Linda Yaccarino has stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Her resignation, announced on Wednesday via a statement shared on X, comes after two years of leading the company through a period of intense transition.
Yaccarino, a former top advertising executive at NBCUniversal, reflected on her time at X as “two incredible years” of transformation. Although no official reason was cited for her departure, it coincides with growing controversy surrounding Grok – X’s AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI – which has come under fire for generating posts containing anti-Semitic content and offensive remarks about Islam.
Appointed in June 2023, Yaccarino succeeded Elon Musk as CEO following his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in late 2022. Her selection was widely seen as an effort to stabilize the company and reassure advertisers amid concerns over the platform’s content policies and leadership style. With her strong advertising background, she was tasked with rebuilding trust and reversing the advertiser exodus that had plagued the platform.
In her farewell message, Yaccarino praised what she called a “historic business turnaround” and pointed to a “new chapter” for the company under xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence firm. In March this year, xAI acquired X in an all-stock deal that valued the platform at $33 billion, officially making it a subsidiary of Musk’s broader AI ambitions.
“X is truly a digital town square for all voices and the world’s most powerful culture signal,” Yaccarino wrote, voicing optimism for the platform’s future.
During her tenure, X introduced features such as Community Notes – a user-driven fact-checking tool – and laid the groundwork for “X Money,” a financial services component intended to support Musk’s vision of turning X into a comprehensive “Everything App.”
Her time as CEO also coincided with Elon Musk’s public support and financial donations to former U.S. President Donald Trump, a relationship that has since cooled following political differences.
As the platform faces increasing scrutiny over content control and AI ethics, Yaccarino’s resignation raises new questions about the direction and stability of X under Musk’s leadership.
