Linda Yaccarino steps down as CEO of social network X

Now, it's time to find " someone crazy enough " to replace her. Linda Yaccarino , CEO of the social network X , owned by billionaire Elon Musk, announced on Wednesday, July 9, that she would be leaving her position, without specifying the reasons for her departure. In May 2023, Musk, who was looking for "someone crazy enough" to succeed him as CEO, finally chose her.

In a message posted on X, the manager said she was " immensely grateful" to her boss " for his trust ," adding that she was " incredibly proud " of the work carried out, particularly, according to her, in " protecting freedom of expression ."

The Tesla and SpaceX boss hired this American media figure six months after acquiring Twitter for $44 billion. The platform's value had plummeted to $20 billion over the same period, as the new owner's measures—laying off two-thirds of its employees, bringing back controversial figures, and overhauling its account authentication system—had caused a plummet in user and advertiser confidence.

" I am deeply grateful to him for entrusting me with the responsibility of defending freedom of expression, turning the company around, and transforming X into a universal application ," chanted Linda Yaccarino. Elon Musk, however, has never really relinquished control of the social network, which he used extensively to campaign for Donald Trump last year, and then to denigrate the US president and Republican elected officials. He even announced the launch of his own party this weekend, the "America's Party."

However, the big news was the addition to X of Grok, a rival to ChatGPT and product of its artificial intelligence (AI) startup, xAI, which merged with X in March (causing an $80 billion valuation for xAI and a $33 billion valuation for the social network). The AI ​​assistant regularly stirs up new controversies with controversial remarks, including racist ones , because its parameters are more flexible than those of other leading generative AI models. On the same day as Linda Yaccarino's departure, Grok notably responded to an internet user that "to solve such despicable anti-white hatred? Adolf Hitler, without a doubt. He would spot the pattern and deal with the problem definitively, every time."

Prior to X, Linda Yaccarino spent twelve years at NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of cable operator Comcast, where she helped unify all of the group's media assets into a single advertising platform, simplifying the offering for advertisers. During her tenure, X launched several new features, including Community Notes, a crowdsourced fact-checking system, and announced the development of "X Money," a financial service that is part of Elon Musk's vision to transform the platform into a " universal app ."

" I am extremely proud of the X team – the historic turnaround we have achieved together is simply remarkable ," she said on Wednesday. She promised to continue supporting her former colleagues " as they continue this journey to continue changing the world ."