Linda Yaccarino leaves X’s turmoil for health tech’s Ozempic boom

Less than a month after departing X, former CEO Linda Yaccarino has been named the new chief executive of eMed Population Health, an AI startup building a platform for the blockbuster GLP-1 drug market.

• From tweets to treatments: The move is a sharp turn for the long-time NBCUniversal advertising executive, who spent two turbulent years trying to stabilize the social media company. She now jumps into the white-hot health tech space, betting her next act on the booming market for weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.

• The partnership playbook: eMed, which previously developed a platform for at-home COVID-19 tests, said in its announcement that it sought Yaccarino for her “undeniable ability to negotiate new partnerships.” The company is betting her experience forging major deals will help it secure employer and government contracts as it expands.

Yaccarino steers eMed into a crowded field, with dozens of startups scrambling to serve the massive demand for GLP-1s. The opportunity is enormous; CNBC reports that Goldman Sachs analysts project the anti-obesity drug market could reach $100 billion in annual revenue by 2030.

• A high-stakes diagnosis: Yaccarino’s challenge will be to translate her media and advertising deal-making prowess into the complex and highly regulated healthcare industry, proving she can redefine an industry, not just stabilize a platform.

• Also on our radar: Yaccarino’s move comes as a growing number of digital health companies are launching programs around GLP-1s. Her departure from X followed a tenure where she reportedly had a positive impact on the company’s ad business despite persistent turmoil.