Newly appointed Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino risks the glass cliff
- Hope King, author of Axios Closer
Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios
Elon Musk vaulted Linda Yaccarino into one of the most visible leadership positions in the world Friday when he named her Twitter's new CEO.
Why it matters: While the appointment of the former NBCUniversal ad chief reflects continued progress in gender representation at the corporate top, experts also see the move as thrusting another woman onto a "glass cliff."
Context: Similar to the "glass ceiling," a metaphor for the invisible social barrier that limits women's upward mobility, the glass cliff is a metaphor for women and other underrepresented groups being asked to transform a faltering firm — facing a high likelihood of failure.
- An oft-cited study in the Harvard Business Review reveals that women are preferred to take over when a male-led company is in crisis.
State of play: Yaccarino is inheriting a company that's shed roughly 80% of its workers since Musk took over last October.
- Outages, user discontent and advertiser skepticism have plagued the platform since.
The other side: It takes a great deal of cynicism to believe that Musk set it up to prove that women can’t lead, Jennifer Chatman, professor of management at the Haas School of Business, tells Axios.
- After all, Musk has taken the risk himself, Chatman adds.
What to watch: How dominant Musk will remain, while he works on product design and new technology. Yaccarino will be responsible for business operations primarily.
- “She should get out quick” if Musk remains dominant, says Chatman.
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