Janice R. Andrews
X has introduced Kylie McRoberts as its new Head of Safety, a calculated move to further solidify the company’s commitment to user safety. This choice is made almost a year after the outgoing executive, Ella Irwin, resigned after intense scrutiny and criticism, some of which came from the company’s powerful leader, Elon Musk.
McRoberts assumes the position at a critical juncture for the platform, charged with managing intricate issues pertaining to security procedures and guaranteeing a safe haven for both users and sponsors. Yale Cohen also joins as Head of Brand Safety and Advertiser Solutions, indicating X’s proactive approach to tackling various safety problems in addition to McRoberts.
Strengthening X’s safety measures and reassuring advertisers that the platform is watchful of hate speech and terrorist content is one of the key tasks assigned to McRoberts and Cohen. This decision is in line with X’s prior pledge to strengthen its safety infrastructure by adding 100 new workers to its safety workforce—a dramatic departure from earlier personnel cutbacks.
But X’s Head of Safety role has proven to be controversial, with frequent turnover and conflicts with Musk’s goals for the business. McRoberts follows Ella Irwin and Yoel Roth as the third person to take up this position in less than two years. Roth left during the turbulent 2022 launch of Twitter Blue, while Irwin resigned in the midst of a public spat with Musk about enforcement practices related to misgendering.
Although McRoberts’s career history is still a little unclear, her promotion seems to indicate that X recognized her services to the safety team. X commends her achievements in creating security measures including passkeys, promoting the creation of the Safety Center of Excellence in Austin, and improving openness in moderating methods, even if her X account is temporarily private and her LinkedIn page was just removed.
Following McRoberts’ hiring, industry watchers are closely observing how Cohen and her will handle the complex world of safety governance at X. The platform’s management of hazardous material and user safety are coming under more scrutiny, so McRoberts has a difficult challenge ahead of them: maintaining strict safety regulations while also winning back stakeholders.
The hiring of McRoberts is a critical step in guiding X towards a safer and more inclusive digital ecosystem, as the firm strives to strike a careful balance between protecting its community and promoting free expression. With her experience and leadership, X hopes to stay a top social media platform while navigating the challenges of internet safety.
