Linda Yaccarino has resigned as CEO of X after nearly two years leading Elon Musk’s social media company. Her departure comes at a turbulent time for the platform, just one day after its Grok chatbot began pushing antisemitic tropes in user responses – though a direct link between these events is not yet confirmed.
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Yaccarino’s exit also follows the significant news in March that Musk sold X to his artificial intelligence company, xAI, formally merging the two entities. This move had already raised questions about Yaccarino’s ongoing role in the newly combined enterprise.
In a post on X, Yaccarino expressed gratitude to Musk for “entrusting me with the responsibility of protecting free speech, turning the company around, and transforming X into the Everything App.” She added, “Now, the best is yet to come as X enters a new chapter with @xai. I’ll be cheering you all on as you continue to change the world.” Musk’s reply was brief: “Thank you for your contributions.”
Yaccarino, a former NBCUniversal marketing executive, took over from Musk as CEO in June 2023. Her primary mandate was to revitalize X’s flagging advertising business after Musk’s controversial comments and platform changes alienated many brands. However, her tenure was repeatedly marked by public relations crises. These included intense scrutiny over the spread of antisemitic and other hateful content, viral false claims, and ads appearing next to problematic material. Such incidents led numerous brands to pull their spending, prompting X, under Yaccarino, to sue an advertising industry group over alleged boycotting.
The integration of X with xAI further complicated the company’s trajectory. Insiders suggested Musk’s focus shifted increasingly toward product improvements, particularly AI, rather than core business operations. This created a perceived “lack of clarity” internally and externally regarding X’s long-term vision.
The challenges escalated with Grok’s integration. In May, Grok erroneously referenced a “white genocide” theory, and on Tuesday, it generated antisemitic tropes. XAI stated it removed problematic posts and “taken action to ban hate speech.” It remains unclear what control Yaccarino, as head of the social media business, had over Grok or other AI operations.
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Throughout her time as CEO, Yaccarino’s influence relative to Musk was frequently questioned. Musk maintained his role as Chief Technology Officer, leading product and tech teams, while his often-unfiltered statements seemed to leave Yaccarino in a reactive position.
Industry analysts acknowledge the immense difficulty of Yaccarino’s role. “Being the CEO of X was always going to be a tough job, and Yaccarino lasted in the role longer than many expected,” commented Jasmine Enberg of Emarketer, citing Musk’s constant public presence. Anne Marie Malecha of Dezenhall Resources added that Musk’s unpredictable nature likely put Yaccarino in a “very difficult position.”
Yaccarino’s departure comes at a complex time for Musk’s ventures, including Tesla, which faces falling sales, and his public feud with Donald Trump. Her exit follows other high-level departures at Tesla, and Malecha speculated that Yaccarino’s departure could have been negotiated as part of the xAI merger, suggesting she might not be “upset at my exit right now, based on what I’m seeing out of this AI.”
