Musk’s advertising director at Company X is leaving after just 10 months

John Nitti left his position as head of advertising at Company X after just ten months, the Financial Times reported.

Nitti, who joined as global head of revenue operations and advertising innovation, was considered a potential successor to former CEO Linda Yaccarino, who resigned in July. His exit adds to a string of high-profile departures from Elon Musk’s increasingly turbulent executive suite. Among others, Mahmoud Reza Banki, X’s chief financial officer, left in October after less than a year, while XAI’s chief financial officer and general counsel both departed over the summer.

The revolving door is said to reflect deeper tensions. Sources told the Financial Times that executives were frustrated by Musk’s sudden shifts in strategy and unilateral decision-making, including banning hashtags from ads without first discussing the move with his own advertising team.

Pressure has mounted on advertising leadership as Musk pours billions into developing artificial intelligence to compete with OpenAI and DeepMind. While some brands have made a comeback after Musk told them in late 2023 to “fuck yourself” and xAI has secured partnerships with companies like Disney, others are privately complaining of feeling forced to advertise after X filed a lawsuit against brands including Shell and Pinterest over the alleged boycott.

Prior to joining X, Nitti had spent nearly nine years with Verizon and another lengthy stint with American Express.