Elon Musk has introduced that NBCUniversal promoting govt Linda Yaccarino would be the subsequent CEO of Twitter. Yaccarino is anticipated to take the reins of the troubled firm in about six weeks, though Musk made it clear that he isn’t really going anyplace.
“I’m excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the brand new CEO of Twitter!” Musk tweeted (opens in new tab) on Might 12. “@LindaYacc will focus totally on enterprise operations, whereas I deal with product design & new know-how. Wanting ahead to working with Linda to remodel this platform into X, the every little thing app.”
Musk stated in October 2022 that “shopping for Twitter is an accelerant (opens in new tab) to creating X, the every little thing app,” reflecting his ambition to remake the struggling platform as an all-in-one website for information, communications, on-line purchasing, cost processing, and numerous different capabilities. What precisely he has in thoughts or how he will go about making it occur is not clear, however he rebranded Twitter, legally no less than, as X in April. It is a foolish title, however one with some historical past for Musk: X.com (opens in new tab) is the title of the net financial institution he co-founded in 1999 that ultimately morphed into PayPal.
“Thanks @elonmusk!” Yaccarino tweeted in response to Musk’s welcome. “I’ve lengthy been impressed by your imaginative and prescient to create a brighter future. I’m excited to assist carry this imaginative and prescient to Twitter and rework this enterprise collectively!
“I see I’ve some new followers … I’m not as prolific as @elonmusk (but!), however I’m simply as dedicated to the way forward for this platform. Your suggestions is VITAL to that future. I’m right here for all of it. Let’s maintain the dialog going and construct Twitter 2.0 collectively!”
Thanks @elonmusk! I’ve lengthy been impressed by your imaginative and prescient to create a brighter future. I’m excited to assist carry this imaginative and prescient to Twitter and rework this enterprise collectively! https://t.co/BcvySu7K76May 13, 2023
Because the BBC (opens in new tab) famous, fewer than 10% of Fortune 500 tech firms are headed by ladies, which is one purpose Yaccarino’s hiring is notable. Earlier than this, she spent 15 years at Turner Leisure and oversaw the launch of its streaming service earlier than shifting to NBCUniversal, the place she was chair of promoting gross sales and performed a job in serving to launch that firm’s Peacock streaming service.
Yaccarino’s appointment has additionally led to hypothesis that she’ll be a sufferer of the so-called “glass cliff,” which is actually the alternative of a glass ceiling: The time period is used to explain conditions by which a lady is employed for a high place within the midst of a disaster, which mainly units them as much as fail (and prevents a person from carrying the failure).
“Her credentials are impeccable and she or he’s been extraordinarily profitable thus far. However she’s additionally been in settings the place her success was achievable,” Santa Clara College enterprise professor Jo-Ellen Pozner informed CTV Information (opens in new tab). “I imply no disrespect to her or to decrease her within the least. I simply assume that that is an unattainable state of affairs for mainly anyone.”
That is a selected danger for Yaccarino provided that Musk has beforehand stated that he shall be remaining as the chief chairman of Twitter—basically, Yaccarino’s boss—in addition to the chief technical officer, “overseeing product, software program, and sysops.”
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Musk can be going through blowback over Yaccarino’s choice from a few of his most ardent followers due to her connections to the World Financial Discussion board (opens in new tab), which Musk has beforehand been extremely essential of: In January, as an illustration, he accused it of “turning into an unelected world authorities (opens in new tab) that the individuals by no means requested for and don’t need.” Yaccarino is the chief chair of the WEF’s Taskforce on Way forward for Work (opens in new tab).
In response to a tweet about free speech from far-right podcaster Alex Lorusso, Musk stated that “the dedication to open supply transparency and accepting a variety of viewpoints stays unchanged,” whereas he informed radical anti-trans campaigner Chris Elston that he stays “adamant about defending free speech (opens in new tab), even when it means dropping cash.”
The dedication to open supply transparency and accepting a variety of viewpoints stays unchangedMay 12, 2023
However Musk’s dedication to something is tenuous at greatest. Regardless of his speak about “free speech,” as an illustration, over the weekend he agreed to a Turkish authorities request to censor tweets (opens in new tab) coming from opposition events, at some point forward of the nation’s tightly contested elections. If the pushback in opposition to Yaccarino continues, or if Musk simply adjustments his thoughts at some point, she might discover herself going over that tumbler cliff even ahead of anybody expects.
