Is Linda Yaccarino Real-Life Tom Wambsgans?
If you haven’t heard of Succession, you absolutely must watch it. And if you’re already familiar with it, then you absolutely must read this article, as spoilers won’t put you off.
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On May 12th, Elon Musk tweeted the name of the new CEO of Twitter. It turned out to be Linda Yaccarino, a former advertising guru at NBCUniversal with decades of experience.
The choice surprised many, given that there were many other candidates, often deemed as preferred ones, such as Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and former adviser.
And yet it was she who outmaneuvered others to accede to the “Twitter throne.”
In response to the appointment, Yaccarino thanked Musk, adding, “Let’s keep the conversation going and build Twitter 2.0 together!”
Although her audience has grown by around 100 thousand users since her appointment in May, most of her tweets contain general information about the need to turn Twitter into 2.0. For example, “The success of Twitter 2.0 is all of our responsibility. We need to think big. We need to transform. We need to do it all together.”
It is challenging to ascertain who “we” refers to in Yaccarino's tweet. However, it is quite evident that, despite being the CEO of Twitter, she is somewhat overshadowed by her predecessor and owner, Elon Musk.
If the devil is in the details, then Yaccarino’s Twitter bio is a good example of what that means, as it doesn’t mention that she’s the social media company’s CEO—quite a strange circumstance given the importance of the position.
Linda Yaccarino’s Twitter handle. Source: Twitter
Even though she does, from time to time, make announcements that show her participation in business affairs, it is not she who is posting any of the seriously grand announcements. For example, Twitter’s recent decision to cap the number of tweets available to different users goes against its strategy of ad growth and Twitter 2.0.
It also seems as if she is more engaged in tackling the not-so-alluring problems faced by Twitter than Musk. For example, when Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for Internal Market, traveled to San Francisco to discuss Twitter’s readiness to undergo a “stress test” to prepare for the EU Digital Services Act, Musk was only present online at the meeting.
Given the importance of that meeting, as Twitter faces real problems in the EU, it would make sense for him to be there. However, it was Yaccarino who later posted a pic with Breton, writing that Europe is very important to Twitter and “we’re focused on our continued partnership.”
Linda Yaccarino’s tweet. Source: Yaccarino’s Twitter handle
By now, Succession fans will have understood which similarities I’m trying to point out in the Musk-Yaccarino duo, i.e., that of Lukas Mattsson and a mix of Shiobhan Roy and her husband Tom Wambsgans.
Mattsson, a manipulative, power-hungry billionaire, looks to purchase Waystar Royco and needs an American CEO. To do that, he first tries to get Shiobhan Roy, one of the four children whose father created Waystar Royco, on his side and appoints her as CEO.
Later, however, he opts for her close-to-estranged husband, Tom Wambsgans. All thanks to his effective promise to fully obey him and be his “pain sponge.”
Lukas Mattsson and Tom Wambsgans during the final dinner when Wambsgans got the job. Source: HBO
Or, as in Tom’s words: “So, yeah, as a manager, I think, you know, I’m – I’m simple. You know I squeeze the costs and juice the revenue. Follow the boss. ” I’m a grinder. I grind because I worry. I worry all night about everything.”
The impression received thus far is that even if Yaccarino isn’t as obscenely subordinate as Wambsgans, who pretended he was alright with Mattsson’s idea to be intimate with his wife, she seems to be sidelined in the process, with Musk playing the role of the quirky and idiosyncratic billionaire.
The question is, is this just a temporary impression while Yaccarino takes her time to become more well-versed in Twitter’s affairs? Or is she just a “pain sponge” that will deal with the company’s trials and tribulations, with Musk pulling the strings?
Let’s leave that question rhetorical for now.
Previously, GNcrypto reported that the former Twitter CEO pledged millions to the Bitcoin fund.
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