Linda Yaccarino takes over troubled Twitter as new CEO

Linda Yaccarino, formerly the head of advertising at NBCUniversal, has commenced her role as the new CEO of Twitter ahead of schedule. This development occurred shortly after Twitter faced the departure of its second head of trust and safety. 

Elon Musk, the previous CEO, had initially announced that his successor would join in six weeks, but Yaccarino's start date appears to have been moved forward. Alongside Yaccarino, Twitter also welcomed Joe Benarroch, who previously worked at NBCUniversal and Meta, to focus on business operations.

While Musk plans to maintain involvement with the company, he had expressed his intention to step down as chief executive once he found a suitable replacement, stating that he would leave the position to "someone foolish enough to take the job." Musk's decision followed a Twitter poll where he asked users to vote on whether he should resign, with 57.5% voting in favour of his departure.

Yaccarino extended a warm welcome to her former colleague, Benarroch, on Twitter, referencing the platform's iconic bird logo. She tweeted, "Welcome to the flock @benarroch_joe! From one bird to the next." Benarroch expressed his enthusiasm about joining Twitter and working collaboratively to shape the platform's future, referring to it as "Twitter 2.0."

As the 60-year-old Yaccarino takes the helm, she will oversee the business operations of Twitter, which has been grappling with financial challenges. Since Musk's acquisition of Twitter, significant cost-cutting measures were implemented, including a reduction of 75% of the workforce and changes in how the company verifies accounts and handles abuse tracking. Furthermore, Twitter has experienced a decline in advertiser interest, exacerbating its financial struggles.

Yaccarino is recognised for her successful navigation of NBCUniversal through the disruptions caused by technology companies. During her tenure, she revamped the ad sales business, spearheaded the launch of the ad-supported streaming platform Peacock in 2020, and played a pivotal role in industry discussions surrounding data gaps as audiences migrated online.

Recently, Twitter faced the resignation of its second head of trust and safety under Musk's ownership. Ella Irwin assumed the role after the departure of the previous head, Yoel Roth, in November 2022, shortly after Musk's acquisition. 

The head of trust and safety is responsible for content moderation, an area that has garnered increased attention since Musk's involvement. The reasons behind Irwin's resignation remain unclear, although it coincided with Musk publicly criticising a content moderation decision made on Twitter.

While Musk focuses on his other ventures, including electric carmaker Tesla and rocket firm SpaceX, he will continue to serve as Twitter's executive chairman and chief technology officer. Yaccarino's appointment brings renewed hope for addressing Twitter's challenges and steering the platform toward success.