Linda Yaccarino, who was hired two years ago by Elon Musk as chief executive officer of X, is stepping down less than three months after the social-media platform was absorbed by Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI.

“After two incredible years, I’ve decided to step down as CEO of X,” Yaccarino said in a post on X Wednesday. “I’ll be cheering you all on as you continue to change the world.”
The former NBCUniversal executive was hired by Musk in May 2023 after he’d already fired or lost about 75% of employees at the company previously called Twitter. Over the course of her two-year tenure, Yaccarino was charged with reversing an advertiser exodus from the platform, triggered in part by Musk’s own erratic content moderation decisions and posts. Advertisers were concerned that their products would be listed next to hate speech or violent content.

It was a difficult task. X revenue fell by close to 50% and missed internal targets in 2023, and several major advertisers departed the platform or paused spending after Musk endorsed an antisemitic post in late 2023. He told marketers who were boycotting the platform to “Go f—- yourself” at a conference after the incident. At the time, Yaccarino told staff that the company’s “free speech” mission would continue with or without advertiser support. “Our principles do not have a price tag, nor will they be compromised — ever,” Yaccarino wrote.

Revenue has since improved from those lows, and advertising sales were projected to increase 16.5% this year, according to Emarketer. Yaccarino, who spent more than 11 years as a top advertising executive at NBCUniversal, is known for her strong relationships in the ad world.

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Yaccarino Stepping Down as CEO of Musk’s X After Two Years

Bloomberg Businessweek