Linda Yaccarino’s iPhone Home Screen showcased the absence of the X app, formerly Twitter, while rival platforms owned by Meta Platforms Inc. META, Facebook, and Instagram were featured prominently.
What Happened: During an interview at Vox Media’s Code 2023 conference, Yaccarino, the CEO of X, inadvertently offered a glimpse into her digital preferences.
As she unlocked her iPhone to discuss X’s vision, the screen became visible, and the X app was conspicuously absent.
Instead, her Home Screen featured icons for apps like Gmail, Signal and a selection of Apple’s native applications such as Messages, FaceTime, Wallet, Camera, and Calendar.
Most notably, Facebook and Instagram, owned by Meta, found places of prominence among her presumably frequently accessed apps.
She may have relocated the X app to the second page or placed it within the App Library, but it remains noteworthy that the app did not secure a spot on her primary Home Screen. It’s also highly likely that she has an exclusive employees-only beta app that’s buried deeper inside the app drawer.
This was first noticed by 9To5Mac.
Watch the complete interview here:
Why It’s Important: Since Elon Musk acquired the company for $44 billion in October 2022, X has been surrounded by controversies, including major layoffs, removing many positions.
In December, Musk conducted a pill on the platform and asked his followers, “Should I step down as head of Twitter?”
He promised to “abide” by the results of the poll.
After the poll, 57.5% voted in favor of Musk stepping down, and 42.5% voted he should stay on. The poll attracted nearly 17.4 million votes.
Musk said separately, “Those who want power are the ones who least deserve it.”
Meanwhile, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the ordeal of Musk’s Twitter acquisition reminded him of his old aspirations of building a similar platform, eventually leading to the launch of Threads, initially dubbed the “Twitter killer.”
The launch of Threads became the highlight of Musk-Zuckerberg rivalry this year, even leading to the prospect of a “cage match.”
For the unversed, Musk appointed former NBCUniversal executive Yaccarino as the CEO of X earlier this year. At the time, reports indicated that Yaccarino’s primary role would be to make Twitter profitable, considering her deep knowledge of the advertising world.
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Read Next: Elon Musk’s X Takes A Step Closer To ‘Everything App’ Goal As CEO Yaccarino Confirms Payment Feature
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