NBCUniversal's head of advertising Linda Yaccarino 'in talks to become the new ... trends now

The head of advertising for NBCUniversal is in talks to be the new CEO of Twitter, it was reported on Thursday - hours after Elon Musk announced he had hired a woman for the role, without naming her.

Musk, who bought Twitter in October 2022, tweeted: 'Excited to announce that I've a new CEO for X/Twitter. She will be starting in ~6 weeks! 

'My role will transition to being exec chair & CTO (chief technology officer), overseeing product, software & sysops.'

Musk has not yet revealed the identity of his new CEO. He has slashed around 70 percent of Twitter's staff since buying the firm for $44 billion, including its entire executive team.

On Thursday evening, The Wall Street Journal reported that Linda Yaccarino is in talks to become the new CEO.

Yaccarino currently works as chair of global advertising and partnerships at NBCU, has been with NBCU for more than a decade. 

Yaccarino has played a pivotal role in calling for more effect advertising. 

She played a central role in the launch of NBCU's ad-supported Peacock streaming service. 

Yaccarino and Musk have not commented on The Wall Street Journal's report. 

An NBCU spokesman told the paper that Yaccarino is busy preparing a presentation to advertisers. 

Musk is also the CEO of Tesla and rocket maker SpaceX.

Immediately following the announcement, Tesla's shares jumped more than 2 percent, in a sign that investors were pleased about the move. 

A group of shareholders publicly urged the board in April to ensure that Musk dedicated more time to the company. 

The letter said they had become 'increasingly concerned with governance and leadership issues at the company.'

When Musk took over Twitter on October 28, he immediately made his mark - but his tenure has not been without controversy.

Changes such as the Twitter Blue subscription and bringing back previously banned users to the platform have been met with widespread backlash.