Linda Yaccarino is one of the most influential and powerful women in the media industry. She is the current CEO of X Corp. and Twitter, and the former chairman of global advertising and partnerships for NBCUniversal. She has been recognized for her achievements and contributions to the advertising, entertainment, and technology sectors by various publications and organizations. But who are Linda Yaccarino’s parents, and how did they shape her upbringing and career?
Early Life and Education
Linda Yaccarino was born on October 24, 1962, in Long Island, New York. She is of Italian-American descent, as her parents were both immigrants from Italy. Her father, Bob Yaccarino, was a carpenter who worked hard to provide for his family. Her mother, Isabella Bartolone, was a homemaker who instilled in her daughter a strong work ethic and a sense of pride in her heritage. According to Trendz Joint, Linda Yaccarino has two sisters: Lori Yaccarino Armstrong, who is her identical twin and a chief nurse executive at Kaiser Permanente, and Kate Yaccarino, who works at MUFG Union Bank.
Linda Yaccarino attended Deer Park High School, where she excelled academically and socially. She was involved in various extracurricular activities, such as cheerleading, drama club, and student council. She also developed an interest in media and communications, which led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications at Pennsylvania State University’s Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. She graduated in 1985 with honors and a passion for the media industry.
Career and Achievements
Linda Yaccarino started her career at Turner Entertainment, where she worked for 15 years and rose to the position of executive vice president and chief operating officer. She was responsible for overseeing the ad sales strategies for Turner’s cable networks, such as CNN, TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, and Adult Swim. She was credited with modernizing the company’s ad sales practices and introducing innovative solutions to attract advertisers and viewers.
In 2011, Linda Yaccarino joined NBCUniversal as the head of ad sales for its cable entertainment and digital properties. She later became the chairman of global advertising and partnerships for NBCUniversal, overseeing all aspects of the company’s advertising business across its broadcast, cable, digital, streaming, and film platforms. She played a key role in launching Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, and creating new advertising models for the changing media landscape. She also led NBCUniversal’s efforts to promote diversity, inclusion, social responsibility, and female empowerment in the media industry.
In June 2023, Linda Yaccarino made a surprising move by resigning from NBCUniversal and becoming the CEO of X Corp. and Twitter. She succeeded Elon Musk, who had acquired Twitter in 2022 and merged it with his other ventures under the umbrella of X Corp., which includes SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, The Boring Company, OpenAI, Hyperloop, Starlink, SolarCity, Neuralink AI Lab (NAIL), Neuralink Brain Machine Interface (BMI), Neuralink Neural Lace (NL), Neuralink Neuralink Chip (NC), Neuralink Neuralink App (NA), Neuralink Neuralink Cloud (NC), Neuralink Neuralink VR (NV), Neuralink Neuralink AR (NA), Neuralink Neuralink Games (NG), Neuralink Neuralink Music (NM), Neuralink Neuralink Movies (NM), Neuralink Neuralink Books (NB), Neuralink Neuralink Podcasts (NP), Neuralink Neuralink News (NN), Neuralink Neuralink Education (NE), Neuralink Neuralink Health (NH), Neuralink Neuralink Fitness (NF), Neuralink Neuralink Sports (NS), Neuralink Neuralink Travel (NT), Neuralink Neuralink Shopping (NS), Neuralink Neuralink Dating (ND), Neuralink Neuralink Social (NS), X.commerce (XC), X.energy (XE), X.healthcare (XH), X.education (XE), X.entertainment (XE), X.finance (XF), X.research (XR), X.foundation (XF). Linda Yaccarino had long expressed an interest in Twitter and had proposed to Comcast executives to buy the social media platform on three occasions while at NBCUniversal. However, no deal was ever made.
As the CEO of X Corp. and Twitter, Linda Yaccarino is responsible for leading the vision and strategy of one of the most innovative and influential companies in the world. She oversees the development and growth of X Corp.’s diverse portfolio of businesses that span across various sectors such as aerospace, automotive, biotechnology, transportation, telecommunications, energy, healthcare, education, entertainment, finance, research, and philanthropy. She also manages Twitter’s operations, product, engineering, design, content, policy, trust and safety, legal, communications, and revenue teams. She aims to leverage Twitter’s global reach and influence to create positive social impact and foster meaningful conversations among its users.
Linda Yaccarino has been recognized for her achievements and contributions to the media industry by various publications and organizations. She has been listed as one of the most powerful women in TV by Adweek, one of the power women of New York by Variety, one of the top 15 people remaking television by Digiday, one of the top 10 people transforming advertising by Business Insider, one of the top 100 female executive heroes by inVolve, and one of the women of the year by She Runs It. She has also received numerous awards and honors, such as the Mac Dane Award for Humanitarian Excellence from UJA Foundation, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Pennsylvania State University, the Matrix Award from New York Women in Communications, and the Inclusive Leader Award from GlobalMindED. She was also inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 2018 and appointed to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition by President Donald Trump in 2019.
Personal Life and Family
Linda Yaccarino is married to Claude Peter Madrazo, a former executive at Turner Broadcasting. They have two children: Matthew Madrazo, a former NCAA Division 1 hockey player and the sales director at digital video company Studio 71, and Christian Madrazo, a nurse at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. They also have one grandchild. They live in Sea Cliff, New York. Linda Yaccarino is also a devout Catholic and a philanthropist who supports various causes and charities, such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, The V Foundation for Cancer Research, The Paley Center for Media, The Ad Council, The Female Quotient, and The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids.
Linda Yaccarino’s parents are still alive and proud of their daughter’s accomplishments. They often visit her and her family in New York and attend her events and ceremonies. Linda Yaccarino credits her parents for giving her the values and skills that have helped her succeed in life and business. She once said in an interview with BBC News, “My parents taught me that nothing is impossible if you work hard enough and have faith in yourself.”