Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of Elon Musk’s X
Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X, announced her resignation on Wednesday morning, marking the end of her two-year period in the role.
“When @elonmusk and I first discussed his vision for X, I saw it as a unique opportunity to fulfill the incredible mission of this company,” Yaccarino shared. “I am immensely grateful to him for entrusting me with the responsibility of protecting free speech, rejuvenating the company, and transforming X into the Everything App.”
Elon Musk, the owner of X, responded with, “Thank you for your contributions,” but has not commented on the future of the CEO position at X.
Although Yaccarino did not detail the reasons for her departure, her announcement came mere hours after the AI chatbot Grok was taken offline due to an antisemitic incident. Furthermore, her exit coincides with the anticipated launch of Grok 4 by Musk.
Yaccarino joined the company shortly after Musk took ownership, moving from her long-standing role as chairwoman of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal.
As a leading advertising executive, Yaccarino was brought on as CEO of X to maintain relationships with advertisers during a challenging transition period following Musk’s acquisition of Twitter.
Her role was demanding; within her first six months, Musk used his personal X account to endorse the antisemitic “great replacement” theory and other false conspiracy theories, including Pizzagate. He also initiated legal actions against nonprofit organizations like the Center for Countering Digital Hate and Media Matters, which reported that X was displaying extremist content alongside advertisements for major brands like IBM and Apple, prompting those companies to withdraw from the platform.
Despite Yaccarino’s presumed efforts to mend relationships with advertisers, Musk continued to obstruct her initiatives. During the DealBook conference in November 2023, when asked about the advertising pauses, Musk retorted, “Go f— yourself,” before waving to the audience and acknowledging Disney CEO Bob Iger, who was in attendance.
Musk later issued an apology for his remarks, and Yaccarino expressed her support for him.
“X is cultivating a form of information independence that may unsettle some,” she commented at that time. “We are a platform that empowers individuals to make their own choices. My perspective on advertising is this: X stands at a powerful crossroads of Free Speech and Main Street — and the X community is robust and ready to embrace you.”
