Linda Yaccarino, former chairman of advertising and partnerships group at NBCUniversal, has started her new position as the Twitter CEO. In her recent tweet, the new Twitter executive even expressed support for Elon Musk’s push for freedom of speech on the platform, calling it “priceless.”
The news about Yaccarino being the company’s new CEO started in May when Musk shared on the platform that he “hired a new CEO for X/Twitter.” No name was spilled then, but the Tesla CEO noted that “she” would take the role in six weeks. Yaccarino, however, entered the company earlier than expected after resigning as an executive of NBCUniversal.
During Musk’s earlier tease about the new Twitter exec, he shared that after hiring a new CEO, he “will transition to being exec chair & CTO, overseeing product, software & sysops.” Yaccarino, meanwhile, is expected to focus on Twitter’s business side.
According to a previous report from The Verge, Yaccarino is the perfect candidate for the position as she “has been angling for the job and telling friends she wants it,” adding “she and Musk also see eye to eye politically.” The new CEO is already proving it by tweeting a message supporting Musk’s view involving free speech.
“Tonight’s reflection — we just heard a rare and unscripted conversation, on a range of important topics, with a Presidential candidate — all launched on Twitter,” Yaccarino tweeted in response to Musk’s Twitter Space session with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. “That’s historical. Let’s do more. Freedom of speech is priceless.”
Yaccarino’s tweet might suggest full support for Musk’s unconventional view on freedom of speech, which started concerns among experts. To recall, advertisers fled the platform after Musk’s takeover caused concerns involving the promotion of harmful content. A recent study even suggests that the company might be prioritizing its Blue subscribers by not removing their hateful posts despite the policy it is supposed to be observing. Musk also hosted Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Twitter on Monday despite being a vocal anti-vaccine conspiracist. During the event, Kennedy made a claim about pharmaceutical drugs being responsible for mass shootings.
It is unknown how Yaccarino will handle the challenges mentioned above (or Musk in particular), but her initial remarks might already be an indication that Musk’s views will remain to be observed under her rule and future decisions. This might hinder the fast and full recovery of Twitter’s image among advertisers, which Yaccarino has to convince and lure back into the platform. Yet, succeeding in this matter, despite having to follow Musk’s bizarre views, will certainly prove Yaccarino’s advertising and management prowess.
