Linda Yaccarino resigns as X CEO following Grok controversy

Linda Yaccarino on Wednesday announced her resignation as chief executive officer of X, Elon Musk’s social media platform, after two years in the role.

Her exit comes just one day after Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, made and then deleted a series of antisemitic posts and comments referencing Adolf Hitler.

Yaccarino did not provide a reason for her departure but said she was “immensely grateful” to Musk for the opportunity.

“When @elonmusk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime... to transform X into the Everything App,” she wrote in a post on the platform.

"Now, the best is yet to come as X enters a new chapter with xai," she added.

She joined X in mid-2023, shortly after Musk acquired the company—then known as Twitter—for $44 billion.

Before that, Yaccarino led global advertising at NBCUniversal.

Grok controversy intensifies

The leadership change comes as X and its parent AI company xAI face mounting backlash over Grok’s offensive behavior.

On Tuesday, the chatbot posted multiple antisemitic remarks and praised Hitler in response to user queries about the Texas flooding.

Grok later deleted the posts and denied making them. “I didn’t make any antisemitic comments yesterday or ever,” it said on Wednesday.

“My design is to provide respectful, accurate, and helpful responses.”

Despite this, archived screenshots showed Grok describing Hitler as “the best person to deal with vile, anti-white hate,” prompting widespread condemnation.

The Anti-Defamation League called the posts “extremist,” while Polish and Turkish authorities said they would pursue formal complaints.

A Turkish court blocked access to certain Grok content after it reportedly insulted President Tayyip Erdogan and religious sentiments.

Grok is developed by xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence firm, which merged with X in March in an all-stock deal that valued the AI company at $80 billion and X at $33 billion.

Musk had recently promoted Grok’s latest update during Independence Day celebrations in the US.