Linda Yaccarino is leaving X • Hacker News Board

Re: Linda Yaccarino is leaving X

#861

Post by emodendroket » Thu, Jul 10, 2025, 2:13 PM UTC

makeitdouble wrote: post #501

zero_shift wrote: post #459

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I cannot see how it was a success. 1. He overpaid by tens of billions. That is a phenomenal amount of money to lose on an unforced error. 2. Enough users, who produce enough content, have left to make X increasingly a forum for porn bots, scam accounts and political activists. It's losing its appeal as the place "where the news happens" and is instead becoming more niche. 3. The firings did not go well. X has struggl…

Most people were betting on X going under in some way or another within a year. From that POV, it's survival in itself can be seen a success for Musk. I'm genuinely surprised at the amount of people that stuck to it.

I don’t think most people were betting that or if they were they weren’t thinking that hard about it. Musk can run a money loser as a hobby if he likes.

Re: Linda Yaccarino is leaving X

#862

Post by Dwolb » Thu, Jul 10, 2025, 2:14 PM UTC

Aurornis wrote: post #847

hakanderyal wrote: post #406

Interesting nobody has mentioned Nikita. X has hired Nikita Bier, of Gas and tbh fame ( https://x.com/nikitabier ), as head of product some days ago. He posted a meme earlier today which may or may not be related to this.

I’m kind of fascinated by Nikita’s popularity. Normally if you told a tech community like Hacker News that someone marketed viral phone apps targeting teenagers, engineered app engagement mechanics targeting kids, and openly used every growth hacking trick in the book to manipulate App Store charts, it would seem like a checklist of things people get angry about here. Yet because he’s Twitter-famous and seems like a…

His work may be unsavory, but he's good at his craft.

Frank Abagnale committed financial crimes and had a wildly popular movie made from his story.

Re: Linda Yaccarino is leaving X

#863

Post by lowsong » Thu, Jul 10, 2025, 2:14 PM UTC

martinpw wrote: post #497

The Economist always comes up with good tag lines for stories. In this case: Linda Yaccarino goes from X CEO to ex-CEO. https://www.economist.com/business/2025/07/09/linda-yaccarin...

Unfortunately the Economist has shifted from "center right" to "far right" over the past few years, along with a general decline in reporting quality.

Re: Linda Yaccarino is leaving X

#864

Post by hypeatei » Thu, Jul 10, 2025, 2:14 PM UTC

collyw wrote: post #743

rejekt wrote: post #552

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon for his son for any crimes during a 10 year period 2014-2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3dx9n3m9y2o He later pardoned other family members and political allies.

And Fauci. Why would he do that?

Because the new administration promised an unhinged DOJ. Biden was already vindicated in these pardons once Trump dropped legitimate charges against Eric Adams to try and further his political agenda. That and arresting judges, starting political witch hunts, etc...

Re: Linda Yaccarino is leaving X

#865

Post by ecb_penguin » Thu, Jul 10, 2025, 2:18 PM UTC

Dwolb wrote: post #862

Aurornis wrote: post #847

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m kind of fascinated by Nikita’s popularity. Normally if you told a tech community like Hacker News that someone marketed viral phone apps targeting teenagers, engineered app engagement mechanics targeting kids, and openly used every growth hacking trick in the book to manipulate App Store charts, it would seem like a checklist of things people get angry about here. Yet because he’s Twitter-famous and seems like a…

His work may be unsavory, but he's good at his craft. Frank Abagnale committed financial crimes and had a wildly popular movie made from his story.

> Frank Abagnale committed financial crimes and had a wildly popular movie made from his story.

People are talking about Nikita Bier, not a movie about Nikita Bier.

You can be hated and reviled, and media about you can still be popular.

Re: Linda Yaccarino is leaving X

#866

Post by philipallstar » Thu, Jul 10, 2025, 2:20 PM UTC

delusional wrote: post #118

philipallstar wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> we know exactly what happened The price of certainty is inaccuracy.

So the only way to be accurate is to vaguely gesture at hodgepodge theories and suggestions that people "do their own research"? Surely you can be both accurate and certain, otherwise you should just shut up and be right all the time.

> So the only way to be accurate is to vaguely gesture at hodgepodge theories and suggestions that people "do their own research"?

Yours was a hodgepodge theory. That's why I said that. I was advocating against hodgepodge theories in general, and yours in particular.

Re: Linda Yaccarino is leaving X

#867

Post by CydeWeys » Thu, Jul 10, 2025, 2:21 PM UTC

Dwolb wrote: post #862

Aurornis wrote: post #847

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m kind of fascinated by Nikita’s popularity. Normally if you told a tech community like Hacker News that someone marketed viral phone apps targeting teenagers, engineered app engagement mechanics targeting kids, and openly used every growth hacking trick in the book to manipulate App Store charts, it would seem like a checklist of things people get angry about here. Yet because he’s Twitter-famous and seems like a…

His work may be unsavory, but he's good at his craft. Frank Abagnale committed financial crimes and had a wildly popular movie made from his story.

Ironically, most of his stories were blowing smoke. He wasn't actually nearly as successful at any of that as he was at making up stories and convincing everyone how successful he had been at it. When dealing with a con artist, rule number one is believe nothing they say, certainly not about what they've done!

Re: Linda Yaccarino is leaving X

#868

Post by Cabal » Thu, Jul 10, 2025, 2:22 PM UTC

lowsong wrote: post #863

martinpw wrote: post #497

The Economist always comes up with good tag lines for stories. In this case: Linda Yaccarino goes from X CEO to ex-CEO. https://www.economist.com/business/2025/07/09/linda-yaccarin...

Unfortunately the Economist has shifted from "center right" to "far right" over the past few years, along with a general decline in reporting quality.

Doesn't seem like it. From the Economist's front page as I type this:

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/07/03/trumponomics-20...

Re: Linda Yaccarino is leaving X

#869

Post by CydeWeys » Thu, Jul 10, 2025, 2:23 PM UTC

nikolayasdf123 wrote: post #816

ads.x.com is the worst platform to run ads. not surprised

I curate a relatively tame Twitter feed, but X has been showing me animated advertisements of some fleshlight-like device going to town on a dildo. W. T. A. F.

It's started making me worried that I can't even use the app in a place where anyone else is, lest someone shoulder surf that and wonder WTF I'm looking at.

Re: Linda Yaccarino is leaving X

#870

Post by dinkumthinkum » Thu, Jul 10, 2025, 2:24 PM UTC

Dwolb wrote: post #862

Aurornis wrote: post #847

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m kind of fascinated by Nikita’s popularity. Normally if you told a tech community like Hacker News that someone marketed viral phone apps targeting teenagers, engineered app engagement mechanics targeting kids, and openly used every growth hacking trick in the book to manipulate App Store charts, it would seem like a checklist of things people get angry about here. Yet because he’s Twitter-famous and seems like a…

His work may be unsavory, but he's good at his craft. Frank Abagnale committed financial crimes and had a wildly popular movie made from his story.

I have a suspicion some people might draw a distinction between financial crimes and exploiting children. I don't have a dataset for this at the moment but that is my suspicion.