Elon Musk has announced that he has hired a new CEO for Twitter, but did not disclose the name of the person. However, sources suggest that Comcast NBCUniversal executive Linda Yaccarino is in talks for the job. Musk tweeted that the new CEO would be starting in approximately six weeks, and that he would transition to the role of chief technology officer of the social media platform.
Musk took over as CEO of Twitter when he completed his $44 billion purchase of the company in October. He previously announced in December that he would step down as CEO once he found someone to take the job, and would then run Twitter’s software and servers teams.
Yaccarino, who is the top advertising sales executive at NBCUniversal, interviewed Musk at an advertising conference in Miami last month. Sources suggest that Yaccarino could be Musk’s choice to lead Twitter.
If Yaccarino were to leave NBCUniversal, it would be another big blow to the company after Comcast announced last month that NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell was leaving after acknowledging an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, following a complaint that prompted an investigation.
Speculation about who Musk would choose to be the new CEO of Twitter has been rife among tech and media insiders, with former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, and a top executive at Musk’s brain-chip startup Neuralink, Shivon Zilis, among names that were being discussed on Blind, an anonymous messaging app for tech employees.
Musk’s appointment of a new CEO for Twitter will be eagerly awaited, as the social media platform faces significant challenges in terms of managing content and user behavior. The company has been criticized for its handling of issues such as hate speech, misinformation, and harassment, and there are calls for greater regulation of social media companies.
