Tech giant Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly known as Twitter) and the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, is recognized for his outspoken and critical demeanor. Recently, he courted controversy by endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory on the platform. Consequently, numerous brands, including Disney and Apple, have withdrawn their advertising from Twitter in response to his comments.
During his interaction at The New York Times DealBook Summit with Andrew Ross Sorkin on Wednesday afternoon, in response to the advertiser boycott on the social media platform X, Elon Musk stated, "If somebody was going to try to blackmail me with money… Go f**k yourself. Is that clear, I hope it is… Hey Bob (Iger), if you’re in the audience. That’s how I feel, don’t advertise."
Musk stated, "The impact of this advertising boycott will be to kill the company." He added, "The entire world will acknowledge that those advertisers were the ones who killed the company."
During the interview, Elon Musk commented on the ongoing advertiser boycott, expressing his views on the matter. His comment came amid the widespread advertiser boycott, which involved companies ranging from Disney to Apple withdrawing their advertising from X due to an alleged anti-Semitic post attributed to Musk.
Musk Responds to Disney CEO's Concerns Over X Affiliation at Summit
Musk's response was directed at Disney CEO Bob Iger, who, during the summit, mentioned that their company's affiliation with X was no longer beneficial.
Iger expressed, “I hold Elon in high regard for his accomplishments... We acknowledge that Elon holds a significant presence in connection to the companies he has founded or owns. However, when he publicly took a certain stance, we believed that the association might not be advantageous for us."
Musk Apologizes but Criticizes Advertisers
At the DealBook Summit, although Musk offered an apology for the post, but again criticized the advertisers, labeling them as blackmailers. He emphasized that if brands choose not to advertise on the platform, they should simply refrain from doing so.
Musk stated, “I am quite sorry... I should not have replied to that particular post in retrospect." He referred to his reaction to the anti-semitic post as “one of the most foolish, if not the most foolish thing I’ve ever done on the platform."
Companies Halting Advertising on X
Big-name companies like Disney, IBM, Apple, Comcast, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, Paramount, and Warner Bros. are among those that stopped advertising on X.
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