Linda Yaccarino is no longer the CEO of social media platform X, only the latest top Elon Musk lieutenant to part ways with his business empire as his personal and professional lives become increasingly chaotic.
“After two incredible years, I’ve decided to step down as CEO of 𝕏,” Yaccarino wrote on X Wednesday. “When @elonmusk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry out the extraordinary mission of this company. I’m immensely grateful to him for entrusting me with the responsibility of protecting free speech, turning the company around, and transforming X into the Everything App.”
Yaccarino joined X in June of 2023, and was at the company for two years. She joined X after decades in the media and advertising industry, with long stints at NBC and Turner Broadcasting System. Former colleagues previously told Fortune that she stood out as a gritty executive who was adept at managing difficult clients and “stood up to a lot of misogyny.”
It’s not clear why Yaccarino is departing X, although the social media platform has certainly had its share of troubles since Musk took over. Many users have left the platform since Musk took over in 2022, and competitors like Bluesky have become more popular over the past year. Just this week, a chatbot released by Elon Musk’s AI company called Grok shared anti-Semitic posts on X. The chatbot’s account on X later posted: “We are aware of recent posts made by Grok and are actively working to remove the inappropriate posts.”
Yaccarino, however, is only the latest high-profile Musk lieutenant to step away from his business empire over the past several months, which have been particularly volatile. These are the other Musk lieutenants who have recently parted ways with the mogul.
Omead Afshar, former head of sales in North America and Europe at Tesla
Departure: June 2025
A former top aide to Musk, Afshar left Tesla last month. He ran sales and operations in North America and Europe, but was also seen as a proxy for Musk when he was away from the company, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Jenna Ferrua, former director of HR at Tesla
Departure: June 2025
Ferrua reportedly left Tesla last month after spending seven years at the carmaker. Her LinkedIn profile does not reflect any change in her employment status.
Milan Kovac, ex-head of the Optimus humanoid robot team at Tesla
Departure: June 2025
Kovac was “the brains behind CEO Elon Musk’s trillion-dollar dream of a robot future,” Fortune wrote when the executive announced he was leaving Tesla last month. Kovac, who worked at Tesla for nine years, said he was going to spend time with his family.
Vineet Mehta, former head of battery architecture at Tesla
Departure: May 2025
The former 18-year Tesla veteran recently left the company of his own accord, he wrote on LinkedIn, though his departure came as a surprise to many.
Mark Westfall, former head of mechanical engineering at Tesla Energy
Departure: April 2025
Westfall spent a decade at Tesla before leaving three months ago. “It’s hard to put into words what Tesla has meant to me—I never imagined the places this job would take me, or the impact I would be able to have,” he wrote in his departure post on LinkedIn. He’s now the director of engineering at Redwood Materials.
Brett Weitz, former global head of content, talent, and brand sales at X
Departure: June 2025
Weitz called his time at X “one hell of a ride” when he acknowledged his departure on LinkedIn last month. The veteran media executive had previously worked at WarnerMedia and Turner before joining X in 2023. Deadline reported that Weitz had spearheaded X’s Originals documentary-style video series and launched video podcasts, including Khloé Kardashian’s Khloé in Wonder Land.
David Lau, former vice president of software engineering at Tesla
Departure: April 2025
Lau’s reported departure earlier this year was described as “abrupt.” He had worked at the EV maker for 12 years. Lau has been credited with changing the way software was managed inside cars after he pioneered a superior experience for the user at Tesla.
Dave Heinzinger, former head of media strategy at X
Departure: March 2025
Heinzinger’s term at X could be measured in “Scaramuccis.” The ex-head of media strategy lasted four months in the role before resigning for personal reasons in March. In an interview with Axios, he praised Yaccarino’s knack for recruiting top talent on his way out the door. “I can say that Linda is building one of the most impressive teams in the world. The influx of talent has been incredible, and the platform is stronger, more innovative, and more consequential than ever,” he said. He’s now the president of Haymaker Group, a PR firm in New York where he had worked for six years before jumping to X.
Haofei Wang, former head of product engineering at X
Departure: March 2025
Wang, who joined Twitter in July 2021, left X in March for unknown reasons, according to The Verge. (Wang’s LinkedIn profile still states that he is an employee at X.) Like others on this list, Wang worked closely with Musk, and reportedly acted as buffer and communication conduit between Musk and the engineering department. Before joining the social media site, he was vice president of engineering at the streamer Tubi.
Tom Ochinero, former vice president of commercial business at SpaceX
Departure: February 2024
A former VP at Musk’s space company, Ochinero is one of very few high-level executives to leave SpaceX. He’s now the chair and founding partner of an early-stage investment group.
Nick Pickles, former vice president of global affairs at X
Departure: September 2024
Pickles, a top spokesperson for X, left the company last September after a decade working in public policy roles at Twitter and X. “The constant across my time at Twitter and X has been the amazing people I’ve worked with inside and outside the company,” he wrote on X the day he stepped down. He’s now the chief policy officer of Tools for Humanity, according to his LinkedIn.
Renato Leite Monteiro, former global data protection officer at X
Departure: September 2024
Monteiro was among the holdovers from X’s Twitter years who stayed at the social media site after Musk took over. The former professor of law and data privacy was hired by Twitter in 2020, and initially worked for the company in Brazil before relocating to Ireland. He quit last September to take some “personal time off,” he wrote on LinkedIn. Five months ago, he became the vice president for legal assurance at e&, a technology and investment group in Abu Dhabi.
David Zhang, former roadster and next-generation vehicle program manager at Tesla
Departure: July 2024
Zhang, the manager behind Tesla’s Model S and Cybertruck, joined Tesla in 2015. He left in July 2024, and acknowledged his departure on LinkedIn months later, writing, “Thank you and (belated) farewell, Tesla. It has been a privilege and an honor to have devoted myself to the mission.”
Joe Benarroch, former head of operations at X
Departure: June 2024
Considered Yaccarino’s top lieutenant, Benarroch resigned from the social media site in early June of 2024, after spending one year and one month at the company. The executive’s LinkedIn profile states that Yaccarino recruited Benarroch from NBCUniversal. At X, he was put in charge of restructuring the organization following mass layoffs. Benarroch also handled corporate communications for X. Benarroch is now the head of content, media partnerships, and distribution at the NYSE.
