On Thursday, Elon Musk announced the hiring of a woman to assume the role of executive chairman and chief technology officer (CTO) at Twitter. This development sets the stage for further drama following the tech billionaire's turbulent history with the social media company.
Musk's involvement with Twitter began when he revealed his ownership stake in what was then a publicly-traded firm. A series of up-and-down battles ensued for control over the platform, culminating in Musk taking it private through a $44 billion deal.
The new CEO, Linda Yaccarino, has ambitious plans to expand Twitter's technical capabilities by implementing secure messaging and banking features that could transform it into a much larger business. However, these developments come as Musk is grappling with an organization heavily reliant on advertising sales.
As questions arise about whether Tucker Carlson will remain as CEO, Yaccarino has already created some buzz by starting a parody account "suspended" by Elon Musk himself. The account claims to be an "official parody account of the Twitter CEO" and boasts 13k followers.
In response to criticisms regarding Yaccarino's appointment, Musk defended her qualifications saying that both sides of the political aisle would find her "smart, fair and reasonable." Austen Allred, Bloomtech CEO weighed in on this matter as well; expressing that this appointment could be interpreted as confirmation of Musk’s “centrist” beliefs.
When Insider reached out to Twitter for comment regarding this story they were met with an automated message which didn't directly address their inquiry.
A recent Wall Street Journal article indicated that Zachary Kirkhorn—the current Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Tesla—has been considered as a potential successor should anything happen involving Elon Musk stepping down from his position within either company.