20 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Jacob Kastrenakes

Jacob Kastrenakes

Executive Editor

Executive Editor

    More From Jacob Kastrenakes

    Jacob Kastrenakes
    Jacob Kastrenakes
    Google’s Pixel 8 event kicks off in 30 minutes.

    We’re expecting two phones, one watch, and a lot more details about three already very teased and leaked devices.

    Our team will be reporting live from the event — you can follow along live from our stream below.

    Jacob Kastrenakes
    Jacob Kastrenakes
    “A platform in transformation”

    is X CEO Linda Yaccarino’s description of the state of her company.

    CNBC interviewer Julia Boorstin had been pushing Yaccarino for hard numbers on the state of X — whether it’s growing, shrinking, turning a profit. Yaccarino said, essentially, none of that matters as long as there’s no social media equivalent to X.

    Jacob Kastrenakes
    Jacob Kastrenakes
    What does it really mean to be CEO of X?

    Linda Yaccarino didn’t quite answer that question while onstage at Code, but she did pose a question that, frankly, feels easier to answer: “Who wouldn’t want Elon Musk sitting by their side running product?”

    Jacob Kastrenakes
    Jacob Kastrenakes
    Here’s one of the oddest moments of the Linda Yaccarino interview.

    Julia Boorstin asked her to confirm that X would start charging users to post, as Musk floated a week ago. Yaccarino was not so sure:

    Jacob Kastrenakes
    Jacob Kastrenakes
    That’s it for the Code Conference 2023!

    We’ll have a few more videos to share as we wrap things up, so check back in for some of the key moments. And if you want all the details, read back through our StoryStream below.

    Jacob Kastrenakes
    Jacob Kastrenakes
    And we’re wrapped.

    There was a recurring theme to Yaccarino’s answers: she keeps defending X from statements and choices by Elon Musk.

    Harassment of Yoel Roth? Linked to Musk. Advertisers fleeing the platform because of chaotic moderation decisions before she was hired? Musk. A dispute with a well-regarded nonprofit combatting anti-Semitism? Musk.

    She’s surprisingly good at diffusing these questions, but you’d think that X would want to talk about literally anything other problems caused by Musk.

    Jacob Kastrenakes
    Jacob Kastrenakes
    Yaccarino disputed a report that X was disassembling its election integrity team.

    She didn’t dispute that some members of the team had been fired, but she said X is expanding its work to combat platform manipulation and disinformation overall.

    “It’s an issue we take very seriously,” she said. “And contrary to the comments that were made, there is a robust and growing team at X that is wrapping their arms around election integrity.”