In May 2023, when Linda Yaccarino, an NBC advertising executive, joined what was then still known as Twitter, she was given a tall order: repair the company’s relationship with advertisers after a chaotic year of being owned by Elon Musk. But just weeks after she became CEO, Musk posted an
antisemitic tweet that drove away major brands like Disney, Paramount, NBCUniversal, Comcast, Lionsgate and Warner Bros Discovery to pause their advertising on the platform. Musk delivered an apology for the tweet later at a conference – which he called the worst post he’s ever done – but it came with a message to advertisers, specifically the Disney CEO Bob Iger:
“Go **** yourselves”. Yaccarino was in the audience of the conference.“I don’t want them to advertise,” he said. “If someone is going to blackmail me with advertising or money, go **** yourself. Go. ****. Yourself,” he said. “Is that clear? Hey Bob, if you’re in the audience, that’s how I feel.” In the two years since, Yaccarino has had to contend with the unpredictability of Musk, ongoing content moderation and hate speech issues on the platform, increasingly strained relationships with advertisers and widespread backlash her boss received for his role in Donald Trump’s administration. Her response in some cases was to remain silent; in others, she
chose to defend the company. Through it all, however, experts say it was clear Yaccarino was the chief executive in title only.
“The reality is that Elon Musk is and always has been at the helm of X,” said
Mike Proulx, research director at Forrester VP. “It was clear from the start that she was being set up to fail by a limited scope as the company’s chief executive. Her background and actual authority positioned her more as the company’s chief advertising officer, rather than its CEO.” Even in her de facto role as a chief advertising officer, Musk’s incessant posting, impulsive decision making and obsession with
X and other platforms becoming too “woke” posed huge obstacles for Yaccarino. “The only thing that’s surprising about Linda Yaccarino’s resignation is that it didn’t come sooner,” said Proulx.