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Linda Yaccarino has resigned as CEO of X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, after two years leading the Elon Musk-owned company. In a statement on X, she cited "two incredible years" overseeing a major transformation. Her resignation on Wednesday follows growing controversy surrounding X's AI chatbot, Grok, which has been criticized for posting anti-Semitic comments praising Adolf Hitler and Islamophobic insults.
Yaccarino -- a former NBCUniversal advertising executive -- took over as X's CEO in June 2023, replacing Musk who had been serving in the role since his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in October 2022. Her appointment came as Musk sought to focus on product development while bringing in an experienced media manager to restore advertiser confidence.
The company has faced significant challenges since Musk's acquisition, including an exodus of advertisers and concerns over content moderation policies.
Yaccarino's background in advertising was seen as crucial to rebuilding business relationships.
In her statement, Yaccarino praised the "historic business turn around" achieved by the X team and suggested the platform was entering "a new chapter" with xAI, Musk's artificial intelligence company.
xAI in March acquired X in an all-stock deal that valued the social media platform at $33 billion, making it a subsidiary of Musk's AI company. "X is truly a digital town square for all voices and the world's most powerful culture signal," she wrote, adding that she would be "cheering you all on as you continue to change the world."
During her tenure, X introduced new features including Community Notes, a crowd-sourced fact-checking system, and announced plans for "X Money," a financial services feature as part of Musk's vision to transform the platform into an "Everything App."
It also coincided with Musk's endorsement and financial backing of Donald Trump, which saw the South African-born multi-billionaire catapulted into the White House as a close advisor to the president, before a recent falling out.
