After a cryptic tweet from Elon Musk indicating that he'd chosen his successor at Twitter, The Washington Post revealed that sources had confirmed that Twitter's next CEO will be Linda Yaccarino.

Yaccarino was most recently head of advertising at NBCUniversal (NBCU). This morning, NBCU announced she was leaving "effective immediately." Over 12 years at NBCU, Yaccarino advocated for improvements in how the company measured ad effectiveness and played a key role in launching the ad-supported Peacock streaming service, The Wall Street Journal reported. In a statement, Yaccarino said it was an "absolute honor" to lead her NBCU team, which she said changed "the entire industry."

At Twitter, Yaccarino could help rekindle relationships with advertisers who abandoned the platform shortly after Musk took over. Advertisers were spooked by major changes to the platform that caused brand safety and cybersecurity concerns, including Twitter running major brands' ads next to extremist tweets and causing brand damage by allowing accounts to buy blue checkmarks and pose as major brands.

Musk said Yaccarino would be starting at Twitter in approximately six weeks. Musk will be transitioning to roles overseeing product, software, and system operations as executive chair and chief technology officer.

“Foolish enough to take the job”

Musk's search for Twitter's next CEO started in December last year, when he tweeted that he would step down as soon as he found someone "foolish enough to take the job." Many people doubted whether Musk could be convinced to cede control of Twitter, and some outlets are reporting that it's unlikely much will change in that regard once Yaccarino comes on board. Musk will likely still have the final say over what happens on the platform, and Yaccarino will likely have to navigate Musk's whims, which reportedly led past Twitter executives to exit the company.

Recent data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower shows that many of Twitter's top 100 advertisers before Musk took the reins are still estranged from the platform, the WSJ reported. During the first quarter of this year, 37 major brands spent nothing on Twitter, and 24 brands cut ad spending by 80 percent or more. These brands once accounted for most of Twitter's revenue, and the WSJ reported that Yaccarino would face "immediate challenges" in wooing them back.

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She may have the clout to do it, though. According to WSJ, Yaccarino is a tough negotiator who is already "tight" with marketers and ad agencies. At NBCU, Yaccarino forged brand partnerships with companies like Apple, Snapchat, and YouTube, and her team generated more than $100 billion in ad sales, The Post reported. Yaccarino's relationship with Apple could be meaningful after Twitter clashed with Apple last December. Over a chaotic couple of weeks, Apple paused ad spending, and then Musk went on a Twitter rant against Apple after a "misunderstanding" about Twitter possibly being removed from Apple's App Store. Musk eventually seemed to reconcile with Apple, which reportedly resumed advertising.

Yaccarino has not yet publicly commented on her new role as Twitter CEO.

“Conspiracy Twitter” protesting new CEO

On Twitter, some users have threatened to leave the platform over Yaccarino's hiring. In tweets directed to Musk, BBC journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh described the backlash in a widely viewed tweet.

"Conspiracy Twitter is currently in meltdown after finding out Elon Musk's likely Twitter CEO appointee Linda Yaccarino is an executive chair of the World Economic Forum, an organisation they view as one of the roots of all evil in the world," Sardarizadeh tweeted.

Profiling Yaccarino, The Washington Post reported that these users fear Yaccarino will "return Twitter to its old ways or tamp down on Musk’s free-speech initiatives." These fears may be unfounded, though, as Yaccarino's past public comments showed seeming approval of Musk's leadership style. Her Twitter bio says she is "driven by industry progress, inspired by provocative leadership."

Yaccarino seemingly impressed Musk earlier this year at a Miami Beach marketing event, where they were featured keynote speakers discussing Twitter 2.0 and "what the future holds for marketers on the platform." During the event, the WSJ reported that Yaccarino praised Musk as being "committed to being accessible to everyone for continual feedback" on Twitter. She also appeared to agree with Musk's "freedom of speech" take on content moderation, which results in less content moderation overall and is one of the factors contributing to advertiser hesitancy to invest in the platform.

"If freedom of speech, as he says, is the bedrock of this country, I’m not sure there’s anyone in this room who could disagree with that,” Yaccarino said at the event.

Musk attempted to address Twitter users' concerns over Yaccarino's potential influence on the platform in a tweet yesterday evening.

"The commitment to open source transparency and accepting a wide range of viewpoints remains unchanged," Musk tweeted.