NBCU’s Linda Yaccarino Might Be New CEO at Twitter

LInda Yaccarino, chairman of NBCUniversal global advertising sales and partnerships, is reportedly in discussions to become CEO of Twitter.

Elon Musk, who bought Twitter for $44 billion last year, tweeted that he was expected to announce that he had a new CEO. “She will be starting in about six weeks,” he said.

NBCU executives did not return requests for comment.

Since acquiring Twitter, Musk has loosened the rules around regulating content on the site, which has scared off many major advertisers. Yaccarino would be well qualified to win some of those advertisers back.

Also Read: B+C Hall of Fame Profile: Linda Yaccarino (2018)

Yaccarino is expected to be on the stage at Radio City Music Hall Monday when NBCU kicks off the broadcast networks traditional upfront week in New York

She recently sealed a deal giving Twitter content from NBCU’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics. She also recently interviewed Musk at an advertising conference in April.

Last month NBCU CEO Jeff Shell was dismissed by parent company Comcast. Shell admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with a CNBC anchor. Comcast named its president, Michael Cavanagh, to oversee NBCU.

Comcast also said in its fourth-quarter earnings report that NBCU domestic advertising revenues had dropped 38.8%, or 6.1% excluding last year’s Super Bowl and Olympic ad sales.

At NBCU, Yaccarino has been a leader in making TV advertising more like digital advertising, creating products that target consumers using data and automating media buying. 

In his Tweet, Musk said that once a new CEO is in place, he will transition to being executive chair and chief technology officer, overseeing product, software and systems operations.