Elon Musk shocked Twitter users on Thursday when he announced that he was stepping down as CEO of the platform.
The billionaire sent out a tweet letting users know that he’d hired a woman to replace him in the position. Musk shared that he’d be transitioning to the executive chair and Chief Technology Officer, handling product and software. Though he did not name the woman directly, a source close to the transition told The Washington Post that the new CEO is Linda Yaccarino. If this is true, Yaccarino may be the perfect woman for the job.
Excited to announce that I’ve hired a new CEO for X/Twitter. She will be starting in ~6 weeks!
My role will transition to being exec chair & CTO, overseeing product, software & sysops.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 11, 2023
As the current chairman of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, Yaccarino manages a team of 2,000 employees, bringing in over $100 million in ad revenue. Twitter is struggling to get more advertisers on board after several pulled out following Musk’s takeover. In recent days, Musk rolled out a new money grab that forces all advertisers to pay for Twitter Blue services or spend at least $1,000 monthly. The move has pushed more advertisers away, with Microsoft already removing Twitter from its Microsoft Advertising plan. Yaccarino’s team has solidified partnerships with Snapchat, Apple News, and BuzzFeed, the exact type of clients Musk will want to spend big bucks on his site.
Musk has likely had his eye on Yaccarino for a while. The two teamed up last month in Miami for a live discussion coincidentally called “Twitter 2.0: From Conversations to Partnerships.” The talk was a conversation about the future of advertisers on the platform. NBCUniversal has also broadened its deal with Twitter ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Though Musk did not mention Yaccarino in his announcement, he did like a tweet from One American Podcast host Chase Geiser, which pointed out several pros of Musk bringing in Yaccarino, including her assistance in the launch of Peacock.
The CEO is expected to take over in six weeks.
Twitter hiring Linda Yaccarino isn't necessarily a bad thing, and may shed some light on some good things in the works. Here's why:
1. It doesn't seem like the new role of CEO will have the authority to change content moderation policy. Elon is stepping up as Executive Chairman…
— Chase Geiser (@realchasegeiser) May 12, 2023
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