2023-05-13 01:15:42
An island of stability after hurricane Elon Musk. Linda Yaccarino, 59, was named chief executive of Twitter on Friday. The whimsical owner had warned Thursday evening that he would give up control of the social network: “Excited to announce that I have hired a new CEO for X / Twitter. It will start within six months, ”he tweeted to his 139 million subscribers, without specifying the name of the future leader.
The Wall Street Journal had spilled the beans, before the information was made official. Linda Yaccarino, 59, until then advertising director of the American media group NBCUniversal, is approached to take the reins before the summer. This graduate of the University of Pennsylvania has cultivated in her career a reputation for seriousness, expertise and above all performance.
The monetization strategy is “more complicated than expected”
Little known to the general public, this New Yorker has become, since joining the American media conglomerate in 2011, a must in the advertising ecosystem on all media, including digital. The 50-year-old has collected the distinctions and honors of an ultra-competitive sector.
According to her official biography on her current employer’s website, she oversees a global team of 2,000 people who have “generated more than $100 billion in advertising sales” and “reinvented the advertising market for the 21st century.” Just that.
A reputation and a CV which in any case attracted the attention of the boss of SpaceX and whose first impression was undoubtedly confirmed during a meeting in mid-April at a conference in Miami. The theme of their exchange on stage? A premonitory issue: “The future of marketing on Twitter. »
Committed to a diversification strategy to depend less on advertising, the San Francisco company is struggling to change its model and seduce with its Twitter Blue subscription.
Worse, it has been accumulating breakdowns since the beginning of the year. “Monetization seems more complicated than expected and Elon Musk is in a hurry to limit the collateral damage for his other Tesla or SpaceX companies”, analyzes Julien Pillot, professor of digital economics and strategy at the Inseec business school.
The only downside, she was an adviser to Trump
“The arrival of a more consensual person who knows the advertising market could reassure advertisers and counterbalance the sulphurous side of the owner” he underlines. “She is a highly respected advertising guru and can help reverse a negative spiral. It’s a masterstroke in terms of recruitment for them, “says Dan Ives, financial analyst at Wedbush Securities.
The only shadow in this idyllic picture, she drags her past as an adviser for two years to Donald Trump like a ball. The former American president had named her in 2018 in his council dedicated to sport, fitness and nutrition.
Linda Yaccarino will inherit a company with human resources traumatized by massive and sudden layoffs. The delisted group now has around 2,000 employees compared to 7,500 at the end of October, according to estimates.
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