Elon Musk has been the owner and CEO of Twitter for just 20 days and it has already been enough to turn the company upside down. We will save ourselves from listing here the many comings and goings that the social network has had in recent weeks —you can go through them all here—, whose state may be critical after the dismissal of half of its staff and the resignation of another important number when making Musk participate to the staff of the levels of implication that it demanded. Basically, giving yourself body and soul, with all the hours possible, to the construction of a Twitter 2.0.
But while the maelstrom has just swept away the blue bird network or maybe it’s just a sudden change that takes it in a new direction, Musk has also made headlines this week by commenting that he does not want to be CEO of any of his companies. Not Tesla, not SpaceX, not Twitter.
The truth is that at Tesla, listed on the stock market, his linguist character had already put him at the exit door on more than one occasion. However, with Musk’s companies, it is difficult to disassociate and distinguish when the controversial attitude of the South African stops contributing and becomes a drag.
In any case, three companies with that impact seem too many both in terms of image, power, and pure managementsomething that can wear down its shareholders and users, especially in the case of Tesla.
The now also ‘Chief Twit’ declared that wants to stop being CEO of their companies in the trial to which the complaint has led him precisely from a minority shareholder of Tesla against a package of 56,000 million dollars in company shares to which Musk chooses to meet objectives. Money in the form of shares that Musk is surely counting on to cushion his economic situation at the cash level after the Twitter operation.
“Frankly, I don’t want to be CEO of any company”, Elon Musk testified in said trial that took place in Delaware, according to Forbes. That Musk says this in a trial where he wants to clarify a movement from which he would benefit does not mean, therefore, that he cannot be saying something contrary to what he thinks, but it does give rise to thinking about what his companies would be like and who would run them. without him in charge.
Let us, therefore, go through a path through a list of candidates that have always dreamed of and others more linked to the company-fiction.
Twitter, in search of a new leader for the bird
Let’s start by ruling out the one that many would surely want as CEO. Since Musk began the purchase process, there has been talk of the possibility of reinstating Jack Dorsey as CEO of Twitter.
Dorsey has always maintained his position as the visible face of Twitter and promoter of its philosophy., but he’s also been the biggest culprit for his years in charge of failing to come up with a profitable product. His words to Musk that “[Twitter] It should never have been a company”, exemplify that monetization has never been, much less one of their obsessions. In addition, his current relationship with Block and Square, in addition to his Bluesky project, from which the new Twitter could take some parts, almost completely rule it out, regardless of who weighs it.
So who is left in the fray? Some of the names that have been cited so far are:
- ken howery, co-founder of PayPal. Among its advantages, being a friend and partner of Musk and with experience in payments, where Twitter wants to put its foot.
- sam tellera partner at Valor Equity Partners and with experience in many Musk companies
- Luke NosekGigafund managing partner and friend of Musk with a background in marketing and strategy
- david sacks, co-founder of Craft Ventures and the only one with experience as a CEO. Sack has also stated on several occasions intentions to modernize Twitter.
- Jesse Angelo, President of Vice Media News and Entertainment. Also acquaintance of Musk and with experience in the media
- Shivon Zilis, director of operations and special projects at Neuralink. A current partner of Musk and with experience in AI.
- Adam Bainco-founder and managing partner of O1 Advisors and former head of Twitter operations until 2016. Someone with experience within the company and the world of investment.
And at Tesla?
Musk’s possible succession at Tesla has long had one name ahead of others. This is Drew Baglino, senior vice president of engineering and energy and the company’s oldest engineer behind Musk.
Baglino is the only engineer aside from Musk who regularly briefs investors on important developments during quarterly earnings calls. With his experience in Tesla’s automotive and energy storage businesses, he is the obvious choice.
Other names that have appeared in the pools internally are that of Omead Afshar, a senior director in Musk’s office at Tesla. Also, Ashok Elluswamy, the successor to Andrej Karpathyleading the AI and Autopilot team.
In the background are the economic chief, Zach Kirkhorn and, from there, the return or external bets already appear. Named after JB Straubel, Musk’s historic Tesla partnerit has always been sounding like a possible return if Musk leaves, although Straubel has projects of his own.
Finally, already in the field of transfers, figures like that of John Krafcik, CEO of WaymoPamela Fletcher, promoter of electrification of GM or Andy Palmer, of Aston Martin have sounded in some pools that are closer to the game than to reality in which Herbert Diess, former general director of the Volkswagen Group who traced a healthy competition with Musk.