Linda Yaccarino quits as CEO of Elon Musk's X

Linda Yaccarino, chief executive officer of X (formerly Twitter), has announced that she is stepping down from her position. Yaccarino, who assumed the role in 2023, shared in a note on X, "After two incredible years, I’ve decided to step down as CEO of ?. When Elon Musk 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 with the responsibility of protecting free speech, turning the company around, and transforming X into the Everything App."

Further she added, "We started with the critical early work necessary to prioritize the safety of our users—especially children, and to restore advertiser confidence. 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."

After two incredible years, I’ve decided to step down as CEO of ?.

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

Yaccarino’s departure from X adds to the turbulence rippling through the billionaire Musk's business empire, which is grappling with slowing sales at Tesla and intensifying controversies tied to artificial intelligence.

Neither Yaccarino nor X offered a reason for her resignation.

The move comes a day after Grok, an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Musk’s startup xAI, published posts on X referencing Adolf Hitler, prompting swift backlash before the posts were removed.

Meanwhile, Musk remains locked in a public spat with President Donald Trump, adding to the swirl of distractions around his far-reaching business interests.

After Musk lashed out at advertisers with insults, including telling them to “Go f--- yourself” during the 2023 DealBook Summit, Yaccarino characterized his remarks as an “explicit point of view about our position.”

“We’re a platform that allows people to make their own decisions,” Yaccarino wrote in a post on X at the time. “And here’s my perspective when it comes to advertising: X is standing at a unique and amazing intersection of Free Speech and Main Street — and the X community is powerful and is here to welcome you. To our partners who believe in our meaningful work — Thank You.”

Yaccarino began her career at Turner as COO - advertising sales, marketing and acquisitions, and then joined NBCUniversal Media, LLC, where she was elevated to hold the position of chairman - global advertising and partnerships.

She was the strategic and operational bridge across the entirety of NBCUniversal's global networks, properties, and business units. She was responsible for stewarding and monetizing the company’s industry-leading portfolio of linear networks, digital and streaming platforms, distribution and commerce partnerships, and client relationships. Yaccarino also oversaw all global, national and local ad ales, partnerships, marketing, adtech, data, measurement, commerce, and strategic initiatives.

Read More: X CEO Linda Yaccarino fired head of business ops and communications Joe Benarroch: Report