Image: D DIPASUPIL (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA)
Image: CHANDAN KHANNA (AFP)
Elon Musk has announced his resignation as CEO of the short message service Twitter. A successor has been found and will take over in about six weeks, Musk said in a tweet on Thursday. In a tweet on Friday, he confirmed a report in the Wall Street Journal. Accordingly, he welcomes advertising expert Linda Yaccarino as the new boss. As CTO, Musk wants to take care of business areas such as products and software in the future.
Yaccarino was responsible for the global advertising business at NBC Universal. The group includes the US broadcaster NBC and the streaming service Peacock. Previously, she worked extensively in Warner’s TV business. NBC Universal recently struck a deal with Twitter for footage from the Paris 2024 Olympics. “Variety” wrote, citing Yaccarino’s environment, that she had long expressed her admiration for Musk. In mid-April, she interviewed him on stage at an industry conference, showing sympathy for his views and stated goals.
Image: CHANDAN KHANNA (AFP)
Majority of Twitter users demanded resignation
Musk’s six months as “Head of Twitter” have been characterized by chaos and controversy. After a series of highly controversial decisions, headwinds mounted. His resignation announcement in December followed a self-initiated Twitter poll in which around 57.5 percent of the participants supported his resignation. Musk had previously assured that he would stick to the result of the vote.
Wave of layoffs and other explosive decisions
Musk’s Twitter purchase raised suspicions from the start. The multi-billionaire justified the takeover as an action to strengthen freedom of speech. However, critics feared a further brutalization of the Internet platform. They worried that the change in ownership could lead to more rampant hate speech, hate speech and disinformation.
Musk has so far failed to address these concerns. On the contrary: With a wave of layoffs, erratic rule changes and other explosive decisions, he shook the online network and frightened advertisers – the most important source of income.
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