Elon Musk has announced that Linda Yaccarino, the former chairman of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, will be the new CEO of Twitter, taking over from Musk in six weeks.[0] Musk will transition to executive chairman and chief technology officer. Yaccarino was apparently chosen for her extensive relationships with advertisers and her reputation as a sales executive.[1] She also seems to share Musk’s political views, but it’s unlikely that this was the main reason for her hiring.[2] Musk has been pushing Twitter to find new streams of revenue as it faces a drop in advertising income, and he may have chosen Yaccarino for her ability to smooth over fractured relationships with advertisers. Despite speculation that Yaccarino will “return Twitter to its old ways or tamp down on Musk’s free-speech initiatives,” she has praised Musk’s leadership style in the past and seems to agree with his “freedom of speech” take on content moderation.[3] However, Musk will likely still have the final say over what happens on the platform, and Yaccarino will have to navigate Musk’s whims, which reportedly led past Twitter executives to exit the company.[3]
0. “US financial news live updates: Social Security checks, new Twitter CEO, debt default, jobless claims” AS USA, 14 May. 2023, https://en.as.com/latest_news/us-financial-news-live-updates-social-security-checks-new-twitter-ceo-debt-default-jobless-claims-n-2
1. “Musk Installs NBCU’s Linda Yaccarino to Be His Adult in the Room” The Information, 12 May. 2023, https://www.theinformation.com/articles/musk-installs-nbcus-linda-yaccarino-to-be-his-adult-in-the-room
2. “Musk admits Twitter Blue defeat with Twitter’s new CEO hire” Mashable, 13 May. 2023, https://mashable.com/article/elon-musk-subscription-advertising-revenue-twitter-ceo-linda-yaccarino
3. “Right-wing Twitter worried Musk’s CEO pick could return Twitter to its roots” Ars Technica, 12 May. 2023, https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/05/twitter-users-fear-new-ceo-will-end-musks-commitment-to-free-speech-on-platform