Months after Elon Musk launched a Twitter poll in which users of the platform voted for him to step down, we now know who Twitter’s new CEO will be.
On Friday, Musk confirmed reports that Twitter’s new CEO – technically, X Corp.(opens in a new tab) now — is going to be former NBCUniversal head of publicity Linda Yaccarino. NBCUniversal confirmed(opens in a new tab) his departure from the company just hours before Musk broke the news on Twitter.
“I am delighted to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter! Musk tweeted. “@LindaYacc will primarily focus on business operations, while I will focus on product design and new technologies. I look forward to working with Linda to turn this platform into X, the app for everything.”
The tweet may have been deleted
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Musk just tweeted yesterday that he had finally hired a new CEO for the company. However, at the time, he did not reveal exactly who it was. His use of pronouns(opens in a new tab) in his tweet, however, hinted that the new CEO of Twitter would be a woman.
Some, like longtime tech journalist Kara Swisher, exactly(opens in a new tab) guessed that Yaccarino was the likely candidate. A few hours later, the the wall street journal confirmed(opens in a new tab) that Yaccarino was in talks to take on the role.
For those who don’t know her, Yaccarino interviewed(opens in a new tab) Musk last month at a major publicity event where the owner of Twitter attempted to bring brands back to the platform. Half of Twitter’s biggest advertisers ended their ad campaigns when Musk took over the platform and did not return. Those who stayed also spend a lot less money(opens in a new tab).
Yaccarino is a seasoned and well-known advertising executive in an industry that has been highly skeptical of Musk. The vast majority of Twitter’s revenue before Musk’s arrival came from advertising and Musk’s subscription businesses. not have been is fine.
The rental has already proven 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 fan base, however, are focus(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 users alike should take note, though: it’s unclear just how much Yaccarino’s hiring will actually change Twitter. Musk remains on board as executive chairman and CTO. And, of course, he owns the entire company and still steers the ship, regardless of the “CEO” title.
