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X’s Tumultuous Journey Under Elon Musk Culminates in CEO Linda Yaccarino’s Sudden Exit

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Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, announced on Wednesday she would step down, ending her tenure at the Elon Musk-owned social media platform amid ongoing controversies and challenges. Yaccarino was brought in to boost advertising revenue and ease the company’s heavy debt. During her leadership, she introduced new features such as a video tab and expanded fact-checking through X’s community notes.

Despite difficulties, X was on track to report its first annual advertising revenue growth since Musk’s 2022 acquisition, as some advertisers returned amid Musk’s increasing political influence, according to data from Emarketer.

Timeline of Key Events in X’s Evolution Post-Musk Acquisition:

  • April 2022: Musk offers $43 billion to acquire X, then known as Twitter.

  • May 2022: Musk pauses the deal over concerns about spam and fake accounts.

  • July 2022: Musk attempts to terminate the deal; Twitter sues Musk to enforce the merger.

  • October 2022: Musk completes acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion.

  • November 2022: Mass layoffs occur, including teams handling communications, content curation, and machine learning ethics.

  • May 2023: Linda Yaccarino, ex-NBCUniversal advertising chief, is named CEO to reverse ad revenue declines.

  • July 2023: Twitter is rebranded as X with a new logo, signaling Musk’s vision of an “everything app.”

  • November 2023: Musk endorses an antisemitic post on X, triggering a wave of advertiser departures.

  • August 2024: X sues the World Federation of Advertisers and major firms for an alleged unlawful boycott.

  • March 2025: Musk’s xAI acquires X in an all-stock deal valuing X at $33 billion.

  • July 2025: Yaccarino steps down as CEO without specifying reasons.

Yaccarino’s unexpected resignation closes a chapter marked by rapid transformation, political controversies, advertiser unrest, and strategic pivots as X continues its uncertain path under Musk’s ownership.

TikTok Developing New U.S. App Version Ahead of Expected Sale, Report Says

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TikTok is reportedly building a new version of its app for U.S. users in anticipation of a planned sale to a group of investors, according to a report by The Information on Sunday citing unnamed sources.

Summary:

  • New U.S. App Launch:
    TikTok aims to launch the new app on U.S. app stores by September 5. Users will eventually need to download this new version to continue accessing the service, although the current app is expected to function until March next year. This timeline may be subject to change.

  • Background on Sale:
    The move comes amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement last Friday that talks with China regarding a possible TikTok deal would begin early this week. Trump stated the U.S. “pretty much” has a deal in place for the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations.

  • Deadline Extension:
    Trump had extended ByteDance’s deadline to divest TikTok’s U.S. assets to September 17. Earlier efforts to spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a U.S.-based company majority-owned by American investors stalled after China expressed disapproval, partly due to escalating U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods.

  • Approval Needed:
    Trump acknowledged that any deal would likely require approval from China. TikTok and ByteDance have not commented on the report, and Reuters could not independently verify the information.

Trump Extends Deadline for US TikTok Sale to September

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U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday extended the deadline to September 17 for ByteDance, the China-based parent company of TikTok, to divest the app’s U.S. assets. This extension comes despite a law requiring the sale or shutdown of TikTok in the U.S. without significant progress.

Trump signed an executive order delaying the original deadline, which was set for Thursday, by 90 days—a move he had previously indicated.

The Republican president had already granted two extensions earlier, postponing enforcement of a law that mandated TikTok’s sale or shutdown by January, unless significant progress was made toward divestment.

Trump has expressed a desire to keep TikTok operational in the U.S., noting the app helped him gain young voters in the 2024 presidential election. He also voiced optimism that Chinese President Xi Jinping would approve a deal preserving TikTok’s presence in the U.S., although it is unclear how much the issue has been discussed amid ongoing tariff disputes between the two countries.

TikTok released a statement expressing gratitude for Trump’s support in keeping the app available. The company said it is continuing discussions with U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s office.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the extension provides “more time to make a good deal.” She added that legal experts at the White House and Department of Justice support the extension’s legality.

On Tuesday, Trump had indicated he would likely extend the deadline and expressed hope for China’s approval of the sale. “I think President Xi will ultimately approve it,” he said.

The 2024 law required TikTok to cease operations in the U.S. by January 19 unless ByteDance had divested U.S. assets or made substantial progress toward a sale. Trump, who began his second term on January 20, chose not to enforce the law and previously extended the deadline twice: once to early April and again last month to June 19.

Earlier this year, Trump offered to reduce tariffs on China to facilitate a deal for TikTok’s U.S. operations, which currently serve 170 million Americans. A planned deal would spin off TikTok’s U.S. business into a new company majority-owned by U.S. investors but was paused after China indicated it would not approve it amid tariff tensions.

Some Democratic lawmakers argue that Trump lacks legal authority to extend the deadline and question whether the proposed deal would comply with legal requirements.