Elon Musk took to Twitter on Friday to announce the appointment of Linda Yaccarino, former head of advertising at NBCUniversal, as the new CEO of Twitter. Musk expressed his excitement about Yaccarino joining the company and stated that she would primarily focus on business operations while he devotes more time to product design and new technology.
Yaccarino had recently left her position at NBCUniversal before Musk made the announcement. The news follows Musk’s previous tweet where he mentioned finding someone to lead the social media company. Various sources, including The Wall Street Journal, had reported discussions with Yaccarino regarding the role.
The transition in leadership comes after a Twitter poll conducted about six months ago revealed that a majority of users wanted Musk to step down from his role as CEO. Musk shared in his tweet that the new CEO, referred to as “she,” would assume the position in approximately six weeks.
Musk disclosed his plans to transition into the role of executive chairman and chief technology officer, where he will oversee product, software, and systems operations. In October, Musk completed a $44 billion takeover of Twitter and subsequently implemented significant changes, including staff layoffs and the removal of the former CEO, Parag Agrawal, and other senior leaders.
Criticism of Musk’s ownership of the platform has centred around various alterations made, such as introducing paid subscriptions for verification status, implementing a “For You” newsfeed, and reinstating controversial accounts like that of former US president Donald Trump.
Musk also recently announced Twitter’s plans to introduce voice and video calls, aiming to compete with platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram. As for Tesla, the company’s shares experienced a 1.13% decline by noon on Friday.
