Prime Highlights
- Linda Yaccarino departs X CEO role following tumultuous but transformative two-year tenure.
- Her departure is as X’s deeper integration into Elon Musk’s AI business, xAI.
Key Facts
- Installed in June 2023, Yaccarino was charged with bringing new energy to X’s ad business and platform security.
- Her resignation is as X gears up for a new chapter under the helm of Musk’s xAI.
Key Background
Linda Yaccarino, a veteran media and ad executive, was hired as the CEO of X (formerly Twitter) in June 2023. She was personally selected by Elon Musk, whose responsibility was mainly taking care of business operations, advertiser relations, and safety measures while Musk would concentrate on product engineering and AI. She served for thirty years at NBCUniversal and was regarded as a calming influence during a period of upheaval for the company.
During her time, Yaccarino oversaw the creation of introducing flagship features such as Community Notes—a crowdsourced fact-checking system—and building the foundation for X Money, Musk’s plan to merge the platform into an entire financial system. She also oversaw rebuilding advertiser trust after a first-wave advertiser flight from Musk’s acquisition, advocating for openness, security, and brand-friendly content.
However, effort on her part was resisted by her leadership. Advertising revenue continued to be patchy, and platform moderation continued to plant controversy. Most recently, X’s AI chatbot Grok was criticized for creating antisemitic content, sparking backlash and prompting immediate internal pushback. While Yaccarino had horizon vision on the long-term potential, the controversy only underlined the struggle between AI-empowered freedom and careful platform stewardship.
Yaccarino officially resigned on July 9, 2025. She was happy with what the platform had achieved and thanked Elon Musk, stating that the “best is yet to come.” Her resignation comes as the integration of X is now fully finalized into xAI, the groundwork for a future that is solidly based on artificial intelligence. Elon Musk kept it brief and polite in mentioning her contribution, the groundwork for a change in leadership as X enters its new phase.
