Elon Musk has stepped away from his role as Twitter’s chief executive, and the leadership baton is now held by Linda Iaccarino, formerly the advertising chief at NBCUniversal. The change became official on June 5, when Iaccarino took the helm of the social network. The transition was documented by business media sources as a formal shift in top leadership, signaling a new era for the platform.
Just after the change, Iaccarino posted on Twitter to mark her first day in charge. She described the moment as the beginning of a new chapter and noted that she was starting to take notes as she settled into the role. Her message conveyed a practical mindset focused on learning quickly and setting the stage for the company’s next moves, as reported by coverage of the announcement.
There were reports indicating that Iaccarino would officially begin full duties on June 22, while Musk suggested he would rejoin or participate intermittently in the company’s operations, implying a six-week transition period before a clearer steady-state arrangement would emerge. The dynamic hinted at a gradual handover rather than an abrupt departure, aligning with how major corporate leadership changes are often managed in public tech companies.
Musk had led Twitter since the platform’s $44 billion acquisition in October 2022, a period marked by rapid change and high-profile policy shifts. He had previously announced his intention to step down as chief executive in December 2022 following a subscriber poll conducted on his own account, a move that set expectations for the evolution of the company’s governance and strategic direction. This ongoing shift reflected a broader dialogue about how social networks are steered by entrepreneurs who are deeply involved in both product and public conversation.
On the financial front, Twitter’s advertising revenue in the United States faced notable headwinds, with U.S. ad revenue down significantly year over year according to an internal briefing reported by The New York Times. The revenue pressure underscored the challenges the platform faced in stabilizing advertiser confidence and maintaining revenue streams amid the leadership transition and evolving platform policies. In the weeks surrounding the leadership change, observers and online communities debated the implications of the new CEO’s background and approach, particularly given Iaccarino’s prominent role in global advertising and her involvement with industry-wide initiatives like the World Economic Forum. These conversations highlighted questions about how the new leadership would balance market optimization with user experience and content moderation expectations, as well as how advertisers might respond to strategic shifts and brand safety considerations.