Headline: X CEO Linda Yaccarino Responds to Elon Musk’s Controversial Comments on CNBC
In a candid interview with CNBC’s Sara Eisen on August 10th, 2023, X CEO Linda Yaccarino addressed the explicit comments made company owner and CTO Elon Musk regarding advertisers. Musk’s controversial remarks were made during the 2023 DealBook Summit in New York and drew widespread attention.
Yaccarino described Musk’s comments as a direct and explicit point of view about their position. She emphasized that X is a platform that allows people to make their own decisions and highlighted the unique intersection of Free Speech and Main Street that the platform stands for.
Earlier in November, several major companies, including Disney, Apple, IBM, Comcast, Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount Global and Lions Gate Entertainment, pulled their ads from X following Musk’s endorsement of an antisemitic tweet. His comments had drawn condemnation from The White House for promoting antisemitic and racist hate.
Yaccarino, who was hired as X’s CEO in May, has been tasked with bringing advertisers back to the platform following Musk’s takeover in 2022. Despite the controversy, Yaccarino expressed confidence that brands were returning to the platform and should feel comfortable placing ads.
During the interview, Musk apologized for his inflammatory comments on X and acknowledged that he had made a mistake in endorsing the antisemitic conspiracy theory. X responded to CNBC’s request for comment with an automated response, and Disney, Apple, and IBM did not immediately respond.
In conclusion, the controversy surrounding Musk’s comments and its impact on the advertising landscape continues to be a topic of interest in the business world. CNBC’s Lora Kolodny contributed to this report, and it is important to note that Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC.