Twitter users have accused Elon Musk of “selling out” after another video surfaced showing the social media platform’s new CEO campaigning for pro-mask and pro-vaccine initiatives.
Musk was also forced to defend new Twitter boss Linda Yaccarino after a separate video showed her addressing the possibility of giving advertisers leverage over the platform’s content.
“I hear your concerns, but don’t judge too soon,” Musk said. “I am fully committed to defending free speech, even if it means losing money.”
Yaccarino touted widespread mask requirements to combat the pandemic in widely shared footage, saying, “Just keep your distance, wash your hands often, get tested often, and wear your mask.”
Linda Yaccarino, pictured in September 2016, was severely criticized after footage of her earlier statements about freedom of expression and vaccines came to light
Before taking on the role of CEO of Twitter, Yaccarino was chairman of global advertising at NBC Universal for 11 years.
And her commitment to free speech rather than to what advertisers want was called into question when footage of her interview with Musk surfaced a month before news of her appointment was announced.
The media executive encouraged Musk to allow for the return of an “influence council,” which would allow advertisers to have more influence over content on Twitter.
The advertising exec said the panel was “very popular” and represented a “feedback loop from your key stakeholders” while trying to persuade Musk to commit to reinstating the panel.
“You have a huge platform, you have a vision that is a spectrum of open source conversations every day, and they can live their life, their business, their commerce and everything they can do on your platform,” she said .
“But there should be advertising opportunities in the middle – that sounds like a great opportunity.”
Elon Musk dismissed Yaccarino’s encouragement to give advertisers more leverage over Twitter’s content
Musk defended Yaccarino the same day she was hired, urging backers not to “judge too soon.”
The NEW CEO of Twitter?
Linda Yaccarino, a potential new CEO of Twitter, is an executive at NBC Universal and holds a position at the World Economic Forum.
Last month, during an interview, Yaccarino encouraged Elon to give advertisers leverage over the… pic.twitter.com/zaTBDlJRbr
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 12, 2023
However, Yaccarino’s urging of Musk to increase the influence of advertisers on the platform was quickly fought by the billionaire.
“If I said yes, you can influence me, that would be wrong.” “That would be a restriction on freedom of expression,” he said.
After Yaccarino asked Musk how the company can help advertisers monetize the platform, he again declined, saying censoring certain content is “not cool.”
“I think it’s super cool to say that you want your ads to appear in certain places on Twitter and not others,” he continued.
“But it’s not cool to say what Twitter is going to do, and if that means we lose ad dollars, we lose it.” But freedom of expression is paramount.”
In addition to her role at NBC Universal, Yaccarino also chaired the World Economic Forum’s Future of Labor taskforce and worked with the Biden administration as chair of the Ad Council to advance the rollout of the COVID vaccine.
Yaccarino previously served as chair of the Ad Council, where she worked with the Biden administration to advance the rollout of the COVID vaccine
Musk (left) declined to be questioned by Yaccarino (right), who promoted advertising control over Twitter content
In the latter role, she frequently reiterated her support for mask and vaccination regulations, including in a November 2020 tweet urging people to get vaccinated, which was first released to the public a month later.
She said, “Know the facts!” The @AdCouncil is working to educate Americans on why we need to introduce an FDA-approved Covid vaccine and how to go about it.
“We’re almost there, let’s cross the finish line.”
Snapshots of Yaccarino’s earlier remarks were quickly slammed by Twitter users who criticized her stance.
One commenter said her pro-mask clip was “terrifying,” while another said, “If that’s true, I might delete my account forever and say goodbye to Elon Musk for good.”
“Disaster for Twitter,” added another.
Activist “Billboard Chris” also said that Yaccarino was a “long-term mistake,” to which Musk responded directly by urging people not to “judgment too soon.”