If there’s one factor that’s grow to be abundantly clear over the previous 12 months, it’s that Linda Yaccarino is certainly not the CEO of X, the platform previously often known as Twitter. 

From the second that Yaccarino was appointed, after a famed profession at NBCUniversal, questions had been raised as to precisely how a lot sway she would have on the firm, with proprietor Elon Musk utilizing his newfound notoriety to make radical adjustments on the app, then bask within the media frenzy that every created. The tag ‘CEO in title solely’ was shortly hooked up to Yaccarino’s publish, however that time period can be weighed with a degree of sexism and bias, which belittles Yaccarino’s achievements.

Absolutely, given her popularity, Yaccarino is deserving of the chance to say her authority with out leaping to quick-fire judgments?

Sadly, at each flip, Yaccarino has lived as much as this merciless label, with Musk clearly pulling all of the strings, and doing no matter he likes along with his new toy.

And worse than being a mere apologist for Musk’s worst instincts, Yaccarino has been an enabler, readjusting her personal ethical stances with the intention to higher align with Musk’s each contradictory twist. There’s no justification for a lot of of Musk’s abhorrent statements, however each time, Yaccarino has discovered one, together with a solution to merge no matter Musk is saying into X’s distinctive strategy and imaginative and prescient, which adjustments each week.

No resistance, even when Musk tells advertisers to ‘go f your self’, even when Musk amplifies offensive, misinformed views, even when he re-platforms dangerous conspiracy theorists. On the contrary, Yaccarino is there with reward and help, clapping him on from the sidelines with all the passion of a devoted soccer mother. To her, Elon can do no mistaken, however because the CEO that’s merely not a workable place.

Yaccarino must take a stand. Her job, as she’s acknowledged a number of instances, is to get the corporate’s advert enterprise again on monitor, however since she’s been within the position, the platform has continued to lose advert companions as a result of Musk’s random outbursts and choices. Musk stated that X’s advert income was down 50% year-over-year earlier than he amplified an antisemitic trope, which then noticed much more main manufacturers pausing their campaigns. X is probably going to usher in round $2b in advert income for the yr, down from $4.4b in 2022, and Yaccarino’s process has regularly been made tougher by her erratic boss. However because the CEO, Yaccarino must push again, and as an business veteran, together with her personal popularity on the road, Yaccarino additionally must make a extra definitive stand in opposition to Musk’s whims.

However she’s clearly not going to try this. Yaccarino appears comfortable sufficient to proceed posting pointless stats, which she seems to consider paint a rosy image of her ongoing failures at X. If X goes to get its advert enterprise again on monitor, it wants a CEO who’s going to enchantment to model leaders, and present them that their considerations are being heard, whereas additionally sharing actual, verifiable insights that matter to them. 

It wants a frontrunner who’s going to name Musk out on his b.s., who’s in a position to negotiate with Elon on his numerous contradictions and hypocritical stances. It wants any person who’s greater than only a glorified spin physician. Whether or not such an individual really exists is debatable, however Yaccarino clearly is just not it.

Perhaps, after a yr within the position, Yaccarino will lastly change tack and present her true management. However so far, she’s carried out nothing to counsel, not less than externally, that she’s something greater than Elon’s propaganda chief.