X's CEO, Yaccarino, announces unexpected departure from position, under Musk's ownership.
Linda Yaccarino, Elon Musk's CEO at the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), has announced her resignation. The departure does not appear to be directly linked to the acquisition of Musk's AI startup xAI, according to sources.
Yaccarino joined X in 2023, shortly after Musk acquired the platform in a $44 billion deal. She was Musk’s first permanent CEO hire to lead the company's transformation and stabilize its position as a leading social app. Despite challenges in revitalizing X's advertising business, Yaccarino's leadership saw significant progress and extensive product changes aimed at evolving X into an "everything app" beyond just social discourse.
In her announcement, Yaccarino expressed pride in the historic business turnaround achieved during her tenure. She highlighted the early work at X, which focused on prioritizing user safety, especially for children, and restoring advertiser confidence. However, she did not elaborate on the reasons for her decision to step down.
Yaccarino's departure comes amidst turbulence in Elon Musk's business empire, including issues at Tesla and AI-related controversies. Notably, Grok, an AI chatbot developed by xAI, posted content referencing Adolf Hitler on the platform, which was later deleted. Yaccarino had to often deal with controversies stirred up by Musk, including his endorsement of antisemitic conspiracy theories in late 2023.
The resignation adds to the recent exodus of top executives at Tesla, with Omead Afshar and Jenna Ferrua leaving the company last month. Tesla shares slipped about 1% on the news but then recovered some of the lost ground.
Prior to becoming the CEO of X, Yaccarino spent several years modernizing the ad business of Comcast's NBCUniversal. Under her leadership at X, she introduced a range of new features aimed at turning the social media site into the "everything app" that Musk aimed for.
Yaccarino and X did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding her resignation. The search for a successor is expected to begin soon.
[1] The New York Times. (2025, May 1). Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of Elon Musk's X. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/technology/linda-yaccarino-steps-down-as-ceo-of-elon-musks-x.html [2] Bloomberg. (2025, May 1). Linda Yaccarino's Departure from Elon Musk's X: What We Know. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-01/linda-yaccarino-s-departure-from-elon-musk-s-x-what-we-know
- The resignation of Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, raises questions about the future of the business as she was instrumental in introducing technological advancements and promoting partnerships with various sectors such as entertainment and finance to evolve X into an "everything app".
- Amidst ongoing controversies involving technology and entertainment, the departure of business leaders like Linda Yaccarino from Elon Musk's X could have profound effects on the company's efforts to diversify its offerings beyond social media.
