Elon Musk Confirms Linda Yaccarino as Twitter’s New CEO

Elon Musk has stated that NBCUniversal’s Linda Yaccarino, an executive with significant ties to the advertising sector, will be the new CEO of Twitter. “I am delighted to welcome Linda Yaccarino as Twitter’s new CEO!” Musk stated in a tweet on Friday.

Yaccarino, he said, “will focus primarily on business operations,” while Musk would remain directly involved in product design and new technology.

Prior to that news, NBCUniversal said on Friday that Yaccarino will step down as chairperson of global advertising and partnerships effective immediately.

Musk, who bought Twitter last autumn and has been running it since, has long insisted on stepping aside as CEO of the firm, now known as X Corp. Few people expect Elon Musk to step down from Twitter’s decision-making process.

“While he’s stepping back from the CEO title, Elon Musk is far from likely to step back from calling the product shots,” Forrester Research research director Mike Proulx said.

With significant ties in the advertising industry, Yaccarino could be a key figure in Twitter’s future.

Luring advertisers is important for Elon Musk and Twitter after many abandoned the social media platform in the early months following his takeover, fearing damage to their brands in the ensuing tumult. Elon Musk announced in late April that advertisers had returned, but he gave no further specifics.

Yaccarino successfully integrated and digitized ad sales at Comcast and NBC, according to Mark DiMassimo, founder and creative chief of ad agency DiGo, and her track record of cross-selling ads across different platforms could appeal to Musk as he tries to transform Twitter from a social media company to a larger media platform.

She spent nearly 12 years at NBCUniversal, where her team generated more than $100 billion in ad sales since 2011.

Yaccarino previously worked as NBC’s chair for advertising and client partnerships, as well as president of cable entertainment and digital advertising sales, according to LinkedIn. She also spent nearly two decades with global entertainment powerhouse Turner before joining NBC.

President Donald Trump appointed her to his Sports Fitness and Nutrition Council for a two-year term in 2018.

As chair of the Ad Council in 2021, she collaborated with the Biden administration to launch an advertising campaign featuring Pope Francis for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Elon Musk Says Owning Twitter Painful But Needed To Be Done

Elon Musk Says Owning Twitter ‘Painful’ But Needed To Be Done