X CEO Linda Yaccarino announced in a July 9 post that she was stepping down as chief executive of Musk’s social network.

X CEO Linda Yaccarino announced in a July 9 post that she was stepping down as chief executive of Musk’s social network. Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Vox Media

X CEO Linda Yaccarino announced in a July 9 post that she was stepping down as chief executive of Musk’s social network. Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Vox Media

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The CEO of Elon Musk’s social network is stepping down.

Linda Yaccarino announced on Wednesday morning that she is exiting the top job at X.

“I’m incredibly proud of the X team – the historic business turn around we have accomplished together has been nothing short of remarkable,” Yaccarino wrote on X.

After two incredible years, I’ve decided to step down as CEO of 𝕏.

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… — Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) July 9, 2025

Yaccarino spent two years leading X, formerly named Twitter, and was appointed to the position after Musk said he would step back from leading the social network. She previously worked as an executive at NBCUniversal.

Yaccarino led the company during a tumultuous time, which saw an advertiser exodus tied to controversial changes Musk made to the platform, which he renamed to X one month into her tenure.

After Musk loosened moderation rules on the platform, major companies from IBM to Apple to Disney pulled ads from X following reports they were being displayed next to pro-Nazi posts.

In November 2023, Musk defiantly told advertisers leaving the platform “to go f— yourself” if they thought “blackmailing” him would change his views.

Yaccarino later said Musk’s comments were an “explicit point of view about our position.”

In March, Elon Musk announced that his AI startup, xAI, had acquired X in an all-stock deal at $33 billion.

“xAI and X’s futures are intertwined,” the Tesla CEO wrote at the time.

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Yaccarino looked to convince advertisers to get back to spending on X

Under Yaccarino’s leadership, advertisers were beginning to return to the platform. A Mediaradar analysis found that while X’s revenues declined in 2024, the number of advertisers on the platform increased by 15%. Apple bought ads in February, its first since 2023.

X has also stepped up its focus on original video. Tennis superstars Serena and Venus Williams are set to launch a video podcast on the platform in August.

It remains to be seen how Musk will direct the platform going forward. Tesla, the biggest prize of his sprawling empire, is once again absorbing losses due to the billionaire’s outside interests. Some analysts are increasingly worried about Musk’s focus after his apparent launch of the America Party, a third-party.

Musk’s changes to the platform continue to pose potential challenges for X’s relationship with advertisers.

Hours before Yaccarino announced her exit, Grok, X’s AI chatbot, was posting antisemitic rants after a “politically incorrect” update was applied to the AI at the direction of Musk. Grok later said its posts were an “epic sarcasm fail.”

AI experts have previously said that Grok is a solid contender in the AI race, though it has lagged behind OpenAI.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.