X CEO Linda Yaccarino is fielding texts and direct messages from brand chiefs and marketing leaders who want her to resign from the Elon Musk-owned social media platform “before her reputation is damaged,” according to a Monday report from Axios.
Lou Paskalis, founder and CEO of marketing consultancy AJL Advisory and former head of global media at Bank of America, told Axios that he messaged Yaccarino on Sunday, urging the widely respected marketing executive to leave X Corp.
“The issue is no longer about content adjacencies or content moderation. It’s simply that the owner is not someone marketers can do business with,” Paskalis said.
Forbes reported that the X CEO has been contacted by a growing number of leading advertising executives questioning her willingness to damage her reputation to protect Musk and the business. The executives suggested that Yaccarino make a statement about the direction of the platform by resigning from the role.
At this point, Yaccarino has given no signs that she would be considering stepping down.
Yaccarino led NBCUniversal’s advertising business for over a decade prior to joining X this year and has developed a reputation for being an impressive advertising leader with a vast network.
Meanwhile, major advertisers on X announced the suspension of marketing on the social media platform on Friday, coming after Musk faced backlash for agreeing with a post on X that glorified a deeply rooted antisemitic conspiracy theory, calling the statement “actual truth.”
The advertisers pausing ads on the platform included Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, Sony, Lionsgate, Apple, and IBM.
Later on Friday, Musk slammed the platform’s largest form of revenue saying “Many of the largest advertisers are the greatest oppressors of your right to free speech,” while hawking X’s paid service which would prevent advertisements from showing up in the user’s timeline.
Musk additionally said that he would be launching a “thermonuclear lawsuit,” against Media Matters For America after the media watchdog released a report on Thursday that accused X of placing ads for brands next to pro-Hitler and white nationalist accounts.
Source link
