Elon Musk’s Reported Replacement for Twitter CEO is Already Under Fire — From Both Left and Right

AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

NBCUniversal executive Linda Yaccarino found herself under fire from both the political left and right on Thursday after it was reported that she was in discussion with billionaire Elon Musk to replace him as Twitter CEO.

Several news outlets reported on Thursday that Yaccarino — the chairman of global advertising at NBCUniversal and the chairman of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Taskforce on Future of Work — was in talks with Musk to become the new CEO of Twitter after Musk announced he had “hired a new CEO” and that his replacement was a woman.

While some social media users celebrated the news, Yaccarino’s role at the WEF, as well as the revelation that she followed several conservative Twitter accounts, resulted in her facing criticism from across the political spectrum.

Those on the left, including SPLC senior investigative reporter Michael Edison Hayden, protested that Yaccarino appeared to be following several conservative Twitter accounts, including Fox News host Jesse Watters, ‘Libs of TikTok’, and the conservative parody news website the Babylon Bee.

“New Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino seems like a certified MAGA supporter,” wrote political consultant and former Justice Democrats staffer Max Berger, while journalist Matt Binder noted that Yaccarino had previously been appointed by former President Donald Trump to his Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition in 2018.

Meanwhile, some conservatives, including former One American News (OAN) host Liz Wheeler, pointed to Yaccarino’s same following list in an effort to defend the executive.

“BTW this doesn’t mean she’s based. She still serves on a WEF board, which is a huge red flag,” Wheeler wrote. “But interesting to note, I thought.”

Several right-wing critics pointed out Yaccarino’s connection to the WEF, as well as clips which showed Yaccarino celebrating “social justice” and praising “diversity and inclusion” as “good for business,” as reasons why she should not take over as Twitter CEO.

“Please, @elonmusk, tell me you’re trolling us, Linda Yaccarino! You may as well put Rachel Maddow in charge of Twitter,” protested one pro-Trump user, while another called the reported decision a “mistake.”

Washington Post media reporter Will Sommer explained the backlash over her WEF connection, writing, “Presumptive new Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino being the chair of a World Economic Forum task force is going to be a huge red flag for conservatives, since they see WEF as the prime mover behind the ‘Great Reset’ / make everyone live in pods and eat bugs conspiracy theories.”

Others on both the left and right, however, defended Yaccarino and argued she would be a good fit to take over from Musk.

“People are already unfairly attacking her for her ties to different organizations and because she follows certain accounts here on Twitter,” complained liberal commentator Ed Krassenstein. “Let’s not judge Yaccarino until we see what she is able to do for Twitter.”

Meanwhile, Saurabh Sharma, the president of the conservative American Moment organization, called Yaccarino a “good choice” for Twitter CEO.

“There’s going to be a lot of extremely stupid ‘REEEEEEE SHES A WEF PLANT’ stuff over the next few days,” he said. “Here’s the deal. Yaccarino is an anti-woke moderate who cares about free speech and has deep ties to the advertising industry.”

Yaccarino spoke with Musk last month at an NBCUniversal keynote, and according to Variety, she has spent the past few months helping Twitter “rehabilitate its reputation with advertisers.”

“People familiar with the matter say she has fostered professional ties to Chris Riedy, Twitter’s vice president of global sales and marketing, and that she has long expressed admiration for Musk,” Variety reported.