Linda Yaccarino, the former head of advertising at NBCUniversal, has been selected by the billionaire to lead the business operations of Twitter, a platform that has faced financial difficulties. Elon Musk announced that Yaccarino will begin her new role in six weeks. Although Linda Yaccarino will take on the role of CEO, Elon Musk will continue his involvement with the company as Executive Chairman and Chief Technology Officer.
Elon Musk wrote on twitter “I am excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter! @LindaYacc will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology. Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app.”
I am excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter!@LindaYacc will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 12, 2023
Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app. https://t.co/TiSJtTWuky
Elon Musk, who acquired the social media platform for $44 billion last year, was under pressure to appoint a new CEO and shift his focus to his other business ventures such as Tesla and SpaceX.
Ms. Yaccarino’s appointment as CEO of Twitter is noteworthy due to the underrepresentation of women in executive positions within Fortune 500 tech companies, with less than 10% of them being headed by women. Her career progression through some of America’s largest media companies serves as a testament to her impressive rise to the top.
Who is Linda Yaccarino?
Ms. Yaccarino’s upbringing was in an Italian-American family. Her father was a police officer and her mother did not attend college. She graduated from Penn State and worked at Turner Entertainment for 15 years before joining NBCUniversal. During her tenure at NBCUniversal, she managed a team of approximately 2,000 individuals and played an integral role in the launch of the company’s streaming service.
Throughout her career, Ms. Yaccarino has worked closely with well-known brands, identifying opportunities for product placement and successfully convincing them to advertise alongside TV shows, including those with a reputation for controversial content, such as the debut of Sex and the City. Additionally, she has established relationships with companies in the new media sphere such as Apple News, Snapchat, and YouTube.
According to a profile in a 2005 industry publication, she was a married mother of two children aged 13 and 9 at the time, and depicted as a busy individual.
