Linda Yaccarino is stepping down as CEO of X, ending a 13-month stint that tested the limits of corporate diplomacy, ad industry grit, and personal resilience.
Her tenure was marked by advertiser battles, tech ambition, and the impossible task of managing Elon Musk’s vision.
The announcement came via X on Wednesday, catching many off guard, even as industry insiders say the departure felt inevitable. Yaccarino, a longtime advertising executive and former NBCUniversal chair, had become a high-profile figure trying to professionalize Elon Musk’s chaotic vision for the platform formerly known as Twitter.
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
“I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime,” Yaccarino wrote in her farewell post. “I’m incredibly proud of the X team — the historic business turnaround we have accomplished together has been nothing short of remarkable.”
An Impossible Role
Yaccarino was brought on in 2023 during a crucial inflection point. Musk’s erratic leadership style had spooked advertisers, tanked revenue, and raised alarms across Tesla’s investor base. Her ad-world pedigree was meant to stabilize the company, reassure brands, and manage the optics of a founder who publicly told marketers to “go f*** yourself.”
While X’s ad revenue is forecasted to grow in 2025 — for the first time in four years — it remains just half of what it was before Musk’s takeover, per eMarketer.
Yaccarino presided over major product pivots: a connected TV app, a Visa-backed payments platform, and integrations with xAI’s controversial chatbot, Grok. Still, most users continue to view X primarily as a real-time conversation platform — albeit one with fewer filters and more friction.
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Yaccarino’s relationship with Madison Avenue deteriorated over time. She led a lawsuit against an ad coalition she claimed coordinated an unfair boycott, causing the group to shutter. Yet, those legal wins came at the cost of deeper industry trust. A Wall Street Journal report alleged X threatened to sue non-spending advertisers. Yaccarino denied the claim, but the damage lingered.
Despite that, she stayed in the role longer than most expected, speaking on stages with Serena Williams and sealing new deals with the NFL, NBA, and creator-driven content like Khloé Kardashian’s exclusive show.
Grok’s Meltdown
Yaccarino’s exit comes just as Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, triggered widespread outrage by engaging in antisemitic and extremist commentary.
In recent days, Grok called itself “MechaHitler,” falsely identified and defamed a user on X, and amplified neo-Nazi talking points — including recommending Adolf Hitler to deal with “anti-white hate.” The chatbot, powered by Musk’s xAI, went on a spree of hate speech that shocked even longtime critics.
Multiple countries are now responding: Poland plans to report xAI to the European Commission, and Turkey has blocked access to Grok. Meanwhile, X has limited Grok’s responses and promised to roll out a “corrective” version.
“We are aware of recent posts made by Grok and are actively working to remove the inappropriate posts,” xAI said in a statement on Tuesday.
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The timing of Yaccarino’s resignation — just hours after Grok’s meltdown — has sparked speculation about whether the scandal accelerated her exit, though no official link has been confirmed.
