finance & investing

NBCU’s Linda Yaccarino in Talks to Be Next Twitter CEO: WSJ


  • NBCU’s Linda Yaccarino is in talks to be Twitter’s next CEO, according to The Wall Street Journal.
  • Elon Musk announced Thursday that he had hired a new head of the social media platform.
  • “She will be starting in ~6 weeks!” Musk tweeted this week. 

Linda Yaccarino, head of advertising at NBCUniversal, is in talks to be Twitter’s next CEO, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Insider reported earlier Thursday that Yaccarino was a possible pick for the role, among several other candidates. 

Elon Musk tweeted Thursday that he has hired a new head of Twitter, likely bringing an end to his seven-month stint leading the social media company he bought for approximately $44 billion last year.

Musk opted not to explicitly name his successor, but tweeted that “she will be starting in ~6 weeks.” The Tesla CEO has long said he planned to step down from the top role as soon as he found “someone foolish enough to take the job!”

Yaccarino currently serves as chairman of global advertising and partnerships at NBCU, where she has been for more than 10 years. She was critical in launching the company’s ad-supported Peacock streaming service, The Journal reported. 

Media industry insiders were discussing Yaccarino’s name as a possible Musk replacement on Thursday, Insider reported. She has previously told friends that she aspired to be CEO of Twitter, one person familiar with the situation said. 

In addition to Yaccarino, Ella Irwin, who currently leads Twitter’s trust and safety efforts, is also in the mix, Insider reported. But the Thursday evening Journal story seemed to focus primarily on Yaccarino, citing sources familiar with the situation, perhaps signaling a more likely decision.

Musk said in his Thursday tweet that he would transition to a role as chief technology officer at the company within the coming weeks. 

When asked for comment, the Twitter press email responded to Insider with a poop emoji, the increasingly common and seeming bot response sent in response to all media inquiries of the social media company in recent weeks. 

A spokesperson for NBCUniversal did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. 



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