Linda Yaccarino, the chief executive of Elon Musk’s X Corp., is leaving the company after what has been two turbulent years for the platform.
Musk hired Yaccarino (pictured) the year when he bought the platform and changed the name from Twitter Inc. to X, with the sometimes-mercurial Musk tapping out as chief executive and the less controversial figure of Yaccarino filling his shoes. Her former position was NBC Universal Media LLC’s head of advertising.
“When @elonmusk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry out the extraordinary mission of this company,” Yaccarino wrote on X. “I’m immensely grateful to him for entrusting me with the responsibility of protecting free speech, turning the company around, and transforming X into the Everything App. I’m incredibly proud of the X team – the historic business turn around we have accomplished together has been nothing short of remarkable.”
She gave no clue as to where she’s heading next, and unsurprisingly didn’t so much as hint at the reasons why she’s left the building. Over the years, she has had a lot to contend with, but has been a source of stability during storms, of which there have been plenty.
In 2023, she had to deal with the fallout of a mass of major advertisers leaving the platform after X was accused of allowing antisemitic posts to circulate. Musk himself was accused of wrongdoing, although he denied it and launched a lawsuit against his detractors. Musk has always labeled himself as a free-speech absolutist, leading him to fire many of the people who’d worked on moderation teams no sooner than he’d gotten his foot in the door.
Yaccarino was always supportive of Musk’s policies, although it’s notable that she decided to clear out her office during one of X’s most torrid scandals. Yesterday, Musk’s so-called anti-woke chatbot, xAI’s Grok, took on a shocking appearance when after an update it started to spew Nazi rhetoric while using some choice language to describe the state of the world.
This may have been the proverbial straw, and it might not have helped that Musk is currently embroiled in a spat with his former ally, President Donald Trump. Maybe we’ll find out in a tell-all book some years down the line, but for now, the split remains amicable.
Musk was unusually reticent about Yaccarino’s department, only writing on X, “Thank you for your contributions.”
Photo: Flickr
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