Ex-NBCUniversal ad chief Linda Yaccarino named as new Twitter CEO

Ex-NBCUniversal advertising executive Linda Yaccarino will take over as CEO of Twitter, Elon Musk said. Musk, who runs Tesla and Space X, said a day prior that he plans to transition to a role as executive chairman and chief technology officer. The announcement comes months after Musk pledged in December to step down as the head of Twitter as soon as he found someone “foolish enough to take the job.” Yaccarino, who stepped down earlier on Friday as the ad sales chief at NBCUniversal, oversaw an international team of about 2,000 employees, according to the NBCUniversal website.

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She brings longstanding relationships with major advertisers and a strong reputation within the corporate community. Yaccarino worked at NBCUniversal for nearly 12 years, rising through the executive ranks to become chairman of global advertising and partnerships in 2020. Before NBCUniversal, Yaccarino served as an advertising executive at Turner Broadcasting Company for almost 20 years. After acquiring Twitter in October, Musk has sought to shore up the company’s finances by slashing costs and expanding revenue through a revamped version of its subscription service.

Who is Linda Yaccarino?

Yaccarino, who graduated from Penn State University in 1985, worked in media advertising for about 30 years before being named Twitter CEO. Over more than a decade at NBCUniversal, Yaccarino generated more than $100 billion in advertising sales, focusing recently on an effort to coordinate advertising across TV, streaming and online platforms, the company’s website said in a profile of Yaccarino that was removed.

When NBC launched its streaming service Peacock in 2020, for instance, Yaccarino led a campaign to offer an array of ad formats, such as binge ads that afterward allow a viewer to watch ad-free as well as ads that include a QR-code directing viewers to a product.

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