Elon Musk is handing over the reins of Twitter, months after he shook up world politics with his ambitious takeover of the platform. 

The new CEO is Linda Yaccarino, the now-former chief of global advertising at NBCUniversal, Musk confirmed Friday.

The news led to immediate speculation about her politics, and what impact her views might have on Musk's pledge to make Twitter a forum for free and open discussion. Yaccarino has variously been described as a Trump supporter and a typical "woke" corporate executive.

Musk names replacement

Musk has hinted at his desire to step aside for months, even putting the matter up for a vote. He has expressed pessimism about finding a successor, saying no one capable of doing the job would want it.

However, Musk is sounding upbeat about bringing Yaccarino on board. In a tweet confirming the news, Musk said Yaccarino would help execute his vision to turn Twitter into an "everything app" called "X."

Yaccarino will focus on business, Musk said, leaving him to focus on product design & new technology.

"Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app," he wrote.

I am excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter!@LindaYacc will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology.

Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app. https://t.co/TiSJtTWuky

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 12, 2023

Who is Linda Yaccarino?

In a previous tweet the day before, Musk said the new CEO would start her job in about six weeks.

Musk's choice suggests he is eager to bring advertising back to Twitter, which has suffered from leftist boycotts since he bought the platform.

Twitter sleuths note that Yaccarino follows prominent MAGA and "anti-woke" accounts on Twitter, and she has liked tweets criticizing Joe Biden. She also served on President Trump's council on sports, fitness, and nutrition.

On the other hand, her background as a corporate media executive and her ties to the globalist World Economic Forum, where she is an executive chair, have many on the right viewing her hiring with skepticism.

Musk said that as soon as Yaccarino is ready, he will host a Twitter space where users can ask any questions they have.