Who is Linda Yaccarino, newly appointed CEO of Elon Musk's Twitter?

Linda Yaccarino takes the helm as the newly appointed CEO of Musk's Twitter, bringing her expertise to drive the social media platform forward

By Forbes India

Published: Jun 6, 2023 01:26:25 PM IST

Updated: Jun 6, 2023 01:44:10 PM IST

Linda Yaccarino. Photo by D Dipasupil / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

Linda Yaccarino, a veteran ad executive, has been welcomed by Elon Musk to assume leadership of Twitter, the social media platform the billionaire Tesla CEO had overseen since his acquisition in late autumn. On May 12, Musk declared his decision to appoint Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter, which has been rebranded as X Corp and is headquartered in San Francisco.

He clarified that as CEO of Twitter, Yaccarino's primary responsibility would revolve around managing the company's business operations, allowing him to dedicate his attention to product design and developing innovative technologies.

Linda Yaccarino's Early Life

Originally of Italian descent, Linda Yaccarino was born on November 27, 1963, in Deer Park, New York. Yaccarino graduated from Pennsylvania State University's Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications in 1985, majoring in telecommunications.

Linda Yaccarino's spouse, Claude Peter Madrazo, shares her American-Italian heritage. Their family includes a daughter named Christian Madrazo and a son named Matthew Madrazo.

Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino: Career at a Glance

With a career spanning several decades, Linda Yaccarino, aged 60, has established herself as an accomplished advertising executive. In 2011, she joined NBCUniversal during the final stages of its merger with Comcast, where she played a crucial role in seamlessly integrating the ad sales platforms of the two companies.

Holding the position of Chairman, Advertising and Client Partnerships, she assumed responsibility for overseeing market strategy and advertising revenue across NBCUniversal's extensive portfolio of broadcast, cable, and digital assets, amounting to nearly $10 billion.

Before her tenure at NBCUniversal, Yaccarino served in various capacities at Turner Broadcasting System Inc. for 15 years, from 1996 to 2011. During this period, she served in several important positions, including Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, among others. Before joining Turner Broadcasting, she also held managerial roles at several media sales outlets, showcasing her extensive experience as a leader.

Elon Musk appointed Yaccarino CEO of X Corp and Twitter on the same day she resigned from NBCUniversal: May 12, 2023. Now Linda Yaccarino takes up the challenging task of rebuilding marketers' trust to re-engage them on Twitter and attract new advertisers.

5 things to know about the new Twitter CEO

Linda Yaccarino is a rare Fortune 500 woman spearheading a tech firm; reportedly, just 41 out of the 500 people in the Fortune 500 tech companies list are women, amounting to only 8 percent of the entire list.
Yaccarino’s career has been a gem-studded one since the beginning: She was named one of the Ten Most Powerful Women In TV by Adweek back in 2011.
Yaccarino was included in the Hollywood Reporter’s Women In Entertainment Power 100 list in 2013.
In 2021, as the chairperson of Ad Council’s board of directors, Yaccarino collaborated with the Biden administration to establish a COVID-19 vaccine campaign that prominently included Pope Francis.
Reportedly, Linda Yaccarino's net worth is estimated to be around $40 million.