X, the social media company formerly known as Twitter, announced on Monday that its owner, Elon Musk, will be taking a more hands-on role within the organization. Musk will now lead X’s product and engineering teams, a decision that comes after the recent rebranding of the platform as “X.” Concurrently, the Chief Executive Officer, Linda Yaccarino, will oversee all other divisions, including human resources, legal, finance, sales, and operations.
However, the most notable change is the joint responsibility of both Musk and Yaccarino to oversee the trust and safety team, which is primarily responsible for content moderation. This development comes in the wake of criticism faced by X’s trust and safety department following Musk’s acquisition of the platform in October last year. Researchers and critics accused X of relaxing content restrictions, leading to an increase in harmful posts. Despite the controversy, the company maintained that the majority of content views were still of “healthy” posts.
X’s rebranding, which included the replacement of the iconic blue bird logo with a more futuristic “X” and placing a large “X” on top of Twitter’s headquarters, has stunned people worldwide. The new reporting structure signifies Musk and Yaccarino’s shared commitment to ensuring a safe and well-functioning environment within the organization.
In response to the challenges faced by the trust and safety team, CEO Linda Yaccarino addressed X employees in an email, stating that the company is actively seeking a new leader to oversee brand safety and suitability. This move comes after the departure of the former head of brand safety, A.J. Brown, who was instrumental in preventing advertisements from appearing next to inappropriate content.
Yaccarino revealed in the email that three X leaders would be assuming various responsibilities within the trust and safety division. These responsibilities will include law enforcement operations and addressing potential threats. This restructuring aims to reinforce X’s commitment to tackling content moderation issues and ensuring the platform remains a safe space for users.
With the appointment of Elon Musk to lead the product and engineering teams, X seems to be looking toward innovation and technical improvements. His vision and expertise in the technology industry could potentially pave the way for new features and functionalities on the platform.
Meanwhile, the focus on content moderation and safety under the joint oversight of Musk and Yaccarino demonstrates the company’s acknowledgment of the challenges it faces in maintaining a healthy online environment. X will undoubtedly need to strike a delicate balance between allowing free expression and curbing harmful content, a challenge that many social media platforms grapple with in the age of misinformation and harmful online behavior.
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