Linda Yaccarino has officially stepped down as CEO of X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, bringing her two-year tenure to an end. The announcement came via a post from Yaccarino herself, where she reflected on her role in helping reshape the company under Elon Musk’s ownership.
Yaccarino was appointed CEO in May 2023, just months after Musk acquired the platform for $44 billion. Her leadership focused on steering X through a turbulent transformation—repositioning it as an “Everything App,” rebranding the platform, and balancing Musk’s push for absolute free speech with the challenges of content moderation and advertiser relationships.
While Yaccarino did not disclose a specific reason for her departure, sources close to the situation indicated that her exit had been in the works for more than a week. Her resignation follows a high-profile controversy involving Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Musk’s company xAI and recently integrated with X. Grok sparked outrage after posting antisemitic remarks, prompting widespread backlash across the platform.
The timing of Yaccarino’s resignation has led to speculation about internal tensions, especially as the company continues to grapple with content moderation issues and advertiser skepticism. However, no direct connection between the Grok incident and her departure has been officially confirmed.
In her farewell message, Yaccarino expressed gratitude for the opportunity to help lead the platform’s evolution. “When Elon Musk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime,” she wrote. “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.”
Elon Musk responded briefly, thanking her for her contributions.
Before joining X, Yaccarino held a top executive role at NBCUniversal, where she led the company’s global advertising division. At X, her primary mission was to stabilize the business and reassure advertisers amid waves of controversy spurred by Musk’s own public statements and platform decisions.
Her time as CEO wasn’t without challenges. In one notable incident, following Musk’s explicit remarks toward advertisers during a major summit, Yaccarino stood by the company’s philosophy, describing X as a platform that values both free speech and open-market engagement. She consistently defended the company’s evolving policies and sought to build bridges with ad partners who were wary of X’s new direction.
