- by Mariko Oi
- business reporter
13 Jun 2023, 02:50 BST
Updated 32 minutes ago
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Twitter CEO Linda Yacarino
Linda Yacarino, the new boss of social media firm Twitter, has outlined her plans for “Twitter 2.0” after taking over from Elon Musk a week ago.
She says the company is “on a mission to become the world’s most accurate real-time information source”.
Since Mr Musk bought Twitter last year, it has faced criticism over its approach to tackling misinformation.
In a series of tweets, which were also emailed to employees, Ms Yacarino echoed Mr Musk’s goal, that Twitter should transform the “global town square”.
She said it would help “advance civilization through the unfiltered exchange of information and open conversations about the things that matter most to us.”
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“Users need to know that Town Square is not biased,” Ray Wang, chief executive of Silicon Valley-based research firm Constellation, told the BBC.
Mr Musk, a self-described “free speech absolutist”, has criticized Twitter’s policies on moderating content, arguing that it needs to be a de facto platform for free speech.
But his move to reinstate right-wing accounts whose views he shares, and loosening restraints, have turned away advertisers. In December, revenue reportedly fell 40% from a year earlier.
Mr. Wang said that in order for advertisers to return, they need to know what to expect in terms of user content and engagement.
“She’s definitely someone that Elon can balance off and go toe-to-toe with because he respects that,” he said.
Since buying Twitter for $44bn (£35.1bn) last year, Mr Musk has been under pressure to find someone to lead the firm so he can focus on his other businesses, including electric car makers Tesla and Rocket Firms include SpaceX.
Ms Yacarino is credited with helping steer media giant NBCUniversal through industry turmoil caused by changing technology.
In her former role, she overhauled the company’s advertising sales business and was behind the 2020 launch of Peacock, its ad-supported streaming platform.
She now oversees business operations at Twitter, which is struggling to make money while Mr Musk continues as the company’s executive chairman and chief technology officer.
“We believe Linda has a solid vision for Twitter, which has a lot to bite off and can transform,” said Daniel Ives of Waybush Securities.
“It’s a great first step and she knows that monetizing the platform for Twitter is the task ahead that remains the golden goose.”
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