John Nitti has left his post as advertising director at X after just ten months, reports the Financial Times.
Nitti, who joined as global head of revenue operations and advertising innovation, was seen as a potential successor to former CEO Linda Yaccarino, who resigned in July. His departure adds to a series of high-profile departures from Elon Musk’s increasingly turbulent leadership. Among others, X’s CFO Mahmoud Reza Banki left the group in October after less than a year, while xAI’s CFO and legal director both left over the summer.
This revolving door would reflect deeper tensions. Sources told the FT that executives became frustrated with Musk’s abrupt changes in strategy and unilateral decision-making, including banning hashtags from advertising without first discussing it with his own advertising team.
Pressure on advertising executives has increased as Musk pours billions of dollars into AI development to compete with OpenAI and DeepMind. While some brands have come back after being told by Musk in late 2023 to “go fuck yourself” and xAI has partnered with companies like Disney, others are privately complaining about feeling pressured to advertise after X sued brands including Shell and Pinterest over alleged boycotts.
Before joining X, Nitti spent about nine years at Verizon and another long stint at American Express.
