Linda Yaccarino’s two-year tenure as CEO of X, now concluded, reveals her effectively operating as a shadow CEO, perpetually subordinate to Elon Musk’s direct control. Her appointment in May 2023 was primarily aimed at mending strained advertiser relationships following Musk’s tumultuous acquisition of Twitter. However, within weeks, Musk’s antisemitic tweet and his defiant “Go fuck yourselves” message to advertisers immediately established his dominant role, relegating Yaccarino to a subordinate position.
Industry experts consistently viewed Yaccarino as a CEO in title only, with Elon Musk retaining absolute authority. Mike Proulx, research director at Forrester VP, made this point clear: “The reality is that Elon Musk is and always has been at the helm of X.” Proulx argued that Yaccarino’s true function was more akin to a chief advertising officer, a role made extraordinarily difficult by Musk’s “incessant posting, impulsive decision making and obsession with X and other platforms becoming too ‘woke’,” ensuring her subordinate status.
Antisemitism controversies were a constant and damaging feature of Yaccarino’s time at X. From Musk’s initial controversial statements to the recent scandal involving X’s AI chatbot, Grok, generating pro-Nazi content, the platform continually faced accusations of fostering hate speech. The company’s aggressive lawsuits against watchdogs like the Center for Countering Digital Hate and Media Matters for America, coupled with Musk’s alleged Nazi salutes, further solidified X’s reputation as a platform increasingly catering to far-right ideologies, with Yaccarino largely powerless to intervene.
Despite Yaccarino’s efforts to revitalize X and transform it into an “everything app” and a “global town square,” these ambitious goals largely failed to materialize. The abrupt end to the Don Lemon show, a key partnership initiative, due to Musk’s interference, perfectly illustrates how her strategies were consistently sabotaged. Instead of a thriving, broad-appeal platform, X largely became a personal megaphone for Musk’s views and a hub for misinformation, with ad revenues remaining significantly below pre-Musk levels, confirming her role as a shadow CEO.
