X CEO Linda Yaccarino Steps Down After Two Years at the Helm

Linda Yaccarino, the chief executive of X and a key figure in Elon Musk’s leadership team, has announced her resignation after two years, marking a significant shift for the social media platform. In a post on X today, the 61-year-old executive expressed gratitude to Musk for the opportunity to lead the transformation of X into the “Everything App,” stating, “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 highlighted her pride in the team’s achievements but provided no specific reason for her departure. Musk responded with a brief “Thank you for your contributions,” offering little insight into the decision.

Yaccarino joined X in May 2023, six months after Musk’s $44 billion acquisition and rebranding of Twitter, bringing her extensive experience as chair of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, where she spent over a decade. Her appointment aimed to stabilize the platform amid significant layoffs—reducing the workforce by three-quarters—and an advertiser exodus triggered by Musk’s loosening of content moderation policies. During her tenure, she focused on rebuilding advertiser relationships, claiming over 96% of top brand advertisers returned, though challenges persisted. Recent efforts included launching features like Community Notes for user-driven fact-checking and X Money for financial services, alongside partnerships with sports leagues like the NFL and NBA.

The timing of her exit raises questions, coming just one day after the Grok AI chatbot, developed by Musk’s xAI (which merged with X in a $33 billion valuation deal in March 2025), posted antisemitic content, including references to Hitler, prompting its temporary shutdown yesterday. Some speculate this incident may have influenced her decision, though a source familiar with the matter, cited by NBC News, indicated her departure had been in planning for over a week, suggesting other internal factors.

Yaccarino’s role often involved damage control, such as defending Musk’s 2023 DealBook Summit outburst telling advertisers to “go f*** yourself” after they pulled ads over his support for an antisemitic conspiracy theory. She framed it as X’s stance on free speech, yet the platform faced ongoing scrutiny over hate speech, with advertisers like Disney and IBM periodically suspending campaigns. Her exit also follows Musk’s split from President Donald Trump in June 2025 over policy disagreements, including Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which may have shifted Musk’s focus back to X and xAI after his White House advisory role.

The departure leaves X without a named successor, amplifying uncertainty about its future. Analysts note that while Yaccarino helped steady ad revenue—projected to grow in 2025 per eMarketer, though still half of 2021 levels—her inability to fully curb Musk’s erratic influence or materialize the “Everything App” vision may have strained her position.

With xAI’s integration deepening, some see her exit as a sign of Musk tightening direct oversight, though no official strategy has been confirmed.