Linda Yaccarino stepped down as CEO of X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday. She had been in charge for what she called “two incredible years”, leading the company through a significant shift.
In a message posted on the platform, Linda Yaccarino announced her decision to step aside with no explanation provided, at a time when Musk’s AI chatbot Grok was being criticized for anti-Semitic remarks.
Musk said, “Thank you for your contributions,” in a brief response to her post on X.
In June 2023, Yaccarino, a former advertising executive at NBC Universal, succeeded Musk as CEO of X. Musk had held the position since October 2022, when he paid $44 billion to acquire Twitter. Musk hired her in an attempt to restore advertiser faith by bringing in an experienced media manager and concentrating on product development.
Since Musk’s acquisition, the business has had many difficulties, such as a decline in sponsors and worries about content management guidelines. Racism, antisemitism, violent content, and false information about X have all increased, according to critics.
It was believed that Yaccarino’s experience in advertising was essential to reestablishing commercial ties. In her remarks, Yaccarino commended the X team for their “historic business turnaround” and hinted that the platform was starting “a new chapter” alongside Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI.
In March, xAI became a subsidiary of Musk’s AI startup after purchasing X in an all-stock transaction valued at $33 billion.
“X is truly a digital town square for all voices and the world’s most powerful culture signal, and I’ll be cheering you all on as you continue to change the world”, she wrote.
Although the circumstances behind Yaccarino’s abrupt departure are yet unknown, it suggests a possible tipping point in her relationship with the billionaire.
In keeping with Musk’s goal of turning the platform into an “Everything App,” X launched additional features during her tenure, such as Community Notes, a crowdsourced fact-checking system, and plans for “X Money,” a financial services component.
It also happened at the same time that Musk endorsed and financially supported Donald Trump, launching the multibillionaire from South Africa into the White House as a close advisor to the president until a recent rift.
