The career rise of Linda Yaccarino, from NBCU intern to leading Elon Musk's X before stepping down

Yaccarino left NBCU in May, 2023 to join X, which was then still called Twitter.Patrick T. Fallon / AFPLinda Yaccarino announced that she's stepping down as the CEO of X after two years.Yaccarino has had a long career in advertising, from her early days as an intern at NBCU.Her career includes a stint working for both the Trump and Biden administrations.Linda Yaccarino made waves when she announced she was stepping down as the CEO of X on July 9, 2025, but her career didn't start in the tech space.From decades at Turner Broadcasting, to climbing the ladder at NBCUniversal, to becoming chief executive of X, Yaccarino has climbed the advertising ladder.Here's a quick breakdown on her path to — and now away from — X.Yaccarino is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University.The Pennsylvania State University campusGene J. Puskar/APAccording to her LinkedIn, Yaccarino was a liberal arts student who studied telecommunications between 1981 and 1985.She had an early internship at NBCU, where she eventually worked decades later.Linda Yaccarino was an intern at NBCU. Years later, she served as an executive at the company. Isaac Brekken/Variety/Penske Media via Getty ImagesYaccarino told Salesforce in an interview that she arrived on her first day as a "bright cheery new intern," but soon learned that the company didn't have a record of her in its system and she ended up on the media planning team."That's where the love affair was born," Yaccarino said of her interest in working in the media industry.Yaccarino spent nearly 20 years at Turner Broadcasting System.Yaccarino spent nearly two decades at Turner Broadcasting System.Jerod HarrisShe spent nearly 20 years at Turner, formerly known as Turner Broadcasting System, eventually rising up to the role of executive vice president/chief operating officer of advertising sales, marketing and acquisitions.Yaccarino worked there until late 2011.Yaccarino worked at NBCU for 11 years.Yaccarino spent 11 years at NBCU.Getty ImagesAn NBCU "boomerang" return hire, Yaccarino once again worked at NBCU after leaving Turner.She began her second chapter at the company as its president of cable entertainment and digital advertising sales.She eventually became the company's advertising chief.She rose through the advertising ranks.: Ben Gabbe/Esquire/NBCU Photo BankThroughout her time at NBCU, Yaccarino rose to become the company's chairperson of global advertising and partnerships. She oversaw around 2,000 employees who produced more than $100 billion in ad sales, according to her old company profile page.At NBCU, Yaccarino was key to the company's push into digital streaming.Yaccarino was instrumental in pushing NBCU into the streaming world.: Heidi Gutman/PeacockYaccarino was a strong advocate for NBCU's foray into streaming television through the service Peacock.She also worked to keep NBCU competitive with Big Tech companies like Meta and Google.In May 2023, Yaccarino announced that she had resigned from NBCU "effective immediately."Yaccarino left NBCU in May, 2023 to join X, which was then still called Twitter.Patrick T. Fallon / AFPIn a statement at the time, Yaccarino said that "it has been an absolute honor to be part of Comcast NBCUniversal and lead the most incredible team."Elon Musk announced Yaccarino's role at Twitter the same day she announced her resignation.Musk announced that Yaccarino would become CEO of X, then known as Twitter.Santiago Felipe and Kirsty Wigglesworth via Getty ImagesMusk made the announcement on what was still Twitter at the time: "@LindaYacc will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology."He called her "smart, fair and reasonable" in a separate post after some conservatives on Twitter had criticized her ties to the World Economic Forum, an annual event for executives and influential figures in Davos, Switzerland.Yaccarino also worked with President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden's administrations.Yaccarino worked in both Trump and Biden's administrations.Kevin Lamarque/REUTERSShe served on a sports fitness and nutrition council for two years after Trump appointed her to the role in 2018.In 2021, she worked with the Biden administration on an educational COVID-19 ad campaign.She was CEO of X during a chaotic two years.Yaccarino led X during a tumultuous two years.Alex Wong/Getty ImagesMusk renamed Twitter to X one month into Yaccarino's tenure, and she led the company during a tumultuous time.She oversaw the platform during an advertiser exodus, working to convince advertisers to return. Advertisers began to return under her leadership, but Musk's changes to X — including loosening content moderation — continue to pose potential challenges.Yaccarino announced she's stepping down as CEO of X on July 9, 2025.After two incredible years, I’ve decided to step down as CEO of 𝕏. When @elonmusk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry out the extraordinary mission of this company. I’m immensely grateful to him for entrusting me…— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) July 9, 2025Yaccarino made the announcement in a post on X: "I'm incredibly proud of the X team - the historic business turn around we have accomplished together has been nothing short of remarkable."She hasn't indicated what she plans to do next.Grace Kay contributed to reporting.Read the original article on Business Insider

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