Linda Yaccarino has stepped down as CEO of X, the platform once known as Twitter, bringing an eventful chapter to a close.
Over the past two years, she was at the center of one of tech’s most ambitious and chaotic transformations.
Handpicked by Elon Musk in June 2023, the veteran ad executive took on the daunting task of steadying a company in turmoil and helping turn Musk’s lofty idea of an “Everything App” into reality.
Linda Yaccarino’s resignation came after a major controversy with users reporting that X’s AI chatbot Grok made antisemitic posts and even praised Adolf Hitler.
A mandate for reinvention
When Linda Yaccarino took over as CEO, X was at a crossroads.
The platform was still trying to distance itself from its Twitter roots, while grappling with a shrinking advertiser base, wavering user confidence, and the challenge of redefining itself under a radically new vision.
Elon Musk’s takeover had already sent shockwaves through the tech and media landscape, and Linda Yaccarino was brought in to bring a sense of stability.
With years of experience at NBCUniversal, she was seen as the right person to rebuild trust with advertisers and business partners.
Her task was no small one: transform X into a dynamic, all-in-one platform, something like a Western version of a super-app—while still honoring Musk’s vision of unfettered speech and open dialogue.
Yaccarino, known for her sharp instincts and direct leadership style, wasted no time in tackling one of X’s most pressing problems: advertiser confidence.
Rebuilding trust became a top priority. She launched a round of high-level talks with major brands, reassuring them of the platform’s renewed focus on brand safety and responsible content standards.
At the same time, she pushed for tighter internal operations and leaned into innovation, working to reposition X as a credible, forward-looking space for both users and advertisers alike.
Under Yaccarino’s leadership, X introduced new ad formats and launched additional subscription tiers, part of a larger effort to move beyond its dependence on traditional advertising.
She also played a key role in expanding Community Notes, the platform’s crowdsourced fact-checking feature aimed at curbing misinformation and promoting greater transparency in users’ feeds.
Push toward ‘Everything App’
A major focus of Yaccarino’s time at X was bringing Elon Musk’s bold vision of an “Everything App” to life.
That idea began to take shape with the launch of X Money, a built-in payments feature that lets users send and receive money without ever leaving the platform.
Meanwhile, X broadened its reach by adding more support for audio, video, and live streaming, key steps toward creating a seamless, all-in-one experience similar to the super-apps that dominate in parts of Asia, like WeChat.
In addition to introducing new features, Yaccarino prioritized building partnerships across news, entertainment, and commerce, all part of a larger effort to embed X more deeply into users’ daily routines.
But alongside that push, she faced the delicate task of balancing Elon Musk’s uncompromising approach to free speech with the concerns of advertisers, many of whom were seeking stronger content moderation and a more brand-safe environment.
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