Transcript Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, formerly Twitter, at a trade show in Las Vegas on Jan. 7, 2025. Yaccarino announced Wednesday that she is stepping down from X after two years running the social media platform. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Elon Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, started calling itself 'MechaHitler' Yaccarino did not cite a reason for her departure in her post announcing that she was leaving the company. "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," she wrote on X on Wednesday. "I'll be cheering you all on as you continue to change the world." Yaccarino, a traditional business executive, was in many ways a striking foil to the mercurial and controversy-courting Musk, who proved to be a challenging boss. Sponsor Message "She thought she could shape Elon. But ultimately, the man's gonna do what the man's gonna do regardless of good advice, and so, she probably wasn't as successful as she had hoped she would be," Lou Paskalis, a fellow advertising executive and longtime friend of Yaccarino, told NPR. She became the public face of X's advertising business, which is how most of the platform's revenue is generated. And she went to Washington as X's representative, pushing for online child safety laws. At X, she was forced to repeatedly defend Musk through a bumpy two years. "Thank you for your contributions," Musk wrote to Yaccarino on X. Musk and X did not respond to requests for comment. Musk tapped Yaccarino, a seasoned advertising executive at NBCUniversal, during a tumultuous time for X. Following the billionaire purchasing the site formerly known as Twitter in late 2022, about 80% of the staff were slashed, previously banned users were restored and far-right personalities embraced the site. At the time she was hired, Yaccarino was viewed as a wise choice, seen as a stabilizing force who could help bring back advertisers who were fleeing the platform over the changes Musk has implemented. In her executive role at NBCUniversal, she oversaw global advertising and partnerships, so she had the experience and know-how to strike deals with major brands. Sponsor Message