Linda Yaccarino

Linda Yaccarino
Born	21 12, 1963
Birthplace	Long Island, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive
Title	CEO of eMed Population Health
Known for	Former CEO of X Corp. (formerly Twitter)
Education	Pennsylvania State University (BA)
Spouse(s)	Claude Madrazo
Children	2

Linda Yaccarino (born December 21, 1963) is an American business executive who has held senior leadership roles in media, technology, and healthcare. She served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of X Corp., the social media company formerly known as Twitter, from 2023 to 2025, having been appointed by owner Elon Musk as the platform's first permanent CEO following his acquisition of the company. Prior to her role at X, Yaccarino spent over a decade at NBCUniversal, where she rose to become chairman of global advertising and partnerships, overseeing the company's advertising revenue strategy across its television, digital, and streaming properties. Born and raised on Long Island, New York, Yaccarino built a career spanning more than three decades in media advertising, working at Turner Broadcasting before joining NBCUniversal in 2011. Her appointment as CEO of X attracted significant attention, given the challenges facing the platform after Musk's takeover, including a major advertiser exodus and sweeping organizational changes. After stepping down from X in July 2025, Yaccarino was named CEO of eMed Population Health, a digital health company, the following month.

Early Life

Linda Yaccarino was born on December 21, 1963, and grew up on Long Island, New York. Details about her family background and upbringing have remained largely private. Yaccarino has spoken publicly about growing up in a working-class household on Long Island, and her early experiences are generally understood to have shaped her approach to business and leadership.

Education

Yaccarino attended Pennsylvania State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She has maintained ties to the university throughout her career. Penn State recognized Yaccarino's professional achievements following her appointment as CEO of X in 2023.

Career

Early Career at Turner Broadcasting

Before joining NBCUniversal, Yaccarino held positions at Turner Broadcasting System, the media conglomerate owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (then Time Warner). She worked in advertising sales at Turner, gaining experience in negotiating and managing large-scale advertising deals across the company's portfolio of cable television networks. Her tenure at Turner helped establish her reputation as a prominent figure in the media advertising industry.

NBCUniversal (2011–2023)

In October 2011, Yaccarino was recruited from Turner Broadcasting to join NBCUniversal, where she was named president of cable and digital advertising sales. The appointment came at a pivotal time for NBCUniversal, which was undergoing significant restructuring following Comcast's acquisition of the company. Yaccarino was tasked with modernizing and expanding the company's advertising sales operations across its cable networks and growing digital platforms.

Over the following years, Yaccarino's responsibilities expanded considerably. She was eventually elevated to the role of chairman of global advertising and partnerships, a position in which she oversaw all advertising revenue across NBCUniversal's television, streaming, and digital properties. In this capacity, she played a central role in shaping NBCUniversal's advertising strategy during a period of significant transformation in the media industry, as traditional television advertising faced competition from digital platforms and streaming services.

Yaccarino was instrumental in NBCUniversal's approach to the annual television upfront presentations, where networks sell advertising time in advance of the upcoming season. Under her leadership, NBCUniversal pursued strategies to integrate data-driven targeting capabilities into its advertising offerings, attempting to bridge the gap between traditional television advertising and the more precise targeting available on digital platforms.

During her time at NBCUniversal, Yaccarino also took on leadership roles in industry organizations. In January 2021, she was named chair of the board of directors of the Ad Council, the nonprofit organization that produces public service announcements and mobilizes the advertising industry for social causes. The appointment reflected her standing within the broader advertising and media industry.

Yaccarino was also appointed to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition during the administration of President Donald Trump. The council serves in an advisory capacity on matters related to physical fitness and nutrition policy. Her appointment to this role drew attention to her connections in political and business circles beyond the media industry.

On May 12, 2023, it was reported that Yaccarino had resigned from NBCUniversal amid reports that she was in talks to become the CEO of Twitter, which Elon Musk had acquired in October 2022. Her departure from NBCUniversal after more than a decade marked the end of a significant chapter in her career and set the stage for what would become her most high-profile role.

CEO of X Corp. (2023–2025)

Appointment

In May 2023, Elon Musk announced that he had hired Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter, which was in the process of being rebranded to X. Yaccarino was the first permanent CEO Musk hired since completing his $44 billion acquisition of the platform in October 2022. Prior to her appointment, Musk had been serving as the de facto head of the company while simultaneously managing his other enterprises, including Tesla and SpaceX.

The appointment was widely covered in the media and drew varied reactions. Yaccarino's background in advertising sales was seen as directly relevant to one of the platform's most pressing challenges: a significant decline in advertising revenue following Musk's takeover. Many major advertisers had paused or reduced spending on the platform due to concerns about content moderation changes, organizational instability, and controversial statements and policy decisions made by Musk. Yaccarino's extensive relationships with major advertisers from her time at NBCUniversal were considered a potential asset in efforts to reassure brands and restore advertising revenue.

At the same time, questions were raised about the degree of autonomy Yaccarino would have in her role, given that Musk retained ownership of the company and continued to be actively involved in decisions regarding the platform's product direction, content policies, and public-facing communications. Some observers noted that Yaccarino's political connections and media industry relationships could prove useful but that the fundamental challenges facing X—including competition from rival platforms and ongoing content moderation controversies—would be difficult to address through advertising relationships alone.

Tenure

During her time as CEO of X, Yaccarino focused on business operations, advertiser relations, and partnerships. Her role was generally understood to center on the commercial and operational aspects of the company, while Musk continued to drive decisions related to the platform's product features, algorithmic changes, and content policies.

The period of Yaccarino's leadership was marked by ongoing challenges. Advertisers continued to express concerns about brand safety on the platform, particularly in the context of changes to content moderation policies and the proliferation of certain types of content that brands considered objectionable. The platform also faced regulatory scrutiny in multiple jurisdictions, including in the European Union under the Digital Services Act.

The company underwent a significant rebranding during Yaccarino's tenure, with the Twitter name and iconic bird logo being replaced by the X brand. This rebrand was part of Musk's broader vision for transforming the platform into an "everything app" offering a range of services beyond social media, including payments and financial services.

Departure

On July 9, 2025, Yaccarino announced that she was stepping down as CEO of X after approximately two years in the role. Her departure was characterized by news outlets as the conclusion of a "turbulent" period at the helm of the social media company. Yaccarino was the first permanent CEO Musk had appointed after acquiring Twitter, and her exit left questions about the future leadership structure of the company.

Following her departure, in February 2026, French prosecutors raided X's Paris offices and summoned both Musk and Yaccarino for voluntary questioning as part of an investigation related to the company's AI chatbot, Grok, and concerns about deepfake content. The investigation represented part of a broader international regulatory crackdown on AI-generated content on the platform.

eMed Population Health (2025–present)

On August 5, 2025, less than a month after leaving X, Yaccarino was announced as the new CEO of eMed Population Health, a digital health company focused on GLP-1/GIP population health management, including telehealth services related to weight management. The appointment marked a shift for Yaccarino from the media and technology sectors into the healthcare industry. eMed described itself as a leading digital health platform, and the hiring of Yaccarino was framed as part of the company's growth strategy.

Personal Life

Linda Yaccarino is married to Claude Madrazo, and the couple have two children. The family has maintained a relatively private personal life despite Yaccarino's high-profile career roles. Yaccarino grew up on Long Island, New York, and has maintained connections to her home region throughout her career.

Recognition

Throughout her career, Yaccarino has received recognition from industry organizations and institutions. Her appointment as chair of the Ad Council's board of directors in January 2021 reflected her prominence within the advertising industry. She was also named to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition during the Trump administration, a federal advisory body.

Yaccarino's appointment as CEO of X in 2023 generated significant media coverage and placed her among the most visible business executives in the technology industry. The role made her one of the highest-profile women leading a major social media platform. Penn State University also recognized her achievements following her appointment to the X CEO role.

Her career trajectory—from advertising sales at Turner Broadcasting to the top executive role at one of the world's most prominent social media platforms, and subsequently to the healthcare sector—has been noted as illustrative of the evolving nature of executive careers in the modern media and technology landscape.