Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years

Prime Highlights

Linda Yaccarino resigns as X (formerly Twitter) CEO after two years.
Her term focused on rebuilding advertiser trust and platform build-out.

Key Facts

Yaccarino became X’s CEO in 2023 after leading NBCUniversal’s global advertising.
Her resignation follows mounting tensions around content strategy and xAI integration.

Key Background

Linda Yaccarino, who joined X as CEO in 2023, has officially resigned after two successful years at the helm. Tasked with stabilizing X following Elon Musk’s acquisition, her tenure saw a concerted effort to restore advertiser trust and innovation on the newly named platform.

Before taking over, Yaccarino was a force in the world of media, leading NBCUniversal’s advertising division and generating over $100 billion in revenue. Her corporate experience was priceless in attempting to convert X into the “everything app” Musk envisioned—a mashup of media, payments, and AI. While she was on board, X rolled out such features as Community Notes for verifications, enhanced platform security protocols, and laid groundwork to incorporate financial services under a product named X Money.

Despite all that, there were internal problems. The largest one was managing Elon Musk’s erratic public behavior and his growing interest in xAI—a company dedicated to artificial intelligence that began to overshadow X’s purpose. Friction grew around Grok, an AI chatbot integrated into X, which faced criticism for posting antisemitic content. The incident took away from advertiser trust and fueled brand safety concerns, an area Yaccarino had gone the extra mile to heal.

Sources further reveal growing tensions between X’s finance department and Yaccarino over spending priorities and platform content plays. With CEO responsibilities increasingly focused on AI-hued objectives under Musk, her role was relegated to the sidelines, and she eventually resigned.

In her farewell message, Yaccarino acknowledged the company for offering her the opportunity to steer X through its most challenging time. She was happy to reimagine the company and contribute to it expanding to a bigger digital network. Her departure marks a turning point for X, as it may indicate a shift of leadership agenda to more AI embedding and operational restructuring.