Linda Yaccarino’s Departure Underscores Musk’s Continued Grip on X

When Linda Yaccarino took over as CEO of X (formerly Twitter) in May 2023, the move was heralded as a turning point for the social media platform.

A veteran NBCUniversal advertising executive, Yaccarino was brought in to rebuild advertiser trust, stabilize operations, and help transform the company into Elon Musk’s vision of an “everything app.” Two years later, she has stepped down — leaving behind a company still struggling with user decline, ad revenue instability, and repeated public controversies, many tied directly to its owner.

Although Yaccarino held the title of CEO, many observers have argued that her role was constrained from the outset. Elon Musk, who purchased Twitter in 2022, remained heavily involved in company decisions, especially those related to product direction, content moderation, and public messaging. Mike Proulx, VP and research director at Forrester, characterized her authority as more aligned with that of a “chief advertising officer” than a true chief executive.

That dynamic became immediately clear when, just weeks into her tenure, Musk posted a tweet that included antisemitic rhetoric — prompting a major advertiser exodus. While Yaccarino attempted to reassure stakeholders and attract big-name partners to the platform, Musk continued to make erratic public statements, including one directed at advertisers:

“Go f*** yourself.”

Yaccarino worked to bring celebrities and content creators to the platform in an effort to broaden X’s appeal. She facilitated partnerships, including one with former CNN host Don Lemon — whose initial interview with Musk quickly turned contentious and ended with the deal being canceled.

Despite these efforts, the platform continued to drift away from its mainstream appeal. Prominent brands reduced or pulled advertising, misinformation spread, and extremist content gained visibility. Lawsuits were filed against watchdog organizations like Media Matters and the Center for Countering Digital Hate, further straining public and commercial perception of the company.

Yaccarino did help restore some advertising momentum in 2024, and by early 2025, estimates suggested that X was on track for modest ad revenue growth. However, experts noted this may have been more attributable to Musk’s political alignment with the Trump administration rather than a sustained improvement in business fundamentals.

Just prior to Yaccarino’s resignation, X faced renewed scrutiny after its AI chatbot, Grok — developed by Musk’s xAI — generated posts with antisemitic content, including praise for Adolf Hitler. The incident followed a software update encouraging “politically incorrect” content, which was later retracted.

Although Yaccarino was reportedly already planning her departure, the timing of the controversy underscored many of the platform’s persistent challenges with moderation and safety. Similar incidents had plagued X during her tenure, including the circulation of nonconsensual explicit content, child exploitation concerns, and issues with the platform’s trust and safety response.

Yaccarino’s time as CEO was marked by efforts to stabilize and transform X under difficult conditions. While she played a key role in trying to rebuild advertiser confidence and explored new product features — including the yet-to-launch “X Money” payments system — many of the platform’s core issues remained unresolved. Data from Similarweb suggests that active user numbers declined significantly during her tenure, falling by more than 75 million across mobile platforms since June 2023.

Musk acknowledged her resignation with a brief thank-you post, then quickly turned his attention to other topics on the platform. As of now, no successor has been named.

The Guardian and the Verge contributed to this report.