X communications leader exits after three months
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X communications chief Dave Heinzinger has departed the company after three months citing personal reasons, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: X has seen a revolving door of communication leads as the company tries to attract advertisers amid brand safety concerns.
Catch up quick: Heinzinger joined X in December to help oversee the company's media strategy. His hiring came after the departure of Joe Benarroch, who led X's media and communications efforts until June.
- X head of global affairs, Nick Pickles, also left the company in September.
- Heinzinger has returned to his prior post at Haymaker, where he will serve as the PR firm's president.
What they're saying: "I can say that Linda is building one of the most impressive teams in the world. The influx of talent has been incredible, and the platform is stronger, more innovative and more consequential than ever," Heinzinger told Axios.
The big picture: Musk has historically chosen to downplay the role of corporate communications, opting instead to let his products speak for themselves while he plays the vocal, external voice of his brand.
- Musk dissolved Tesla's PR team in 2019.
- He got rid of the communications team at X, then Twitter, after buying the company in 2022. Before Benarroch was hired, Musk set up an automated email reply with a poop emoji to respond to all press inquiries.
Between the lines: CEO Linda Yaccarino has attempted to rebuild X's communications and marketing functions after Musk axed the two departments shortly after taking over the company.
- Former Hyundai chief marketing officer Angela Zepeda joined X in September to serve as its head of global marketing and X recently hired former Wall Street Journal editor John Stoll to lead its news partnerships division, even as the platform has deprioritized links and mainstream news.
Our thought bubble: X has made great strides in product since Musk took over, especially across features like video and personalization, but those updates are often only touted by company executives, including Musk, on X.
- Prior to Musk's takeover, Twitter used to receive ample coverage from the press about changes to its products, business and policies.
- The company would host dozens of events and press briefings every year to ensure its customers and business partners understood its value proposition and advertising opportunities.
- As a private company, Musk is not required to divulge as much about X's business and products as Twitter needed to when it was publicly traded. The lack of strategic press outreach at the company, while unusual, makes more sense given that context.
What to watch: Who Yaccarino taps next to fill the open communications role, if she decides to fill it.
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