NBC Universal’s head of advertising Linda Yaccarino has resigned amid reports that she has been chosen to run Twitter. Ms Yaccarino’s decision to leave was “effective immediately” said NBC Universal, after 12 years with the media company. This comes after it was reported that she was in talks with billionaire Elon Musk to become the CEO of Twitter.
Mr Musk announced on Thursday that he had found a new boss and that “she” would start working in six weeks.
He did not name the new CEO for his position on the platform, and the company did not confirm the decision. The entrepreneur – who bought the social media platform last year for $44 billion – has been under pressure to find someone else to run the business and refocus his attention on his other businesses, including including electric car maker Tesla and rocket company SpaceX.
Musk said he will remain with Twitter as executive chairman and chief technology officer.
At NBC Universal, Yaccarino supervised about 2,000 people and helped launch their streaming service.
She will take to Twitter her platform about the ads it relies on to make money, and this has declined since Mr. Musk took over.
At a promotional conference last month, where Mr. Musk was interviewed by Yaccarino, she altered him of the problems he faces. “The people in this room are your quick route to profits,” she says. “But there were quite a few skeptics in the room. “There are people who cannot separate themselves, they are challenged to separate the person, his opinion and the microphone he owns.”
Many major companies stopped spending on the platform in the weeks after Mr. Musk assume the position, worried about how their brands might be affected by the changes he’s bringing.
Musk immediately fired thousands of employees, including those responsible for handling abusive messages.
It also overhauled the way the service authenticates accounts, charging for blue checkmarks in a move that critics say will make it easier to spread misinformation.
Mr Musk acknowledged the “huge” drop in revenue, although he told the BBC last month that businesses were reopening.
