Linda Yaccarino: does Twitter’s CEO have probably the most troublesome job in tech? | Twitter

The rebrand of Twitter to X.com this week has been broadly thought-about as among the many most consequential steps in Elon Musk’s endeavor to reshape the social media firm. It’s also being seen as a deciding second for the corporate’s lately appointed chief government officer, Linda Yaccarino.

Yaccarino, a longtime promoting government, took the helm of Twitter in Might. Her appointment got here after months of controversial selections from Musk, who purchased Twitter for $44bn in October 2022 and proceeded rapidly to put off nearly all of its workers and alienate advertisers with new insurance policies. Confronted with rising criticism over his erratic decision-making, Musk promised to usher in a brand new CEO – a place he himself described as a “painful” job that anybody can be “silly” to tackle.

With a storied profession in media and promoting, Yaccarino’s appointment supplied a flicker of hope to these invested in Twitter’s future. Yaccarino, 59, started her media profession as an intern at NBC Common, and spent 20 years at Turner Broadcasting, earlier than returning to NBC Common in 2011. As chair of promoting for the broadcaster, she ran its $13bn annual advert gross sales enterprise and was recognized for her silky however powerful negotiating fashion.

When Yaccarino was appointed as the corporate’s first feminine CEO, there was a lot discuss her standing on a “glass cliff” – an idea that has emerged by means of analysis positing that ladies usually tend to be promoted to larger positions when firms are in disaster and failure is extra probably. However many business analysts say that whereas it’s broadly acknowledged that Yaccarino might have taken on probably the most troublesome jobs in tech, few folks can be higher outfitted to take action.

“Her historical past has given her huge credibility inside the promoting world and in digital media, and she or he will not be one to again down from a problem,” stated Dan Ives, an analyst at funding agency Wedbush Securities. “She acknowledges that that is an uphill battle, however she additionally acknowledges the chance for turnaround.”

A lot of her success, analysts stated, nevertheless, would rely upon how a lot Musk was prepared to share management. The chaotic nature of the X announcement for some has dashed the hope that Yaccarino can clear up Musk’s mess.

“There was fairly a little bit of cautious optimism when it was introduced that Yaccarino was going to take over – that optimism has now light,” stated Jasmine Enberg, prime social media analyst on the market analysis agency Insider Intelligence. “It was clear from the beginning that Musk wasn’t going to step away, and now it’s clear that he isn’t going to step to the aspect both.”

Others argue they see indicators of Yaccarino taking over an even bigger position. Whereas Musk remains to be very a lot the face of the corporate, Yaccarino has been extra actively concerned in Twitter bulletins and technique of late, stated Joe Panzarella, director of the digital advertising and media program at Yeshiva College. She made a sequence of pointed statements concerning the rise of Threads, Meta’s new Twitter competitor, alongside Musk.

“This was the primary time they had been on the market equally,” Panzarella stated. “During the last couple of weeks, we have now nearly seen her say, ‘Hey, you need me to run this factor? Then I’ve to be the voice of it.’”

Yaccarino was additionally extra outstanding within the announcement of X than she has been in previous Twitter developments, sharing concerning the rebrand extensively on Twitter and in a company-wide e-mail to workers. She was the one to announce particular product options and a imaginative and prescient for the way forward for X and stated within the rallying cry to workers that “we take pleasure in transferring on the velocity of sunshine, and after we do, that’s X”.

Nonetheless, X could be very a lot consistent with Musk’s longstanding objectives to create an “every thing app”. That the X rebrand could be very clearly an effort from Musk and never Yaccarino has underscored the brand new CEO’s lack of management over the corporate, stated Enberg of Insider Intelligence.

“The launch was a transparent indication that regardless that she might have the title of CEO, Musk could be very a lot nonetheless in cost,” Enberg stated. “The rebranding is a visible manifestation [of] that.”

Twitter evolving into X is an enormous gamble, consultants have stated, and time will inform whether or not that guess will repay and save the struggling firm. Twitter has been in a downward spiral since Musk took over, grappling with a $13bn debt burden and an enormous exodus of advertisers – traditionally the corporate’s principal supply of earnings. Twitter is in search of new income streams, and the “every thing app” may very well be a path to doing so.

As for Yaccarino, the chief will not be but down for the rely, stated Ives.

“That is clearly going to be very difficult – there are a lot of twists and turns within the Twitter saga and every day is a brand new chapter. However there may be additionally an enormous alternative right here,” he stated. “If she’s profitable, she goes down within the historical past books. And if not, she turns into a footnote.”