Latest / Elon Musk Podcast / The Future of X - Formerly known as Twitter App
Transcript
- 0:00Hi everybody, and welcome back to the Elon Musk podcast, where
- 0:03we unpack the complexities, controversies, and conversations
- 0:07shaping technology and society. And in this episode, we'll be
- 0:10examining the social media platform X, formerly known as
- 0:14Twitter. It's embattled CEO Linda
- 0:16Yocarino, and how this all ties back to Elon Musk.
- 0:20The story's making headlines, and not always for the best
- 0:23reasons. The media has often portrayed X
- 0:26as a sinking ship, especially after some intense public
- 0:29interviews and Elon Musk's own contentious posts.
- 0:34But is this narrative fair or even accurate?
- 0:38Might have seen Linda Yacarino's interviews at Code Conference in
- 0:41the first conference, where she defended her performance of the
- 0:45platform amidst A slew of critical questions and
- 0:48skepticisms. These public appearances have
- 0:50triggered debates about her credibility, her relationship
- 0:53with Elon Musk, and the future of the platform she's in charge
- 0:56of. So let's unpack the situation.
- 0:58We'll look into what Yakarino revealed about X's user
- 1:01engagement and revenue metrics, as well as the aftermath of our
- 1:05public interviews. Along the way, we'll tackle some
- 1:08key questions. Is X really a fading platform?
- 1:11How are corporate communications and public relations playing a
- 1:15role in shaping the perception of X?
- 1:17And finally, can X, under Yakarino's leadership and Elon
- 1:21Musk's ownership navigate through these turbulent waters?
- 1:26Linda Yakorino recently dropped some numbers during her
- 1:29interviews. This seemed to contradict the
- 1:31dying platform narrative. She mentioned that people are
- 1:34spending 14% more time on X. Video consumption has risen by
- 1:3920%. Quite interestingly, Gen.
- 1:42Z is the largest and fastest growing segment on the platform,
- 1:46with nearly 200 million people logging in per month now.
- 1:50What's more, Yakorino highlighted that the platform
- 1:53clocks around 100 billion impressions every day and sees
- 1:57about 500,000,000 posts. User signups have seen a 4% year
- 2:02over year increase. So while X may not be a TikTok
- 2:05or an Instagram, it's not exactly gasping for air either.
- 2:09And this leaves us Padre. Are the reports of X's demise
- 2:13exaggerated? Are the media and critics
- 2:15missing the forest for the trees now?
- 2:18Kathleen Schmidt, a veteran PR expert, criticize Yacarino for
- 2:21appearing uninformed and unprepared during her public
- 2:24interviews, particularly about Elon Musk's plan for X and the
- 2:29lack of coordination with communications.
- 2:31And the strategy became evident with Yakarino seemed unsure of
- 2:35Elon's ideas about transitioning the platform to a subscription
- 2:39based model. Jeffrey Knoff, A/C EO of Spartan
- 2:43Media and Kelsey Kittner of Red Banyan Crisis PR also weighed
- 2:48in. They mentioned the importance of
- 2:50being In Sync with the company's overreaching communication
- 2:52strategy, especially when working under a disruptive
- 2:55figure like Elon Musk. Now, according to them,
- 2:58Yakorino's performance indicated that the messaging between Elon
- 3:03and herself needs to be aligned. However, it's worth mentioning
- 3:06that Yakorino is relatively new to the role.
- 3:09With just 12 weeks under her belt, The Post interview
- 3:13backlash Lindy Yakorino underscores a critical issue.
- 3:16There is clearly a gap of communication between both Ex
- 3:20and Elon Musk, and when it comes to the public perception, she
- 3:24may be on a different page and critics latched onto Yacarino
- 3:28stumbles during the interview as evidence of her inability to run
- 3:31the company. However, it's worth considering
- 3:34the role of a clear and cohesive internal communication strategy,
- 3:38or the lack thereof, in shaping her responses.
- 3:42An unaligned communication plan may have been the reason she was
- 3:46left floundering during the interview, but no concrete
- 3:49answers to provide. While Linda Yakorino seem less
- 3:52than prepared, it's worth noting that being a CEO under Elon
- 3:55Musk's ownership is no simple task.
- 3:57He's known for thinking outside the box and pushing the envelope
- 4:01and doing some crazy things. Sometimes this creates A dynamic
- 4:04and sometimes volatile environment where aligning
- 4:07corporate messages and strategic decisions can be like hitting a
- 4:10moving target. And Yakorino may have had
- 4:13limited insight into upcoming changes and strategies which
- 4:16made her seem unresponsive and inadequate during the interview.
- 4:22Another layer to this discussion is Jacarino's relatively short
- 4:24tenure at the helm. She's been in the CEO position
- 4:27for about 12 weeks now. The critics argue that
- 4:30sufficient time to have a grip on the company's operations in
- 4:33future direction. It's not that much now, however.
- 4:37It's also fair to say that three months isn't a long time to
- 4:39absorb the intricacies and multifaceted platform like X,
- 4:43especially one that's seeing its metrics fluctuate and its public
- 4:47image in constant flux. And the key take away here is
- 4:51that Linda Yocarino's performance raised eyebrows.
- 4:54It might be symptomatic of larger issues with an X rather
- 4:57than a personal failing on her part.
- 4:59If the communication channels were unclear or misaligned, it
- 5:02would have been difficult for her or anyone else in her
- 5:05position to present a unified front.
- 5:07And this suggests that as much as leadership qualities are
- 5:10essential, the systems in place for clear and consistent
- 5:13communication with the company are equally critical for its
- 5:17success in its public perception.
- 5:19Now, what is next for X? Despite these setbacks, it's
- 5:24important to remember that turning around a platform like X
- 5:27is not an overnight job. It's not going to happen within
- 5:29a week or so. With a polarized public
- 5:32perception in a turbulent media environment, the road ahead for
- 5:35X in Yacorino is undeniably challenging.
- 5:38But this journey also offers unique opportunities for
- 5:41innovation and growth, especially considering the
- 5:44numbers Yacorino presented. It's worth mentioning that Elon
- 5:47Musk is not one to focus on shortterm bumps.
- 5:51If Yacorino can get her communication strategy In Sync
- 5:54with Elon's, and if the platform continues to grow as her metrics
- 5:58suggest, then perhaps the critics will have to reevaluate
- 6:01their stances. Maybe, just maybe, X will prove
- 6:05to be more resilient than some people think.
- 6:08I thank you so much for tuning into the Elon Musk podcast
- 6:10today. If you found this episode
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- 6:21tremendously. So thank you for doing that.
- 6:23And until next time, please take care of yourselves and each
- 6:26other and I'll see you in the next one.