Elon Musk effect: Twitter may finally get an 'edit' button

A man in a business suit holding the Twitter logo
(Image credit: Shutterstock/Tero Vesalainen)

Whatever Tesla CEO Elon Musk does cannot be ignored. That would include even an innocuous Twitter poll. And in the process, he might help Twitter users get what they have been clamouring for all these years: An edit button for the tweets they make.

The man, who has picked 9.2% stake in Twitter worth nearly $3 billion and is the micro-blogging site's largest shareholder now, this morning ran a seemingly ordinary poll, something that is dime-a-dozen on the platform. In the poll, the question posed by Musk was: "Do you want an edit button?" The choices for responding were straightforward: Yes or No.

In the normal scheme of things, the poll may have died an unceremonious death, like almost all such polls do on the platform.

Twitter CEO jumps into the act

But within a few minutes of the poll, the incumbent CEO Parag Agrawal Quote-Tweeted the poll, with a cryptic line: "The consequences of this poll will be important. Please vote carefully."

Well, coming from the man who heads the platform, this is now seen as a hint towards a possible 'edit' button being introduced by twitter based on the poll result.

And as per indications as of now, Twitter users seem to be voting with their feet in favour of an 'edit' button. Close to 75% of the poll respondents are for the much-demanded tweak button.

Recently, on April 1, Twitter had tweeted a message on its official account, saying it was working on the long-awaited 'edit' feature. When asked if the tweet was a joke, the company had said, "We cannot confirm or deny but we may edit our statement later."

Twitter users have been asking for the option to edit tweets ever since the platform launched in 2006, but the company has always prevaricated on it. However, two years back, its then CEO Jack Dorsey, in response to a question on whether the site will introduce an 'edit' option, said: "The answer is no." So many thought that the issue was closed.

But now with a new CEO, and an even more high-profile stakeholder in place, Twitter is perhaps is 'editing' its previous stated position.

PS: There is still some time (around 15 hours) left for the poll to end. You can still vote and get across your choice. 

Balakumar K
Senior Editor

Over three decades as a journalist covering current affairs, politics, sports and now technology. Former Editor of News Today, writer of humour columns across publications and a hardcore cricket and cinema enthusiast. He writes about technology trends and suggest movies and shows to watch on OTT platforms. 

Read more
Tesla Model 3 2025
I’ve driven the Tesla Model 3, but Elon Musk is making it hard for us all to love the brand
Twitter social media application change logo to X. Elon Musk CEO of twitter rebranded Twitter to 'X'. Social media application technology concept.
X is back – here's what we know about the 'massive cyberattack' that caused Twitter to go down multiple times
The logo of the social media app Bluesky is seen on the screen of a mobile phone
What is Bluesky? The new social media network explained
Elon Musk and X
"Swindler" - Musk leads blockbuster bid to buy OpenAI for $97.4bn, but Sam Altman hits back with own bid for X
Tesla Model X and Model Y
Tesla says it will refresh the Model S and Model X this year – here are 5 things I want to see
President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk pose for a photo during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City.
Trump 2.0 is a win for Big Tech – but it may not be for encryption
Latest in Twitter
Smartphone with new logo X twitter app background. Application twitter old blue bird change X black and white new.
How to delete all your tweets on X
Cartoon of Elon Musk with flaming dollar bills in the background
Elon Musk plans to charge new X users $1 to use the app, so I guess I’m really done with Twitter now
Smartphone with new logo X twitter app background. Application twitter old blue bird change X black and white new.
Elon Musk has removed a vital feature on X – fake news could soon get a lot worse
Cartoon of Elon Musk with flaming dollar bills in the background
Elon Musk continues campaign to ruin his own platform by removing Twitter Circles
A phone screen showing the Twitter Blue logo
Twitter's Blue Ticks are now so toxic that paid users can choose to hide them
X logo and Twitter logo with arrows showing swap
Sorry, Elon Musk, I signed up for Twitter, not X. Now it's time to go
Latest in News
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
Samsung's rumored smart specs may be launching before the end of 2025
Apple iPhone 16 Review
The latest iPhone 18 leak hints at a major chipset upgrade for all four models
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #1155)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #386)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #652)
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, March 23 (game #1154)