Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur, has officially confirmed that Linda Yaccarino from NBCUniversal has been hired as the new CEO of Twitter. Musk made the announcement after revealing his decision to step down from the role himself. In a tweet on Friday, he expressed his excitement about Yaccarino joining the social media platform, stating, “I am excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter!”
Musk, known for his involvement in companies like SpaceX and Tesla, mentioned that Yaccarino’s primary focus would be on business operations, while he himself would concentrate on product design and new technology. This news follows Musk’s announcement on Thursday that he had found a replacement for the CEO position, with the new hire expected to start within the next six weeks.
Linda Yaccarino brings almost 12 years of experience working at NBCUniversal to her new role at Twitter. In April, she even had the opportunity to interview Musk in front of hundreds of advertisers at a marketing conference held in Miami. The acquisition of Twitter by Musk for $44 billion (£35 billion) last November caused some advertisers to leave the platform. Mark DiMassimo, the founder and creative chief of advertising agency DiGo, believes that Yaccarino’s appointment could help restore advertisers’ faith in Twitter.
With Musk stepping aside and Yaccarino taking the helm as CEO, Twitter is undergoing a significant leadership transition. It remains to be seen how Yaccarino’s extensive experience in the media industry will shape the future of the platform and whether she will succeed in attracting advertisers back to Twitter. Nonetheless, Musk’s endorsement of Yaccarino’s appointment indicates his confidence in her ability to lead the company’s business operations while he focuses on other aspects of Twitter’s development.
