X / Twitter: Linda Yaccarino is the new CEO

When Elon Musk announced that there was going to be a new CEO for Twitter, I almost cried because I am so tired of seeing ignorant people tweeting there, and I thought he was going to hire an enabler.

Indeed, Musk’s fans were hoping the new CEO would continue supporting their 24-hour fiesta of debauchery, name-calling, misinformation, and their torrents of racist dog whistles. For some fans, ‘free speech’ means they can tweet abusive remarks at people they disagree with, or pay bots to promote meme coins.

By now, most of you know that Musk’s biggest fans are flat earth proponents who believe that outer space is Photoshopped. (Never mind that their saviour runs a company which is the antithesis of that very idea).

In fact, if you were looking at trending topics on Twitter right after the new CEO was announced, you would have seen the AI-generated character, Aiko, making the rounds as the Musk mob’s candidate of choice. In this case, Aiko represents their views on women leaders: Women can only pretend to be leaders during pre-coital costume play. It’s hard for them to conceive of a reality in which women wield power and influence in business.

Into this scenario walks Linda Yaccarino. At nearly sixty years old, she has been a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in the advertising industry. The former chairperson of global advertising at NBC Universal is well-dressed, wears thick glasses, and her boobs are not poking out of her blazer. She also chairs the WEF’s task force on the future of work. Naturally, the Musk mob, realising that their uncle Elon was hiring a real woman and not gifting them with a virtual call girl, lost their collective sh*t.

It’s funny that the left hates him so much. They claim to love clean energy; but they hate Musk the world’s biggest clean energy champion. They claim want to support women rising up in business / corporate world but when someone actually tries to advance that …

I don’t think he’s doing it because of gender equality, etc either. He just finds the best people for the job.

Originally tweeted by Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) on May 12, 2023.

I didn’t realise how much of a dog whistle their opposition was until I looked up Yaccarino’s credentials. This person has created initiatives to encourage more women and people of color to enter the advertising field as professionals. She has also worked to create more inclusive advertising campaigns that reflect the diversity of the world we live in. Suddenly, the Musk mob’s strong opposition to her appointment started to make sense.

Yaccarino believes that advertising needs to be more inclusive. Indeed, advertising has been used to shape public opinion and influence people’s lives. The incoming CEO argues that when advertising is more inclusive, it can help to create a more just and equitable society. I really want to see more of that. And if you’ve ever been confronted by hostility from people who believe that inclusivity is unnecessary or harmful, you’ll know that she has a lot of work to do.

Let’s review a few objections:

• Some people may feel that if more women and people of color are given professional opportunities, it will mean fewer accomplishments for them.
• Other people may feel that inclusivity is harmful because it takes away the focus on individual merit.
• Yet others may simply be used to a world where men are in positions of power, and they may not be ready for a world where everyone is treated equally.

No matter how many times you respond that inclusivity can help create a vibrant economy, the message seems to fall on deaf ears. When we say that society benefits if everyone gets a fair chance to succeed, it angers some people. This is why I am glad that X/Twitter was given to someone who has worked to create a more just society.

Hopefully, fair-mindedness will be built into the system and not treated as an afterthought. So far, Yaccarino has done that by looking at data, and listening to what consumers are saying. On Twitter, voices are being muted because of the inherent biases inside the system.

I feel that a peaceful world is a far way off, and something must be done to limit the abuse of protected groups on Twitter. We need a platform where everyone feels safe and welcome, and where everyone has a voice. The appointment of Linda Yaccarino as CEO is a step in the right direction.