Linda Yaccarino steps down after a turbulent two years leading X

Linda Yaccarino, who was hired two years ago as chief executive officer of X, said on Wednesday she was stepping down from the social media platform.

Her sudden exit comes a day after xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence startup that has been merged with X, went on a antisemetic diatribe and praised Hitler, prompting widespread denunciation.

Yaccarino did not cite a reason for her departure in her post announcing that she was leaving the company.

“When @elonmusk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry out the extraordinary mission of this company. I’m immensely grateful to him for entrusting me,” she wrote on X on Wednesday. “I’ll be cheering you all on as you continue to change the world.”

Yaccarino, a traditional business executive, was in many ways a strong foil to the mercurial and controversy-courting Musk.

She became the public face of X’s advertising business, which is how most of the platform’s revenue is generated. And she went to Washington as X’s representative, pushing for online child safety laws. At X, she was forced to repeatedly defend Musk through a bumpy two years.

“Thank you for your contributions,” Musk wrote to Yaccarino on X. Musk and X did not respond to requests for comment.

Musk tapped Yaccarino, a seasoned advertising executive at NBCUniversal, during a tumultuous time for X.

Following the billionaire purchasing the site formerly known as Twitter in late 2022, about 80% of the staff were slashed, previously banned users were restored and far-right personalities embraced the site.

At the time she was hired, Yaccarino was viewed as a wise choice, seen as a stabilizing force who could help bring back advertisers who were fleeing the platform over the changes Musk has implemented.

In her executive role at NBCUniversal, she oversaw global advertising and partnerships, so she had the experience and know-how to strike deals with major brands.

But Musk, time and time again, tested her mettle.

Six months into her tenure, her boss took the stage at the New York Times DealBook conference and was asked about advertisers who had stopped spending on the platform. Musk responded with multiple profanities.

“What it’s going to do is it’s going to kill the company, and the whole world will know the advertisers killed the company,” Musk said on stage, accusing ad firms of attempting to “blackmail him.”

Lou Paskalis, a fellow advertising executive and longtime friend of Yaccarino, was troubled by the episode. He had told Yaccarino to split with Musk on several occasions to preserve her reputation.

He is not surprised, he told NPR on Wednesday, that she stayed on board for two years.

“A challenge like this is a mechanical bull she’ll never let go of. She is wired to win,” Paskalis said. “But she was set up to fail from day one because [Musk] was unwilling to change his behavior,” Paskalis said.