Twitter is in for some massive changes.
According to Breitbart, Elon Musk earlier this week teased the news that he'd found a new CEO to run the social media platform while he steps back into a board/CTO role.
"Excited to announce that I've hired a new CEO for X/Twitter," Musk tweeted. "She will be starting in ~ six weeks! My role will transition to being exec chair & CTO, overseeing product, software & sysops.
Given the world we live in, it didn't take much longer after the announcement for news to break that he hired former NBC Universal CEO Linda Yaccarino to lead Twitter, or "X" as Musk intends to eventually name it.
"I am excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter! @LindaYacc will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology. Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app," Musk tweeted later this week.
I am excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter!@LindaYacc will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology.
Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app. https://t.co/TiSJtTWuky
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 12, 2023
The Washington Examiner noted:
Yaccarino was the chairman of global advertising and partnerships for NBCUniversal, according to its website. She oversaw a team of over 2,000 workers and focused on generating more than $100 billion in ad sales. This included establishing partnerships with several Big Tech companies, including Apple, Snapchat, and Twitter. Yaccarino resigned from her role at NBCUniversal on Friday.
It didn't take long after Musk's announcement for the walls to break loose, as many quickly discovered that Yaccarino had a role with the World Economic Forum (WEF) which is despised by most of the right, and many others.
"Linda Yaccarino being significantly involved with WEF and NBC is a big red flag for many Twitter users. Yaccarino’s previous woke statements about masks and vaccines are also concerning. Hopefully Musk knows what he’s doing and Twitter will stay a free speech platform," one Twitter user noted.
Linda Yaccarino being significantly involved with WEF and NBC is a big red flag for many Twitter users.
Yaccarino’s previous woke statements about masks and vaccines are also concerning.
Hopefully Musk knows what he’s doing and Twitter will stay a free speech platform.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) May 12, 2023
Many Twitter users claimed they had either unsubscribed from "Twitter Blue" or planned on it, fearing that the platform would return back to an anti-conservative platform. They cited Yaccarino's career resume, with some uploading videos in which she appeared to espouse "woke" viewpoints.
Musk pleaded with some Twitter users who expressed concerns to give her a chance before making any judgments, vowing to uphold his free speech vision.
Still, others insisted that he made a very bad decision with his CEO selection.
Only time will tell if Yaccarino is in alignment with Musk's vision. If she's not, hopefully, he'll take quick and decisive actions to correct it.