New Delhi: According to the Wall Street Journal, Linda Yaccarino, an executive at NBCUniversal, is reportedly in discussions to become Twitter’s new CEO, taking over from Elon Musk who announced he had found a new leader for the social media platform and would transition into the role of chief technologist. While Musk did not reveal the new CEO’s identity, he tweeted that the person would begin in around six weeks.
Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022, stating that he would only be in charge for a limited time to implement an organizational overhaul he believed the company required to thrive. He has since made radical changes to the platform, including cutting jobs, reducing content moderation, and allowing previously banned accounts to return. Musk has also expressed his desire to transform Twitter into an “everything app,” including financial services.
The new CEO will have to address the consequences of Musk’s ownership, including an advertiser exodus that has led to a 50% decline in Twitter’s revenue since October 2022. Twitter Blue, the platform’s subscription service, has also struggled to gain traction, with less than 1% of the user base subscribing.
Excited to announce that I’ve hired a new CEO for X/Twitter. She will be starting in ~6 weeks!
My role will transition to being exec chair & CTO, overseeing product, software & sysops.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 11, 2023
Yaccarino, who chairs global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal Media, has not commented on the reports. However, Musk and Yaccarino have a friendly relationship, and they recently collaborated to expand NBCU’s Olympic Games partnership. In addition, Yaccarino interviewed Musk last month at a major advertising conference in Miami and referred to him as a “friend” and “buddy” on stage.
Lou Paskalis, the chief strategy officer at Ad Fontes Media, took to Twitter to express his support for Yaccarino, stating that she would be his first and only choice to save the platform from its current owner. However, he also expressed his surprise that she would consider working under Elon Musk. Meanwhile, Puck News’ Dylan Byers reported that two people familiar with the matter stated that Musk planned to name Yaccarino as Twitter’s CEO.
In summary, Linda Yaccarino is reportedly in talks to become Twitter’s new CEO, taking over from Elon Musk, who plans to transition into the role of chief technologist. The new CEO will have to address the fallout from Musk’s ownership, including a decline in revenue and advertiser exodus. Yaccarino and Musk have a friendly relationship, and they recently collaborated to expand NBCU’s Olympic Games partnership. Although Yaccarino has not commented on the reports, a report by Puck News suggests that Musk plans to name her as the new CEO.
