Twitter CEO breaks silence on Musk’s drastic changes

Linda Yaccarino has made her first public comments since the weekend, which some say marked the beginning of the end for Twitter.

Twitter’s new chief executive has broken silence on the company’s recent temporary cap, as user frustration with the limits intensifies.

In her first public comments since the limits announced by Twitter owner Elon Musk on the weekend, Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino wrote, “When you have a mission like Twitter – you need to make big moves to keep strengthening the platform. This work is meaningful and ongoing.”

When you have a mission like Twitter -- you need to make big moves to keep strengthening the platform. This work is meaningful and on-going. Here’s more insight on our work to ensure the authenticity of our user base. 👇 https://t.co/5FzBa3636Z

— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayacc) July 4, 2023

Ms Yaccarino linked to a Twitter blog post in which the company explained it temporarily limited usage to “detect and eliminate bots and other bad actors that are harming the platform.”

“Currently, the restrictions affect a small percentage of people using the platform, and we will provide an update when the work is complete. As it relates to our customers, effects on advertising have been minimal,” the blog post reads.

“At times, even for a brief moment, you must slow down to speed up.”

Mr Musk hired Ms Yaccarino, a former NBCUniversal executive, just over a month ago in a bid to repair relationships with advertisers after Mr Musk’s takeover led to an exodus.

It comes as tech giant Meta prepares to launch Twitter rival – Threads – with the app appearing in Apple’s App Store in Australia ahead of a likely launch on Friday. A Threads website has also been launched, with a countdown timer running until 12.01am Friday AEST.

Much like Twitter, Threads is expected to allow its users to share text-based posts that can be liked, shared and commented on, according to the App Store listing.

“Say more with Threads — Instagram’s text-based conversation app,” the Threads App Store description reads.

“Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow.

“Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favourite creators and others who love the same things — or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world.”

Twitter’s Australia office could not be contacted for comment.