Linda Yaccarino arrived at the Code Conference to an audience rife with tension. Yoel Roth, Twitter’s former head of trust and safety, had just spoken.
When Boorstin asked her about X’s daily active user numbers and the company’s plans to move to a subscription model, she stumbled and offered incongruent figures.
She Defended X’s Moderation Efforts
A flurry of news stories this week brought new attention to X CEO Linda Yaccarino, and she made her first appearances in the media since taking over the company formerly known as Twitter. In the CNBC interview with Julia Boorstin and in her Vox Media interview, Yaccarino faced tough questions and seemed uneasy at times. It’s hard to blame her. Despite her short tenure in the role, Yaccarino has already had to contend with intense scrutiny of the platform’s future under Musk and his volatile temperament.
One of the most notable moments of the Code Conference interview was when Yaccarino dismissed criticisms that X had lost its way, insisting that “there are no other platforms with the velocity and scope of ambition” of X. She went on to cite that key engagement metrics are trending positively, that X is implementing initiatives like content moderation tools, and that advertising customers will return to the platform.
However, Yaccarino seemed to have a difficult time explaining these claims on stage and sounded disingenuous at times. She also took a dismissive stance on several of the concerns brought up by Boorstin and the audience, and seemed to have a hard time answering questions about the controversy surrounding X’s staff layoffs and its handling of allegations of election fraud.
For example, she didn’t know whether X plans to charge users for platform access (and asked Boorstin to repeat the question), offered inconsistent numbers when questioned about ad revenue, and responded to a discussion of an increase in antisemitic content by saying that “everybody deserves to speak their opinion” and stating that she had a flight to catch.
In fact, a number of the points she raised were echoed by the guest who came onstage before her, Yoel Roth, X’s former head of trust and safety. Among other things, Roth had criticized the company for its failure to address antisemitism and for not being transparent about the extent of its problems. When asked to respond to Roth’s comments, Yaccarino said that she had “a different perspective” and that “a lot of the stuff he talked about was incorrect.” Many in the audience chuckled at her response.
She Defended X’s Organizational Structure
As she faced questions onstage at Code Conference, X CEO Linda Yaccarino seemed to be struggling with her role as head of the troubled social media platform. She fumbled on questions about precise user numbers and refused to answer questions about a potential paywall. Her overall performance did little to reassure users that X will be able to survive its current financial crisis.
Yaccarino has only been on the job for about 12 weeks. Nevertheless, she seems to have learned one thing about the job very well: how not to respond to criticism about the company. Whether it’s the harassment of journalist Yoel Roth or a dispute with a well-regarded nonprofit combating anti-Semitism, Yaccarino has consistently dismissed the concerns of her critics.
To bolster her points, she has repeatedly argued that she doesn’t have enough time to address them all. But this response doesn’t make sense. After all, her first priority is luring back advertisers so that she can prevent X’s cash reserves from being dangerously depleted.
Her second priority is addressing concerns about X’s moderation efforts. This is a key part of her pitch to advertisers, as she tries to convince them that X isn’t just a free speech platform, but also a safe place to discuss sensitive topics like news and politics. In this context, it’s important for her to emphasize that X has a robust and growing team that is working to “wrap its arms around election integrity” and combat platform manipulation and disinformation.
Yaccarino’s claims that X has an extensive team and is taking moderation seriously have been contradicted by numerous reports that the company has fired or reorganized its moderation team. In addition, several prominent X employees have left the company amid a mounting wave of controversy.
As she faced questioning, Yaccarino defended the company’s structure by explaining that Musk heads the technical side of X as chief technology officer and that she runs the business side of the company. She also insisted that she has the autonomy to make decisions independently of Musk, and she brushed off any concerns about her leadership.
She Defended X’s Efforts to Address Antisemitism
The X/Twitter CEO sat down for a live, at-times testy interview with CNBC’s Julia Boorstin on Wednesday night during Vox Media’s Code Conference. She was attempting to put the best face on her company, which has had an erratic year under Musk’s ownership with advertisers fleeing, a questionable rebrand and a host of tech and safety issues. But, instead, Yaccarino looked rattled and frustrated as she struggled to answer the questions.
For instance, when Boorstin asked if X was going to charge users for the service, she paused before answering, clearly surprised by the question. “We’re not doing that right now,” she said. “We’re very focused on being responsible for our platform and trying to keep it clean, and we’re doing very well.”
She also brushed off concerns about antisemitism, which has been a major issue for the company recently. She pointed out that the platform has been working to address antisemitism by removing posts and banning accounts, as well as hiring more people to focus on the problem. She also defended the platform’s efforts to fight disinformation and election fraud, despite a report that said half of its global team had been fired.
But her snide response to Roth’s criticism was perhaps most telling. She accused him of being old-school and “not understanding the complexities of social media.” She also insisted that she isn’t just focused on monetization but wants to make sure that X is a safe place for everyone. She even claimed that X’s current model is “more safe than Facebook,” which has had a much more difficult time addressing its own problems. It’s not clear if the comments will help or hurt Yaccarino in her attempts to repair her image, but it’s an early look at how she’ll approach future crises. Several crisis communications experts told TheWrap that her interview was a worst-case scenario, and that she’s lost credibility as X’s leader as a result. “She was not prepared,” one said. “She wasn’t able to communicate the most important messages.” “She did not come across as someone in charge.” “She was defensive and sounded like she was losing her grip.” “She’s really not ready for prime time,” another added.
She Defended X’s Business Model
In a long and difficult interview with moderator Julia Boorstin at Code Conference, Yaccarino appeared to fumble questions about X’s business model. She did not seem to have a grasp of how many X users were actually monetizable, and she refused to answer questions about whether the company would eventually put up a paywall. Yaccarino also seemed to lash out at a former Twitter employee named Yoel Roth, who was brought onstage earlier in the session.
Yaccarino defended the pace of change at X and insisted that the platform will become profitable next year, even as it grapples with lawsuits for not paying rent and millions of dollars in severance to laid-off employees. She spoke glowingly of Musk and claimed that he is personally involved in overseeing every aspect of the company.
Yaccarino claimed that despite declines in app downloads and lower active user rankings, engagement on the formerly known as Twitter is high. She also argued that key metrics are trending positively and that initiatives like brand safety and content moderation tools are having a positive impact. Yaccarino also emphasized the importance of X’s curated environments and discussions.
However, when asked about third-party estimates that X’s users were rapidly decreasing, Yaccarino did not provide any concrete data to back up her claim. She argued that the company is a habit for many users and that they check it “morning, noon, and night.”
When Boorstin pointed out that X had experienced declining app downloads and lower active user rankings in her first 100 days as CEO, Yaccarino responded by saying, “We have been through a lot of turmoil at this point, and we are going to see how things play out.” She also disputed a report that ad revenue was declining, claiming that 90% of the top advertisers have returned and that the platform will continue to evolve, refocus on the core product, and listen to user feedback. Yaccarino argued that ad revenue will rebound as the company expands its offerings and becomes a more complete media platform. She also reiterated that X will be free for most users and only charge for the most important content.
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