Elon Musk Announces New Twitter CEO And She's A Female

Billionaire Elon Musk, Twitter's controversial CEO since October, has already announced his replacement.

On his Twitter account, Musk said the next chief executive of the social media platform is a woman, the first in the company's history.

"Excited to announce that I've a new CEO for X/Twitter. She will be starting in ~6 weeks!" Musk wrote.

The outgoing Twitter CEO said he would remain in the company as the executive chairperson and chief technology officer "overseeing product, software [and] sysops."

Musk has yet to divulge the identity of his successor, but a Wall Street Journal report revealed that the next Twitter CEO could be Linda Yaccarino, the current chairperson of NBCUniversal's global advertising and partnerships division, according to the people familiar with the situation.

An NBCU spokesperson said Yaccarino is focused on doing back-to-back rehearsals for an upfront presentation to the company's advertisers at the moment, adding that the executive's role in the media giant remains unclear.

In an interview with Variety, Lou Paskalis, a former senior marketing executive at Bank of America, said Yaccarino "has a unique interest in Twitter."

"She sees opportunity there. Twitter is probably selling advertising at significant discounts in exchange for volume commitments," Paskalis said.

Yaccarino's most recent public interaction with Musk occurred last month when he interviewed the 51-year-old billionaire at a marketing event in Miami, Florida, to discuss developments in Twitter following its change in management and what the online platform offers the marketers.

According to NBCU's website, Yaccarino was responsible for the company's "industry-leading portfolio of linear networks, digital and streaming platforms," including the Peacock streaming service.

The media executive has garnered recognition over the years, including being one of Business Insider's "Top 10 People Transforming Advertising" and receiving a Matrix Award from the New York Women in Communications.

Yaccarino's potential transfer to Twitter comes five months after Musk held an unscientific poll asking the platform's users whether he should resign as CEO.

The poll, which was participated by more than 17.5 million Twitter users, showed 57.5% favoring Musk's resignation.

In February, Musk emphasized his role in stabilizing Twitter's financial situation and creating a clear roadmap for the social media website before appointing a new chief executive.

Twitter has experienced turbulence after Musk purchased the company for $44 billion in October, including mass layoffs and reinstating accounts of personalities who spread misinformation and violated the platform's guidelines.

Musk has also overseen the relaunch of "Twitter Blue," an $8 monthly service allowing users to get blue checkmarks previously awarded to notable accounts.