X CEO Linda Yaccarino defends Elon Musk, and herself, at Code 2023

Decoder with Nilay Patel

Vox Media Podcast Network

Technology, Business

4.3 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 29 September 2023

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today, we have a special episode for you. The Code Conference wrapped up this week, and the finale included a rare interview from my Code co-host and CNBC correspondent Julia Boorstin with X CEO Linda Yaccarino. To say the sit-down with Elon Musk’s No. 2 was confrontational would be an understatement. Yaccarino appeared both unprepared to answer tough questions and very combative, especially when asked about comments from former trust and safety head Yoel Roth, who’s become an outspoken critic of the direction of the company since Elon took over. Roth spoke onstage at Code with Kara Swisher just an hour before, where he warned Yaccarino of the risks of the job and spoke about the extreme harassment he’s faced since leaving the company. Yaccarino also gave us some updated stats on X user metrics and claimed the company would turn a profit in 2024. And of course, there were some very terse exchanges concerning whether Elon really plans to start charging a subscription fee to use the platform, if he seriously plans to sue the Anti-Defamation League, and the company’s recent cuts to its election integrity team. It’s a jaw-dropping interview, and you really have to listen to the whole thing. Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt. It was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Producer is Eleanor Donovan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The era of automotive advances with the all-electric Polestar 2.
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0:13.6	technology, experienced awe-inspiring performance combined with luxury design as standard.
0:20.5	The time is now, the all-electric Polestar 2.
0:24.6	Book a test drive in order today at Polestar.com
0:31.0	Hello and welcome to Decoder.
0:33.0	I'm Neil Appetale, Editor-in-Chief of the Verge.
0:35.0	Andy Coder is my show about big ideas and other problems.
0:39.0	We have a special episode for you today.
0:41.0	I'm the honest.
0:42.0	It's mostly problems.
0:43.0	The code conference wrapped up this week in a finale was the first-ever interview with ex-CEO
0:48.0	with a yakarina.
0:49.0	The interview was conducted by Julia Borschtuk from CNBC, who was my co-host at code.
0:54.0	And to say the sit-down with Elon Musk's number two was confrontational.
0:59.0	It would be an understatement.
1:00.0	Yakarina appeared both unprepared to answer tough questions, and was pretty combative,
1:05.0	especially when she was asked about comments from Twitter's former trust in safety head Yul Roth,
1:09.0	who's become an outspoken critic of the direction of the company since Elon took over.
1:13.0	Roth had just been on stage an hour earlier at code with Kara Swisher,
1:17.0	and he had warned Yakarina of the risks of the job she was in, and spoke at length
1:22.0	about the extreme harassment he's faced since leaving the company.
	...

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