Linda Yaccarino steps down as CEO of X

Following a two-year tenure filled with lawsuits against advertisers, political controversy generated by Elon Musk’s relationship with President Donald Trump and brand safety concerns, Linda Yaccarino has stepped down as the CEO of X. 

“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,” Yaccarino wrote in her resignation announcement, which was posted on X Wednesday morning. “I’m immensely grateful to him for entrusting me with the responsibility of protecting free speech, turning the company around, and transforming X into the Everything App.”

A replacement for Yaccarino — who led NBCUniversal Media’s advertising for 11 years as its chairman of global advertising and partnerships before her stint at X — has yet to be announced. She was the first CEO Musk hired after buying the platform, formerly known as Twitter, in 2022. 

“We started with the critical early work necessary to prioritize the safety of our users — especially children, and to restore advertiser confidence,” Yaccarino continued in her announcement. “This team has worked relentlessly from groundbreaking innovations like Community Notes, and, soon, X Money to bringing the most iconic voices and content to the platform.”

During her time at X, Yaccarino assisted Musk with an “extraordinary pressure campaign” on advertisers that pulled ads from the platform due to brand safety concerns. Under her leadership, Musk also filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing advertisers  including Mars, Lego and Nestlé of boycotting the app and “collectively withholding billions of dollars in advertising. 

The pullback of advertisers followed the app’s rollback of community guidelines in 2024 allowing hate speech, disinformation and brand safety risks — such as major brands appearing next to pro-Nazi posts. 

This story first appeared on PRWeek U.S.