Linda Yaccarino Steps Down: Who Was X’s CEO?

In a surprise move, Linda Yaccarino has resigned as CEO of X (formerly Twitter), nearly two years after being handpicked by Elon Musk to lead the platform through a transformative period.

Yaccarino, a former NBCUniversal advertising executive, joined in 2023 to stabilize the company and win back advertisers following Musk’s chaotic $44 billion acquisition. Despite introducing features like Community Notes and X Money, Yaccarino’s leadership faced mounting challenges, from content moderation concerns and misinformation to Musk’s continued dominance over strategic decisions.

Her departure comes shortly after X’s parent company xAI faced backlash for controversial outputs from its chatbot Grok. The timing of her exit raises questions about the internal dynamics at X and the future direction of the platform.

Analysts say her role was always complicated, with Musk never truly stepping back and using X as a personal megaphone. Yaccarino leaves behind a legacy of trying to reshape the platform into Musk’s vision of an “Everything App,” but also one mired in controversy, declining ad revenue, and growing public scrutiny.

Her resignation adds to the ongoing turbulence at X as the platform struggles to regain user trust and financial stability in an increasingly competitive digital media landscape.