In December 2021, Elon Musk asked his followers on Twitter whether he should step down as CEO of Twitter, promising to follow the results of the poll. When 57% of the 10 million people who answered voted “yes,” Musk fulfilled his promise by appointing Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO. However, the appointment has been met with controversy due to Yaccarino’s alleged ties to both the right and left of the political spectrum.
Many Twitter users have criticized Yaccarino for her connections to former President Donald Trump and right-wing extremists on the platform. During the Trump administration, Yaccarino was named to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition in 2018. She also reportedly follows accounts associated with right-wing extremist views, such as the anti-LGBTQ account Libs of TikTok, conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec, and former Trump lawyer Lin Wood, who has been linked to the QAnon movement and has promoted the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
On the other hand, conservatives have expressed outrage over Yaccarino’s previous work with the Biden administration on a Covid-19 vaccine program, as well as her executive leadership of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which has been the focus of several right-wing conspiracy theories.
By appointing Yaccarino, Musk may be attempting to position himself as a political moderate, appealing to neither the left nor the right. However, it remains to be seen how the decision will impact Twitter’s user base, particularly given the platform’s history of scandals involving disinformation and hate speech.
In conclusion, Elon Musk’s appointment of Linda Yaccarino as Twitter’s new CEO has generated a great deal of controversy due to Yaccarino’s alleged connections to both the right and left of the political spectrum. While the move may be an attempt to position Musk as a political moderate, it remains to be seen how the decision will affect Twitter’s user base.
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