Following Twitter owner Elon Musk’s declaration that he had identified a new CEO and would become chief technologist, the Wall Street Journal claimed that NBCUniversal executive Linda Yaccarino is in discussions to become CEO.
Musk tweeted on Thursday that the company’s next CEO will start in six weeks. NBCUniversal Media’s chief of global advertising and partnerships, Yaccarino, didn’t respond to an email requesting comment, and a spokesperson said she was rehearsing for the company’s Upfront presentations to advertisers.
Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion last October and said he’d only be in control for a short time to complete the organizational reform he believed the firm required to succeed.
Musk complained of “too much work” and sleeping at Twitter’s San Francisco offices during major renovations.
57.5% of Musk’s Twitter followers believed he should resign as CEO in December. The billionaire will remain executive chairman.
Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc. and Space Exploration Technologies Corp., has been criticized for sudden Twitter policy changes and neglecting his other firms. He also moved Twitter’s parent company to X Holdings, which he has openly considered becoming the parent of all his firms.
Musk wants Twitter to become a “everything app,” including financial services.
His ownership will result in an advertiser exodus for the next CEO. Twitter’s income has decreased by 50% since October due to a “massive decline” in advertising, Musk claimed in March.
Twitter Blue, which attracts fewer than 1% of users, is also struggling. Musk slashed hundreds of workers, reduced content filtering, and reinstated banned accounts.
Musk dubbed Yaccarino “friend” and “buddy” at a Miami advertising conference interview last month. Twitter and NBCU increased their Olympics collaboration.
“I can say that she would be my first choice, and my only choice, to save the platform from the hands of its owner,” tweeted Lou Paskalis, chief strategy officer of Ad Fontes Media. “I still cannot understand why she’d subject herself to @elonmusk, however!”
Puck News’ Dylan Byers tweeted that Musk will designate Yaccarino Twitter’s CEO, citing two sources.
