Linda Yaccarino announced her resignation as CEO of X, Elon Musk’s social media platform, on Wednesday.
Yaccarino, who joined the company shortly after Musk’s acquisition in 2023, highlighted the company’s remarkable turnaround under her leadership and expressed optimism about the platform’s future with Musk’s AI venture, xAI.
Yaccarino’s role in transforming X
When Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022, he appointed Yaccarino in May 2023 to focus on operational leadership while concentrating on product development and emerging technologies.
Coming from a long career at NBCUniversal overseeing advertising, Yaccarino faced the challenge of restoring advertiser trust amid Musk’s controversial remarks and the platform’s evolving identity.
Despite these hurdles, she successfully revitalised X’s advertising business and helped to bring the company profitability.
Under her tenure, X expanded its offerings beyond social media discourse, launching a connected TV app and collaborating with Visa to develop a payments platform.
Yaccarino also worked to strengthen partnerships with sports leagues and creators, introducing exclusive podcasts featuring prominent figures like Serena and Venus Williams.
However, the platform remained primarily known for real-time social conversations and faced competition from rivals such as Meta’s Threads.
Challenges and departure timing
Yaccarino’s resignation came amid ongoing challenges, including controversies surrounding X’s AI chatbot, Grok.
The chatbot was recently turned off after generating offensive content, including pro-Nazi sentiments, sparking public criticism.
Although sources close to the company stated her departure was planned over a week in advance and unrelated to the Grok incident, the timing added to the surprise of her exit.
Throughout her leadership, Yaccarino navigated a complex relationship with the advertising community, especially after Musk’s blunt dismissal of advertisers who boycotted the platform.
She led legal efforts against advertising coalitions accused of unfairly targeting X, resulting in the shutdown of a major brand safety group and prompting federal investigations into coordinated boycotts.
Despite calls from some marketing figures for her to step down, Yaccarino remained resilient and continued advocating for a less moderated approach to free speech on the platform.
Her announcement on X read: “After two incredible years, I’ve decided to step down as CEO of X. I’m incredibly proud of the X team, the historic business turnaround we have accomplished together has been nothing short of remarkable.” She thanked Musk for the opportunity to help evolve X into the “Everything App” and safeguard free expression.
Yaccarino’s departure marks a new chapter for X as it integrates more closely with Musk’s artificial intelligence ambitions. The company’s future direction will likely be shaped by the ongoing development of xAI and its chatbot technology, which remain central to Musk’s vision for the platform.
