Twitter CEO Elon Musk (left) speaks with Linda Yaccarino on April 18, 2023. Musk announced he would be stepping down from the position on May 11, 2023, and named Yaccarino as Twitter’s new CEO the next day.
Rebecca Blackwell AP
X Corp. CEO Linda Yaccarino told CNBC in an interview on Thursday that she has “autonomy” under owner Elon Musk, noting that the advertiser has her It added that it should feel safe to return to the platform under leadership.
Yaccarino pointed to the tweet announcing his hiring, in which he emphasized that Musk remains in control of the product and development. Yaccarino added that his role is “everything else” involved in “running the company.”
coca cola, visaand other brands have returned to Twitter advertising under her leadership, Yaccarino added. She said it was the result of her direct engagement with marketing and communications executives.
Questions swirled about Yaccarino’s autonomy under Musk, given his extensive control over the company and other ventures including Tesla and SpaceX. Yaccarino also highlighted Twitter’s apparent efforts to improve the advertiser experience after brands fled the platform shortly after Musk acquired Twitter.
Yaccarino told CNBC’s Sarah Eisen that brands are “protected from the risks next door” to harmful content. Company X’s CEO added that Twitter’s new content controls would limit the risk for advertisers, although it would be difficult to remove content from the platform if it was “legal but terrible.”
Yaccarino argued that Company X was “healthier” than it was a year ago when it went public. He “might disagree” with every post, Yaccarino added.
The CEO added that the job cuts were “a much-needed exercise in cost discipline.” Company X currently has about 1,500 employees, Yaccarino told Eisen. Twitter employed about 8,000 people before Musk bought it.
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