Elon Musk names Linda Yaccarino new Twitter CEO

Elon Musk on Friday named longtime media executive Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter, months after he promised to step back from the role.

“I am excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter!” Musk wrote in a tweet on Friday. He said she “will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology.”

Earlier in the day, Yaccarino announced that she was leaving her role as chairman of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal.

“It has been an absolute honor to be part of Comcast NBCUniversal and lead the most incredible team,” she said in a statement Friday. “We’ve transformed our company and the entire industry.”

As CEO, Yaccarino will face a long list of challenges that have piled up under Musk’s ownership, including an advertiser exodus, service disruptions, regulatory scrutiny and a growing list of rivals. Musk’s controversial policy changes and statements have also alienated some longtime Twitter users.

Even as Musk steps back from the CEO role, he will likely still maintain significant control over the future direction of the company. Musk previously said he would serve as the company’s executive chairman and CTO, as well as being the owner of the platform.