John Nitti, who held the position of X’s advertising chief for only ten months, has left the company, according to a report by the Financial Times. Nitti, initially hired as the global head of revenue operations and advertising innovation, was seen as a potential successor to former CEO Linda Yaccarino, who stepped down in July. His departure is part of a series of high-level exits from Elon Musk’s executive team, with X’s CFO Mahmoud Reza Banki leaving in October after a brief tenure, and xAI’s CFO and general counsel departing earlier in the summer.
Sources suggest that the revolving door of executives at X reflects underlying tensions within the company. Executives are reportedly displeased with Musk’s sudden strategic changes and unilateral decision-making, such as the decision to ban hashtags from advertising without consulting the advertising team first. The pressure on advertising leadership has intensified as Musk invests heavily in AI development to rival OpenAI and DeepMind.
While some brands have returned to work with X, others have expressed frustration, feeling compelled to advertise after X took legal action against companies like Shell and Pinterest for alleged boycotts. Prior to his role at X, Nitti had a significant tenure at Verizon and American Express.
Source: TechCrunch