- Linda Yaccarino made her first big announcement as Twitter CEO on Monday.
- She spoke about the importance of free speech and added: "Enter Twitter 2.0."
Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino made her first big announcement on Monday, and people are getting fired up over it.
In an email to staff, which she then tweeted out, Yaccarino explained why she took on the role.
"You should have the freedom to speak your mind," she said. "Enter Twitter 2.0."
Her comments provoked a number of Twitter users, many of whom mocked Yaccarino's statement, to question what "Twitter 2.0" actually means.
The phrase dates back to last November, when Elon Musk gave all employees a midnight ultimatum: work "extremely hardcore" to build the new Twitter, or be laid off.
Earlier this month, two execs in Twitter's trust and safety team quit. Musk said the departures were related to his decision to let conservative outlet The Daily Wire post a documentary about transgender people, after it had previously been suppressed, NBC reported.
And Yaccarino's reference to free speech comes since researchers say Twitter has seen increased levels of hate speech. Users criticized her statement for seeming to fuel the platform further in this direction.
—Dr. Bucky Isotope, temporarily retired (@BuckyIsotope) June 12, 2023
Others also questioned whether she would stop the spam bots. Musk made that a priority when he took over, but they appear to be just as common as before.
—Tekno; aspiring professional antagonist (@GeneralTekno) June 12, 2023
"The global town square needs transformation—to drive civilization forward through the unfiltered exchange of information and open dialogue about the things that matter most to us," Yaccarino said.
It looks like there's still a big job ahead of her.
Insider contacted Twitter for comment. The company responded with an automated message that didn't address the inquiry.