Who Is Linda Yaccarino, Twitter's New CEO Appointed by Elon Musk?
After announcing he would step down last December, Elon Musk has finally found his new Chief Twit. NBCUniversal advertising executive Linda Yaccarino will now be Twitter's head honcho as Musk remains with the company as owner and in a separate senior capacity.
As chief executive, Yaccarino is tasked with cleaning up the app's business operations after the self-proclaimed free speech absolutist's $44-billion acquisition last year. Musk, on the other hand, is expected to handle the product design and technology of the platform. The founder of Tesla and SpaceX had earlier said that he was trying to find someone "foolish enough to take the job" in late 2022.
I am excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter!@LindaYacc will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 12, 2023
Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app. https://t.co/TiSJtTWuky
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Thank you @elonmusk!
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayacc) May 13, 2023
I’ve long been inspired by your vision to create a brighter future. I’m excited to help bring this vision to Twitter and transform this business together! https://t.co/BcvySu7K76
While the nature of the two's relationship isn't clear, they were spotted on stage at a conference last April. Yaccarino had told Musk that advertisers “have a challenge with your points of view.” She also claimed during the advertising summit that, “If freedom of speech, as he says, is the bedrock of this country, I’m not sure there’s anyone in this room who could disagree with that.”
Who is Linda Yaccarino?
As the chairperson of global advertising and partnerships of NBCUniversal, Yaccarino was in charge of NBC programming and the Peacock streaming service. She was with Turner Entertainment for 15 years prior to landing the gig. There, she was executive vice president and chief operating officer of ad sales. She was also chair of future of work task force for the World Economic Forum, as well.
Among Yaccarino's most notable associations is with the Ad Council back in 2014. She was also appointed to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition by former United States President Donald Trump in 2018. During the Biden administration, she became a partner for the government to help create a coronavirus vaccine campaign.
She resigned from NBCUniversal the same day Musk announced her hiring as the new chief executive officer of X Corp. and Twitter. The two seem to be in agreement about the app's commitment to "open source transparency" and "a wide range of viewpoints," according to the billionaire. It remains to be seen how Yaccarino is going to address current Twitter concerns, like advertising and subscriptions. Her hiring, according to Musk, should also help him spend more time at Tesla.
Twitter Blue has been off to a shaky start. Months after its implementation, half of its subscribers left. The company's income is expected to drop to $3 billion this year, compared to $5.1 billion in 2021. Even the Space X founder admitted that the company was “roughly breaking even.”
Musk's run as Twitter CEO has been marred by controversies and mass layoffs. His actions include reducing the Twitter workforce in half and reinstating formerly banned accounts on the platform. Among those who would see a comeback on the app were Andrew Tate and Trump.
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