With their tagline “ get fired from your job in five to six years” Twitter owner Elon Musk appoints new CEO of Twitter. Linda Yaccarino, who was NBC Universal’s advertising chief, will now oversee the business operations at the site, which has been struggling to make money.
Linda is a Penn State graduate, and her work has been marked by close collaboration with big brands, finding opportunities for product placement and convincing them to advertise. She has also built in new media with the likes of Apple News, Snapchat and Youtube. People believe that her background in advertising could help Twitter, which has seen its ad sales drop sharply since Musk’s takeover.
Her negotiating skills earned her the nickname “ Velvet Hammer ” in 2012. Ms Yaccarino will face the challenge of running a business that has not been profitable while facing scrutiny on how Twitter handles the hate messages and their employees. Elon Musk said in December that he would step down from the position when he found someone “foolish enough to take the job”.
Linda had interviewed Musk on stage at an advertising conference in Miami last month where she told him to “have a challenge with your point of view”. The announcement of Linda being the new CEO was a shock to not only her head but also her fellow colleagues. A friend of Linda’s and a longtime chief executive compares Ms Yaccarion’s move to ‘taking a step in a lion’s mouth’. Elon Musk is known for being an
unpredictable and mercurial boss and the world is excited to see how far Linda Yaccarino will be able
to handle this.
“Let’s build Twitter 2.0 together “, says the new CEO to Elon Musk.