter app on Apple devices, and gives subscribers a "blue tick".

Previously a blue tick was used as verification tool for high-profile accounts as a badge of authenticity and was free.

On Monday, Musk held a poll on his future as chief executive. More than 17.5 million users voted and the majority backed him stepping down.

While the poll was running he replied to one user suggesting there was no replacement chief executive lined up, saying: "No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive. There is no successor."

The technology tycoon, who also runs electric car maker Tesla and space rocket firm Space X, has faced much criticism since taking over the site.

He has obeyed the results of his Twitter polls in the past and quoted the phrase "vox populi, vox dei", a Latin phrase, which roughly means "the voice of the people is the voice of God".

Musk bought Twitter for $44bn (£36bn) in October after attempting to back out of the deal.

Since taking control, he has been criticized for his approach to content moderation, with some civil liberties groups accusing him of taking steps that will increase hate speech and misinformation.

On Friday, he was condemned by the United Nations and European Union over Twitter's decision to suspend some journalists who cover the social media firm. He has also fired about half of Twitter's staff.

Daisley said through Musk's activity, you could "get a hint" over what he was thinking through his replies to users.

"He does seem to be quibbling with the vote," he added.

Musk has also been accused of neglecting his electric car company Tesla, which is where most of his wealth is. Tesla shares have lost more than 60% in value this year, with some saying his obsession with Twitter is destroying the brand.

Last week, Leo KoGuan, the third largest individual shareholder in Tesla, called for Musk to step down as the boss of the electric car maker.

"Elon abandoned Tesla and Tesla has no working CEO. Tesla needs and deserves to have [a] working full time CEO," he tweeted.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×