Can new Twitter CEO save the platform?
No sooner had Elon announced a new CEO than internet investigators came up with a name: Linda Yaccarino. As we reported earlier, Yaccarino is not very popular among the most vocal part of the Twitter community. Her mission is not just one: to contain the increasingly dwindling sources of income and, if possible, to expand considerably.
Let’s put everything together
Musk wants to save the world or something, and part of that is putting things in order on “town square of the whole world” Twitter. Central to the platform’s problems, according to Musk, are a glut of bots, government interference, and the suppression of right-wing voices on the platform. However, no concrete policy follows from this line of thought. Before the purchase of Twitter, an abundance of bots was suddenly no longer a reason to buy the platform, but the opposite. Under Musk, governments can quite easily silence dissidents and the Twitter Files that would prove that the right was persecuted on pre Elon Twitter? According to Musk, we should not dwell on that anymore.
Add to that a lot of uncertainty about how Twitter wants to incorporate advertisements into the revenue model and it is understandable how more and more companies are keeping their hands off Twitter. That’s not to mention Elon’s recent diatribe against George Soros, who survived the Holocaust and is a favorite target of those with alternative views of history.
There’s work to be done
Not just a job to restore trust. That it will have to is certain, Twitter Blue is certainly not going to eliminate the shortcomings in the booklet. Yaccarino has so far said little to the media about what her approach will be. Smart move, I think. Whatever changes Yaccarino brings about, it will all be secondary to Twitter’s biggest problem: Elon Reeve Musk.
Above all, advertisers want to know where they stand. A stable company and a trusted hand at the helm are therefore a must. It is essential for a company to know that their ads will not appear right next to expressions of hateful ideologies, for example. Something that is very likely given Elon’s loudly stated views, coupled with the firing of many content moderation employees. It is not for nothing that only 43% of the top advertisers from last September are still active on Twitter. Even with 80% fewer employees, it becomes difficult to draw the balance in the dark. Twitter is now worth half of the $44 billion Musk paid for it.
To convince advertisers to come back, Yaccarino will therefore not only have to make smart business deals. Whether it’s SpaceX, Tesla or now Twitter, anyone who wants to donate money to a Musk project invariably has 1 item on #1, namely that Musk keeps his mouth shut. I wish her good luck in advance
Business move or charade?
But will Yaccarino even get a chance to direct both Elon and company policy? It’s been half a year since Musk asked Twitter if he should pass on the CEO cap. The answer was a relatively clear yes, and Musk said he would stick to that “ruling.” “First find someone who is crazy enough.” said Musk. Now this seems to have been found crazy, but that does not mean that Musk is giving up the reins. Musk will stay on as chairman, chief technology officer and will continue to lead the development of new applications for Twitter.
Perhaps Yaccarino’s appointment only serves as a lightning rod for the too visible Musk? Or is her appointment a conscious step to make the platform attractive to advertisers again.
