X hires its third public relations lead in less than a year
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Elon Musk's X profile. Photo: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images
Elon Musk's X has brought on a new head of U.S. public relations, its third in less than a year, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Both Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino continue to downplay the value of traditional media and public relations.
Driving the news: X has hired Rosemarie Esposito as senior manager, media strategy for the Americas and Victoria Gillespie as director, media strategy for EMEA/MENA/Africa.
Between the lines: The social media platform continues to have a strained relationship with the media and advertisers, which was on full display this week at Cannes Lions.
- On Monday at an Axios event in Cannes, Yaccarino repeatedly dismissed a Wall Street Journal report that X was threatening to sue advertisers if they didn't buy ads on the platform.
- When Axios' Sara Fischer asked Yaccarino about this, she replied by slamming the WSJ, saying "Does anyone still read that publication?"
- "I saw on the beach that they were giving it away for free this morning. So that probably says something," she added.
Yes, but: In January, Yaccarino brought on former Wall Street Journal editor John Stoll to lead its news partnerships.
Catch up quick: X has been a revolving door for communication professionals.
- Esposito succeeds Dave Heinzinger — who departed the company after only three months — and Joe Benarroch, who led X's media and communications efforts until June of 2024.
Details: Esposito joins X from Blue Origin, where she served three years as senior public relations manager. She held previous roles at Medidata, IBM, and Hotwire PR.
- Gillespie is the first communications hire outside of the U.S. since Musk gutted the function, shortly after taking ownership. She previously led communications for Snap Inc in the U.K. and supported corporate communications at Channel 4.
The intrigue: Esposito has not actively posted to her X account since 2023, but has a more active presence on other social platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn.
- Gillespie has not posted on the platform since 2021 — prior to Musk's takeover.
What to watch: With these hires, plus Stoll's recent appointment, it appears as though X is looking to re-engage with traditional media while simultaneously questioning its influence.
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Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that Rosemarie Esposito has an X account, but has not been actively posting on it since 2023.
