Linda Yaccarino has officially stepped down from the position of CEO of X (formerly Twitter). While her departure has raised many questions about Elon Musk’s ability to retain top executives, a new report suggests that he was never supportive of Yaccarino or her holding any leadership position within his artificial intelligence ventures. According to The Financial Times, Musk had reservations about Yaccarino’s management style from the very start and had no intention of positioning her to lead any of his AI-focused ventures.
Yaccarino officially took over as CEO of Twitter (now X) from Elon Musk on June 6, 2023. While she did assume control, according to the report, Musk never granted her full authority to run the company, unlike the autonomy typically enjoyed by other CEOs. “He did not dig her style as a shiny, flashy Madison Avenue executive,” said an employee who worked with both Musk and Linda, reports FT. “He wants to have an authentic conversation and not be bullshitted.”
“Now that he’s back involved in his businesses, he was never going to put her in charge of an AI company at all,” another source told the publication. The report suggests that the growing divergence in strategic vision between the two ultimately led to Linda’s departure from X.
Linda was appointed CEO in 2023, following Musk’s decision to step down from the role in order to focus on other ventures. And Musk later transitioned to the position of Executive Chair and CTO, overseeing product, software, and system operations at the company.
At the time of her appointment, Musk stated that he had chosen Linda—a well-known and experienced advertising executive from NBCUniversal—to stabilise the platform’s advertising revenue and rebuild credibility with business partners.
However, soon after assuming the CEO role, Yaccarino’s tenure at X was anything but smooth. Musk’s frequent clashes with advertisers further complicated matters. Despite Linda’s attempts to mend relationships with brands and develop structured revenue strategies, her authority within the company appeared limited. Musk maintained control over public messaging and product decisions and was reportedly undermining Yaccarino’s efforts, leading to doubts over who was truly in charge.
According to the report, advertisers remained wary of the platform’s direction under Musk throughout her tenure. Despite Yaccarino’s efforts to provide reassurances, revenue challenges persisted. The report also suggests that, internally, some employees questioned her influence and impact, noting that Musk continued to make key decisions himself.
Following her departure, Elon Musk has resumed a more direct role in running X. No official successor has been named yet, and the company is also yet to release a detailed public statement regarding the leadership transition.
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