The CEO of X who appointed Elon Musk resigns two years later

BarcelonaTwo years after being named CEO of the social network X, owned by Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino has announced through the same platform that she is leaving the position she held since May 2023. "When Musk and I first discussed his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry it out," the executive, who added that she is immensely grateful to Musk for entrusting her with the responsibility of "protecting freedom of expression and transforming the company."

In her brief statement, Yaccarino didn't give reasons for her decision, but she said she was "incredibly proud" of the X team: "The historic change we've achieved together has been absolutely extraordinary," she said. "X is truly a digital public square for all voices and the most powerful cultural signal in the world. No. 1, the most innovative team in the world," the executive explained.

Likewise, the current CEO has pointed to a change of era for X with the development of XAi, focused on the world of artificial intelligence. @xai," she said. "I will continue to encourage you as long as the world continues to change," she added.

Musk to X

Before her appointment as CEO of X, Linda Yaccarino, 61, had been head of advertising for the American media conglomerate NBCUniversal for over a decade. Meanwhile, billionaire Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, completed the purchase of Twitter (now X) at the end of October 2022 for $44 billion (€37.51 billion), and then proceeded to dismiss its top executives.

Thus, in early 2023, and with his desire to turn around what was then Twitter, he convinced Yaccarino to be his right-hand man, a move that didn't entirely surprise the industry, as rumors had been circulating for weeks. Two years later, however, the rapport has ended: who will replace the board remains up in the air.