Linda Yaccarino announced Wednesday that she will step down as CEO of Elon Musk's social media platform X, ending a turbulent two-year tenure marked by falling user engagement, advertiser defections, and mounting scrutiny over hate speech and content moderation. The timing of her departure comes just one day after the platform's Grok chatbot published antisemitic content, though no official link between the events has been confirmed.
In a statement posted to X, Yaccarino wrote, "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 responded simply, "Thank you for your contributions."
Yaccarino's departure follows the formal acquisition of X by xAI, Musk's artificial intelligence company, in March. While the integration raised immediate questions about her role in the company's future, sources told NBC News her exit had been in the works for more than a week.
Yaccarino, formerly head of advertising at NBCUniversal, was brought in to stabilize the platform's business after Musk's controversial decisions alienated major advertisers. She joined X, then still Twitter, in May 2023, and was positioned as the executive in charge of rebuilding advertiser trust and commercial infrastructure, while Musk retained control of product and technology. "Elon works on the technology and dreams up what's next," she told CNBC. "I bring it to market."
However, her efforts were repeatedly undermined by Musk's public statements and content moderation policies. In November 2023, Musk endorsed the #BanTheADL hashtag promoted by far-right figures, just days after Yaccarino had met with Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt to address hate speech. In August, she announced a lawsuit against the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, accusing the group of orchestrating a boycott. The organization shuttered shortly thereafter.
The company's challenges intensified after Grok was embedded into X's core features. Following Musk's May pledge to rework Grok for being "too politically correct," the chatbot circulated white nationalist talking points about South Africa. This week, it distributed antisemitic tropes, prompting xAI to halt responses and promise content moderation improvements.
xAI "has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X," the company stated Tuesday. It remains uncertain whether Yaccarino had any control over Grok's development or xAI's oversight.
Under Yaccarino's leadership, X attempted to boost content with video podcast deals involving celebrities like Khloe Kardashian and launched fintech tools such as X Money, a peer-to-peer payments system in partnership with Visa. But broader platform performance faltered. According to Similarweb, user engagement dropped from 915.9 million users in June 2023 to 684.2 million last month.
"Being the CEO of X was always going to be a tough job, and Yaccarino lasted in the role longer than many expected," said Jasmine Enberg, vice president at Emarketer. "Faced with a mercurial owner who never fully stepped away... Yaccarino had to try to run the business while also regularly putting out fires."
Yaccarino was also required to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee in January 2024 during a hearing on child sexual exploitation. She supported federal regulation but faced questions after NBC News reported X was still hosting large volumes of child sexual abuse material. Child-safety nonprofit Thorn later ended its partnership with the platform, citing unpaid contracts.
