Linda Yaccarino, the head of advertising at NBCUniversal, is reportedly in talks to become the new CEO of Twitter, according to recent news reports. Elon Musk hinted at the appointment of a new chief executive for Twitter on Thursday but did not disclose the individual’s name.
Yaccarino has been with NBCUniversal for more than a decade, where she has been an advocate for the development of more effective ways to measure the effectiveness of advertising. As the head of NBCU’s advertising sales, she played a key role in the launch of the company’s ad-supported Peacock streaming service.
Yaccarino’s contributions to the industry extend beyond her time at NBCUniversal. Before joining the company, she served 19 years at Turner Entertainment, where she was credited with taking the network’s ad sales operation into the digital age.
An alumna of Penn State University, Yaccarino studied liberal arts and telecommunications during her time at the institution. She recently interviewed Elon Musk at an advertising conference in Miami, where she encouraged the audience to welcome the tech mogul with applause and lauded his work ethic.
Yaccarino’s departure would be another significant setback for NBCUniversal, following the announcement last month that the company’s CEO, Jeff Shell, would be stepping down after admitting to an inappropriate relationship with a female colleague. The incident prompted an investigation and a major shakeup at the media company.
If Yaccarino is indeed appointed as the new CEO of Twitter, it will be interesting to see how she applies her advertising expertise to the social media platform. Twitter has faced a number of challenges in recent years, including declining user engagement and difficulties with monetization. With Yaccarino’s experience in building ad-supported streaming services, she may be well-equipped to help Twitter address these issues and take the platform in a new direction.
