Linda Yaccarino, one in every of Elon Musk’s high deputies as CEO of his X social media website, is exiting the corporate in a shock transfer simply months after the platform was acquired by the billionaire’s AI startup, xAI.
Yaccarino, 61, made the announcement in a submit on X suggesting it was her choice, although Musk has a historical past of dismissing deputies immediately. “I’ve determined to step down as CEO of X,” Yaccarino wrote.
Her departure provides to turbulence in Musk’s sprawling enterprise empire, together with falling gross sales at his electrical car maker Tesla and AI-related controversies. Musk has been embroiled in a confrontation with former ally President Donald Trump.
Yaccarino, an promoting business veteran, held the submit for 2 years after being introduced aboard to assist revitalize X’s repute amongst entrepreneurs, who had been fleeing the platform over considerations a few rise in hateful or in any other case poisonous content material. She didn’t give a particular motive for her departure and each X and Yaccarino didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
It was unclear when the CEO’s resignation would take impact.
“Thanks to your contributions,” Musk wrote on X replying to Yaccarino’s resignation submit.
Whereas wooing entrepreneurs, Yaccarino sued some advertisers and a significant business group often called the World Federation of Advertisers, alleging that they had colluded to disclaim X advert {dollars}, together with by way of a boycott of the platform.
Flagging Advertiser Confidence
Yaccarino’s resignation comes someday after Grok, the AI chatbot developed by xAI, posted content material on the platform with antisemitic tropes and reward for Adolf Hitler. The posts had been deleted following a public backlash and Yaccarino wrote she was working to revive advertiser confidence and prioritize security on X.
Analysts stated Yaccarino’s process was tough, given Musk’s repute and the extra distinguished placement of maximum content material on X that had repelled some advertisers. “Yaccarino needed to attempt to run the enterprise whereas additionally usually placing out fires,” stated Emarketer vp Jasmine Enberg, who added that with X’s advert enterprise anticipated to point out development in 2025, she “completed what she was employed to do.”
Yaccarino, beforehand chair of world promoting and partnerships at Comcast’s NBCUniversal, might have left as “a results of an absence of match between her method and Elon Musk’s type,” stated Gil Luria, analyst at D.A. Davidson. “This will have come to a head when the embedded AI chat Grok began responding to AI posts in an more and more offensive method yesterday.”
In March, Musk’s AI startup xAI acquired the social media platform in a $33-billion all-stock deal. Neither X nor Yaccarino stated who will take her place.
Tesla, of which Musk is CEO, can also be coping with an exodus of high executives. The billionaire’s confidant at Tesla, Omead Afshar, and North America HR director Jenna Ferrua left the corporate final month, sources informed Reuters. Musk had unfold himself skinny this yr whereas working Trump’s Division of Authorities Effectivity earlier than leaving the submit in Could.
Tesla shares slipped about 1 p.c on the information about Yaccarino.
X is grappling with a heavy debt load, and Yaccarino has needed to usually take care of controversies stirred up by Musk, together with his endorsement of antisemitic conspiracy theories in late 2023. Musk renamed the platform, which was previously often called Twitter.
Below Yaccarino, X launched new options aimed toward turning the social media website into the “all the things app” that Musk aimed for, together with partnering with Visa to supply direct cost options and launching a wise TV app.
The corporate was additionally exploring rolling out an X credit score or debit card, the Monetary Occasions reported final month.
© Thomson Reuters 2025