Linda Yaccarino Resigns as CEO of Elon Musk’s X After Two Tumultuous Years

In a significant shake-up, Linda Yaccarino has stepped down as CEO of X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, ending her tenure just two years after joining. Her resignation was submitted early Wednesday morning.

After two incredible years, I’ve decided to step down as 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. I’m immensely grateful to him for entrusting me…

— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) July 9, 2025

“When Elon Musk and I first spoke about his vision for X, I recognized immediately that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help carry out an extraordinary mission,” Yaccarino said in a statement. "I am incredibly appreciative of him for giving me the responsibility of safeguarding free expression, changing the business, and assisting in the development of X into the 'everything app.'"

Elon Musk, the owner of X, acknowledged her departure with a brief response: “Thanks for your contributions,” offering no further insight into the future of the CEO position.

Yaccarino did not publicly address her reasons for leaving. However, the timing raised eyebrows, coming just hours after the platform took its AI chatbot, Grok, offline amid backlash over antisemitic content it had been spreading. Her exit coincides with Musk’s scheduled unveiling of Grok 4 later the same day.

Yaccarino had joined the company shortly after Musk’s acquisition, leaving her longtime post as Chairman of Global Advertising and Partnerships at NBCUniversal. She was seen as a stabilizing figure—brought on board to maintain relationships with advertisers during the chaos that followed Musk’s takeover.

Her assignment, however, was anything but smooth. Within six months of her appointment, Musk was using his personal X account to amplify extremist conspiracy theories—including the antisemitic “Great Replacement” theory and disinformation tied to the infamous Pizzagate hoax. He also launched lawsuits against watchdog organizations like the Center for Countering Digital Hate and Media Matters, after they published reports showing how ads from major brands like IBM and Apple appeared alongside hate-filled content. These revelations led many advertisers to flee the platform.

Musk regularly undermined Yaccarino's rhetoric, despite her apparent attempts to win back the trust of sponsors. When asked about the advertising controversy at the DealBook Summit in November 2023, Musk waved to the audience and said, "Go f*** yourself," a direct reference to the CEO of Disney Bob Iger, who was present in the audience.

Though Musk later issued an apology, Yaccarino continued to publicly support him.

At the time, she defended the company by saying, “X enables the free flow of information, which can be uncomfortable for some. We’re a platform where people are free to think for themselves. As for advertising, my perspective has always been this: X stands at the unique intersection of free speech and Main Street—and the X community is powerful, and open to all.”

Her departure signals the end of an experiment to balance corporate sensibilities with Musk’s controversial, freewheeling approach. Whether the platform can regain advertiser trust—or if it even wants to—remains to be seen.