X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter, has appointed a new head of safety to oversee content policies and rules amid recent platform changes that have raised concerns among advertisers.
The company has selected an internal candidate, Kylie McRoberts, to assume this pivotal role. Additionally, X has brought onboard Yale Cohen, formerly an executive at Publicis Media, to lead efforts ensuring advertisers' confidence in the platform's safety.
Linda Yaccarino, Chief Executive Officer of X, emphasized the company's commitment to balancing safety and freedom of speech. In a companywide email obtained by Bloomberg, she stated, "When we say safety and freedom of speech can and must coexist on X — we mean it. And the safety team works tirelessly, day and night, across the globe to make that happen."
The appointments were also officially announced on the platform itself.
X's trust and safety division, responsible for content moderation, has encountered significant challenges since Elon Musk acquired the social media platform in October 2022. Musk, known as a "free speech absolutist," aims for Twitter to foster healthy debates across a spectrum of beliefs.
McRoberts will be the third head of trust and safety since Musk's takeover. The first, Yoel Roth, resigned shortly after Musk's acquisition, citing concerns over the company's relaxation of standards against misinformation and hateful content. His successor, Ella Irwin, also resigned in June.
The platform's policies on free speech have led to friction with advertisers, who are wary of their ads appearing alongside harmful content. Last November, several major advertisers, including Walt Disney Co. and Apple Inc., paused their spending on the platform after reports emerged of their ads being placed next to pro-Nazi content. X's advertising revenue saw a significant decline, estimated at around 50% to approximately $2.5 billion last year, as reported by Bloomberg.
Despite this, Musk remains supportive of controversial content. X is currently experimenting with online groups that may contain "adult content" and other materials deemed "not safe for work."
