Linda Yaccarino, Chair of Advertising and Partnerships, NBC Universal Media LLC, speaks during a panel session on the opening day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018.
Jason Alden | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Linda Yaccarino, head of global advertising at NBCUniversal, has resigned to join Twitter as its next CEO.
Twitter owner Elon Musk Confirm employment in a tweet on Friday.
“I’m excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as Twitter’s new CEO!” Musk tweeted. He said she “will focus primarily on business operations while I focus on product design and new technology.”
He added: “Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the app for everything.”
The announcement came after Musk said via twitter He is stepping down from the role and the social media site will have a new chief executive, although he did not name the newcomer. Musk said in his tweet that the person will start working in about six weeks.
Yaccarino joined NBCUniversal in 2011 and has since risen to head the company’s global advertising business. On Monday, the advertising executive plans to attend NBCUniversal’s pre-event in Radio City, New York — the company and its media peers showcasing sales to the ad industry every May.
The longtime ad executive brings to Twitter a rich relationship with top CMOs and other ad execs at a time when Twitter has seen advertisers flee — and thus lose Billions of dollars — after Musk took over last year.
In October last year, Musk completed the $ 44 billion acquisition of Twitter. Soon after, he fired the company’s top management and laid off thousands of employees.
Many companies have halted ad spending on the platform as Twitter has seen an increase in offensive language and rhetoric, as documented by some advocacy groups. To make up for lost advertising revenue, Musk has created a new subscription service, Twitter Blue, which offers features including the ability to compose longer tweets.
Yaccarino sitting with Musk theme interview At a marketing conference in Florida in mid-April. In their conversation, the two discussed the role of marketers in Twitter’s future and its place in the cultural conversation.
During the meeting, Musk It is said Trying to reassure advertisers that Twitter is a place for their brands to be respected.
Yaccarino’s exit from NBCUniversal comes weeks after Jeff Shell was ousted as CEO of the company after admitting to an inappropriate relationship with an employee. NBCUniversal’s top executives won’t replace Shell, but will report to parent company President Mike Cavanagh Comcast.
On Friday, NBCUniversal said Yaccarino would leave the company, effective immediately, and Mark Marshall, currently president of advertising sales and client partnerships, would become interim chair of the company’s advertising and partnerships group.
Marshall will report to Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. CNBC’s David Faber and Julia Boorstin reported Friday that Lazarus and Marshall will likely join NBCUniversal’s Upfront demo on Monday.
Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC.
