Months after Elon Musk ran a Twitter poll in which the platform’s users voted for him to step down, we now know just who Twitter’s new CEO is going to be.
On Friday, Musk confirmed reports that the new CEO for Twitter – technically, X Corp.(opens in a new tab) now – is going to be former head of advertising at NBCUniversal, Linda Yaccarino. NBCUniversal confirmed(opens in a new tab) her departure from the company just hours before Musk announced the Twitter news.
“I am excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter!” Musk tweeted. “@LindaYacc will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology. Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app.”
Musk tweeted just yesterday that he had finally hired a new CEO for the company. However, at the time, he did not disclose exactly who it was. His use of pronouns(opens in a new tab) in his tweet, though, gave a hint that Twitter’s new CEO would be a woman.
Some, like longtime tech reporter Kara Swisher, rightly(opens in a new tab) guessed Yaccarino was the likely candidate. Hours later, the Wall Street Journal confirmed(opens in a new tab) that Yaccarino was in talks to take on the role.
For those unfamiliar with her, Yaccarino interviewed(opens in a new tab) Musk last month at a major advertiser event where Twitter’s owner attempted to woo brands back to the platform. Half of Twitter’s largest advertisers ended their ad campaigns when Musk took over the platform and have not come back. Those who stayed are also spending significantly less money(opens in a new tab).
Yaccarino is a seasoned advertising executive and well-known in an industry that has been very skeptical of Musk. The vast majority of Twitter’s revenue before Musk came along was derived from advertising and Musk’s subscription-based ventures have not been going well.
The hire has already proven to be controversial among Twitter’s user base. Yaccarino’s Twitter history shows that she follows many right-wing influencers and has liked their posts over the years. Members of Musk’s conservative fanbase, however, are focusing(opens in a new tab) on her association with the World Economic Forum(opens in a new tab) (WEF), a common target of far-right conspiracy theorists.
Advertisers and Twitter’s users should take note, though: It’s unclear just how much Yaccarino’s hire will actually change Twitter. Musk is staying on board as executive chair and CTO. And, of course, he owns the entire company, and is still steering the ship regardless of who has the “CEO” title.
