Linda Yaccarino’s job may be one of the most difficult in Silicon Valley. As CEO of Elon Musk’s X Corp, the former NBCUniversal executive is grappling with two equally challenging tasks: rescuing the social media platform’s declining business and making her boss look good. During an on-stage interview at CES in Las Vegas this week, Yacarino was asked about her relationship with Musk by former CBS investigative reporter Catherine Herridge.
First, Herrich asked Yacarino if he had any conversations with Musk about his work with the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE), the new federal department within the incoming Trump administration that aims to cut government bureaucracy and stimulate business activity. DOGE will be co-led by Musk and entrepreneur and politician Vivek Ramaswamy.
Yacarino did not answer the question directly but expressed support for Musk’s political appointment. “Elon is a visionary and there is no better person to set the vision and course for others to inspire and follow,” she said. “As far as DOGE is concerned, I think surfacing and Identifying waste and inefficiency in government benefits us all, and I think there are no two people better suited to do it than Elon and Vivek.
Yacarino added that Americans should “all support” the “overwhelming success of DOGE” and predicted that the group would be “one of the greatest unifiers to bring this country together.”
Musk’s close relationship with the president-elect has fueled controversy and speculation about his potential conflicts of interest Influence federal policy that could benefit many of his business ventures, particularly Tesla (TSLA) and SpaceX. Herrich pressed Yaccarino further, asking if she wanted Musk to use X to “advance his government efficiency goals.” Yacarino again dodged the question, discussing Musk’s candor on social platforms and how his transparency speaks to his role as an arbiter of free speech.
“We should encourage all business leaders, all government leaders, to do the same thing and share more, not less,” she said, emphasizing that everyone should be open to sharing their thoughts and life experiences to “inspire” others.
After satisfying Musk’s ego, Yacarino finally X’s advertising business was discussed, which has declined dramatically since Musk took over the platform. She said that the platform will Double down on Trend Genius, a feature that allows advertisers to tie campaign launches to immediate trends on X to capitalize on high user activity and generate more ad revenue. X will also continue to build the NFL Sports Portal, providing users with a centralized space to participate in and view game statistics for American football games. “There’s growth around every corner,” the CEO said.
CES is not the first time Yacarino has defended Musk. In November 2023, the tech billionaire gave a controversial interview at the New York Times DealBook Summit, accusing advertisers of pulling ads in an attempt to “blackmail” Yacarino sent a memo to X employees calling the interview “candid and insightful.”
Musk appointed Yacarrino to lead X in June 2023.
