Linda Yaccarino steps down as X CEO amid Grok AI controversy

Linda Yaccarino is stepping down as CEO of X, Elon Musk’s social media company, after two years in the role. Musk brought her on in May 2023, shortly after acquiring Twitter (now X).

Her departure comes one day after Grok—the AI chatbot built by Musk’s company xAI—sparked backlash for spitting out antisemitic remarks and references to Hitler in response to posts about flooding in Texas. Grok was folded into X earlier this year as part of an all-stock deal that valued xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion.

Linda Yaccarino Resigns as X CEO Just Days After Grok AI Uproar

Yaccarino announced her resignation in a post on X, saying:

“When @elonmusk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry out the extraordinary mission of this company. I’m immensely grateful to him for entrusting me with the responsibility of protecting free speech, turning the company around, and transforming X into the Everything App.”

She didn’t mention the Grok incident—or any reason for her exit—but a source told NBC News the decision had been in the works for over a week.

Musk responded briefly on X, writing, “Thank you for your contributions.”

Yaccarino joined X in May 2023 after building a career at NBCUniversal, where she climbed to the top of the company’s global ad business. Her role at X was largely focused on business operations, including trying to keep advertisers on board as Musk pushed the platform through wave after wave of change, from looser content moderation policies to controversial statements.

Yaccarino joined NBCUniversal in 2011 and, over time, climbed the ranks to become the head of the company’s worldwide advertising business. On Monday, Yaccarino was scheduled to participate in NBCUniversal’s Upfront event at Radio City in New York, which is an annual sales presentation made by the company and its peers to the advertising industry in May.

Her time at the company was often spent defending Musk’s actions in public, even when those actions rattled X’s advertisers. After Musk told advertisers to “Go f— yourself” at the 2023 DealBook Summit, Yaccarino called it an “explicit point of view about our position,” and doubled down in a post: “We’re a platform that allows people to make their own decisions… X is standing at a unique and amazing intersection of Free Speech and Main Street — and the X community is powerful and is here to welcome you.”

Despite her loyalty, the past few months have shown growing tension between Musk’s vision and the business side of X. Her departure now leaves a vacuum at a time when the platform is still trying to recover lost ad revenue and figure out what exactly it wants to become.

Read Yaccarino’s full post below.

“After two incredible years, I’ve decided to step down as CEO of . When @elonmusk  and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry out the extraordinary mission of this company. I’m immensely grateful to him for entrusting me with the responsibility of protecting free speech, turning the company around, and transforming X into the Everything App. 

I’m incredibly proud of the X team – the historic business turn around we have accomplished together has been nothing short of remarkable.  We started with the critical early work necessary to prioritize the safety of our users—especially children, and to restore advertiser confidence. This team has worked relentlessly from groundbreaking innovations like Community Notes, and, soon, X Money to bringing the most iconic voices and content to the platform.

Now, the best is yet to come as X enters a new chapter with @xai. X is truly a digital town square for all voices and the world’s most powerful culture signal. We couldn’t have achieved that without the support of our users, business partners, and the most innovative team in the world.  I’ll be cheering you all on as you continue to change the world.  As always, I’ll see you on .”