Elon Musk criticizes advertisers, faces backlash over controversial X/Twitter comments, impacting platform’s credibility.
Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest individual and owner of X/Twitter, recently unleashed a scathing criticism against advertisers who withdrew their investments from his social media platform. Musk accused these companies of attempting to use money as a tool for coercion, bluntly telling former advertisers to “go fuck yourselve. Is that clear? I hope so.”
Following Musk’s controversial comment on X/Twitter, where he allegedly supported an antisemitic conspiracy theory, numerous major advertisers, including Disney, IBM, Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony, Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Lionsgate, suspended their advertising expenditures. Musk, reflecting on his response to the post, admitted it was a regrettable action, likening it to handing a weapon to those who hold animosity towards him, acknowledging it as one of his most foolish moves on the platform. He clarified his intention, stating that he was cautioning against supporting groups advocating for annihilation and emphasized his stance as being far from antisemitic, expressing, “If anything, I am Philo-Semitic.”
During the DealBook Summit, Musk directly addressed advertisers who severed ties with X/Twitter, emphatically stating, “Go screw yourselves… Go. Screw. Yourselves. Is that understood?” He accused these advertisers of attempting to manipulate the company and potentially leading it towards bankruptcy.
Complicating matters further, X/Twitter filed a lawsuit against Media Matters, alleging a “blatant smear campaign” utilizing manipulated research against Musk and X. Despite legal actions and attempts at damage control, such as Musk’s visit to Israel, major advertisers remained firm in their decision to pause spending on the platform. At the same summit, Disney CEO Bob Iger commented on their withdrawal of ads, expressing respect for Musk’s achievements but indicating that Musk’s public stance influenced Disney’s decision to end its association with X/Twitter, perceiving it as unfavorable for their company’s image.
