Elon Musk officially announced his pick for the new CEO of Twitter on Friday, May 12. The billionaire tweeted that Linda Yaccarino would be taking over the position at the end of June, while explaining what her role will entail. “I am excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter! [Linda] will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology,” he wrote. “Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app.”
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.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 12, 2023
The official announcement came just a day after Elon had announced that he’d be stepping down in a matter of weeks. While it’s unclear what Linda taking over Twitter will mean for the social platform, she does have much experience in media. Find out everything to know about Linda here.
Linda worked at NBCUniversal before Twitter
Prior to being announced as the new head of Twitter, Linda had been in a major role at NBCUniversal for many years. She served as the chairman of global advertising and partnerships since October 2020, according to her LinkedIn page. She had been with the company for over 10 years, beginning as the president of cable entertainment and digital advertising sales in November 2011. She later became the chairman of advertising and client partnerships in September 2012.
She was an executive at Turner before going to NBCUniversal
Prior to joining NBCUniversal, Linda had spent nearly 20 years with Turner, beginning in January 1992. She served as the executive vice president and chief operating officer for advertising sales and marketing and acquisitions, until she left in November 2011.
She hosted Elon at her ‘Possible’ Miami Conference
While Linda stepping in as the new CEO of Twitter may surprise some people, the executive and billionaire did cross paths before, when she spoke with him for a keynote speech on “Twitter 2.0” at the NBCUniversal “Possible” event in Miami. The conference was held shortly after Elon had made the monumental purchase of Twitter. During the interview, she expressed how excited she was to partner with Elon and Twitter with NBCUniversal.
She’s a Penn State alum
Before beginning her career in media, Linda studied Telecommunications and Liberal Arts at Penn State University from 1981 to 1985. She’s continued to show love for her alma mater by shouting out their football team in her Twitter bio. “Driven by industry progress, inspired by provocative leadership, plus don’t mind a good pair of shoes or a great [Penn State Football] scoreboard either,” she wrote.
She worked with the White House during both Trump & Biden’s administrations
Other than her career in media, Linda has lent her skills to two presidents on each side of the aisle. Former President Donald Trump appointed her to the Council on Sports Fitness and Nutrition in 2018, and she served a two-year contract. She teamed up with President Joe Biden’s administration in 2021 to create a campaign, encouraging Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to The Washington Post.
