Elon Musk replaced Linda Yaccarino as Twitter’s CEO until this week, when he announced that he was NBCUniversal’s head of advertising. Tweet Friday.
“@LindaYacc will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design and new technology,” the tweet read in part.
The announcement comes after the billionaire tweeted on Thursday that he had found someone new to lead the social media platform, adding that “he will start in ~6 weeks!” Musk closed the deal for the purchase Twitter last fell to $44 billionWill become Twitter’s executive chairman and chief technology officer.
NBCUniversal also declared Yaccarino has left the company, effective Friday.
“We are grateful for Linda Yaccarino’s leadership of NBCUniversal’s ad sales business and the innovative team and platform she has built,” Comcast Chairman Mike Cavanaugh said in a statement. “Linda has made countless contributions to the company during her twelve-year tenure and we wish her the best.”
“It’s been an absolute honor to be a part of Comcast NBCUniversal and to lead such an incredible team. We’ve transformed our company and an entire industry — and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together and grateful to my colleagues. Mentors, especially Brian Roberts, Mike Cavanagh and the entire NBCU leadership team,” Yaccarino said.
What is her background?
A graduate of Penn State University, Yaccarino served as president of global advertising and partnerships at NBC Universal, serving as “the strategic and operational bridge across NBC Universal’s global networks, properties and business units.” LinkedIn. His role is to monetize the company’s networks, digital and streaming platforms, distribution and commercial partnerships, and client relationships. This includes overseeing all of its global, national and local ad sales.
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He has managed a team of 2,000 members that, since he joined NBCU in 2011, has generated more than $100 billion in ad sales. He also helped launch Peacock, the company’s ad-supported streaming service.
His LinkedIn profile also notes that he has “made massive investments in data and technology capabilities.”
Personally, he describes himself as a “sought-after connector, collaborator and consultant” and “a committed change agent and consummate integrator”.
As president of a nonprofit advertising council that promotes public service announcements, he won support from various organizations, including the White House, to design a vaccine campaign featuring Pope Francis that reached more than 200 million Americans.
Prior to joining NBC, Yaccarino spent nearly two decades at global entertainment giant Turner.
Is he the right person to lead Twitter?
Yacarino last month Interviewed Kasturi at a marketing conference in Miami. “In many ways, today is your introduction to the advertising community,” Yaccarino said after welcoming him to the stage.
“I’m proud of my work ethic. But man, I’ve met my competition,” he told the CEO of Space X, Tesla and Twitter. He later spoke about the “challenge of the delicate balance of rebranding” a product as widely known and widely used as Twitter.
One Wall Street analyst said Yaccarino would be a “homerun hire” for Twitter, given his vast experience overseeing billions in annual ad revenue.
He “will be a great fit for the overall Twitter strategy and monetization going forward,” Wedbush technology analyst Don Ives said.
His experience introducing new revenue streams for NBCU, including Peacock, and deep knowledge of how to monetize products and services make him an ideal choice to lead Twitter, Ives added.
After major advertisers jumped ship since Elon Musk took over, it was crucial for Twitter to overhaul its digital advertising strategy and monetize its user base.
“Twitter has a leg up on the digital advertising front because the platform now needs to get back advertisers while monetizing its user base,” Ives said. “Twitter needs a CEO who can try to change the Twitter platform 6 to 12 months ahead.”
