Linda Yaccarino’s exit has fueled speculation about internal conflicts, content issues, and advertiser pressures
The CEO of X, Linda Yaccarino, has announced that she is stepping down, bringing an end to her brief and often turbulent tenure at the company owned by US-based tech mogul Elon Musk.
Yaccarino was appointed in mid-2023, less than a year after Musk’s takeover of the platform formerly known as Twitter, succeeding him as chief executive. At the time, Musk said Yaccarino would focus on business operations while he led product design and technology development.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Yaccarino offered no specific reason for stepping down. She thanked Musk for the opportunity, calling her time at the company “two incredible years,” but did not outline future plans.
She said that under her leadership, X had prioritized user safety, particularly for minors, and had worked to restore advertiser confidence. She also pointed to the launch of Community Notes, the platform’s crowdsourced fact-checking feature, and X Money, its payments and fintech branch. “The best is yet to come,” Yaccarino claimed, as the company enters a new phase with xAI, its artificial intelligence subsidiary.
After two incredible years, I’ve decided to step down as CEO of 𝕏.
When @elonmusk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry out the extraordinary mission of this company. I’m immensely grateful to him for entrusting me…
Musk, who also runs Tesla and SpaceX, thanked Yaccarino in a brief reply post. A replacement has yet to be named.
While no official reason has been given, Yaccarino’s departure is widely seen as the result of internal and external pressures, including reported tensions with Musk, mounting content moderation controversies, and struggles to regain advertiser trust. Her time as CEO coincided with one of the most volatile periods in the platform’s history.
Despite being appointed CEO, Yaccarino’s authority was often constrained, with Musk maintaining control over key decisions. According to the Financial Times, her limited autonomy may have caused friction.
Advertising revenue remained under pressure amid concerns over hate speech, misinformation, and ads appearing next to extremist content, several media outlets noted. This was cited as triggering an advertiser exodus and a lawsuit X filed against the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, which later disbanded.
Brand safety issues escalated with the rollout of Grok, an AI tool developed by xAI. The chatbot sparked backlash for promoting racist and antisemitic content, prompting xAI to remove offensive posts and implement stronger moderation tools.
Before joining X, Yaccarino spent over a decade leading global advertising at NBCUniversal. She served on US President Donald Trump’s Sports Council during his first term and later chaired the Ad Council, where she collaborated with the administration of Joe Biden on a Covid-19 vaccine campaign featuring Pope Francis.
