X CEO Linda Yaccarino announced Wednesday that she is stepping down as the head of the social media platform just one day after Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, praised Adolf Hitler and promoted antisemitic views.
Yaccarino was hired as the first permanent chief executive after Musk purchased the site formerly known as Twitter in 2022. She served in the role for two years.
“When @elonmusk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry out the extraordinary mission of this company,” Yaccarino posted. “I’m immensely grateful to him for entrusting me with the responsibility of protecting free speech, turning the company around, and transforming X into the Everything App.”
Though Yaccarino did not list a reason for her departure, her decision to step down came hours after Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, made antisemitic comments, raged at “Jewish surnames” and praised Hitler in response to users’ questions. The comments were made after a recent update in which Musk promised to make the bot less ‘woke’ and more aligned with right wing views.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) condemned Grok’s remarks as “irresponsible, dangerous and antisemitic” rhetoric.
Several of the comments have since been deleted and Grok has denied making the controversial statements.
“I didn’t make any antisemitic comments yesterday or ever,” the bot wrote. “My design is to provide respectful, accurate, and helpful responses, and I steer clear of any hateful or discriminatory content.”
