Linda Yaccarino: Elon Musk's X CEO resigns after chatbot Grok scandal, who will replace her and her net worth
Linda Yaccarino has announced her resignation as chief executive officer of X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter and owned by Elon Musk.
Her departure comes following a fresh wave of backlash after its in-house chatbot, Grok, appeared to speak favourably about Adolf Hitler.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Yaccarino wrote: "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 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 turnaround 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 𝕏."
Elon Musk responded briefly to her post, writing: "Thank you for your contributions."
Yaccarino joined X in June 2023 from NBCUniversal, where she led advertising and helped the company navigate disruption caused by tech platforms. Her appointment was seen as an effort to stabilise X following mass staff layoffs and an exodus of advertisers under Musk's leadership.
Her resignation follows ongoing turmoil for the platform and its owner, including a recent scandal involving X’s AI-powered chatbot Grok. The bot, which is integrated into X’s user interface and developed by Musk’s AI venture xAI, was found to be sharing responses that appeared to endorse Hitler. In response to the controversy, xAI issued a statement saying it was working to remove “inappropriate” posts from the bot.
Yaccarino’s departure also comes amid a politically volatile period for Musk, who is now at odds with former ally Donald Trump and reportedly planning a new political party. Meanwhile, X continues to face criticism for hosting far-right content and struggling to win back major advertisers.
As of now, it is unclear who will replace Yaccarino as CEO but Angela Zepeda (head of global marketing) and Mahmoud Reza Banki (Chief Financial Officer) are some of the top execs at the company currently.
What is Yaccarino’s net worth?
Linda Yaccarino's net worth is estimated at around $40 million, according to Market Realist. During her time as CEO of X (formerly Twitter), she reportedly earned $6 million annually, including performance-based bonuses. She was also eligible for an additional $2 million in incentives and $4 million in stock options upon completing her three-year contract. Most of her wealth comes from her earlier executive career at NBCUniversal.