In the wake of losing major advertisers on X due to his support for antisemitic statements, Elon Musk criticized the departing companies while promoting the social media platform’s paid subscription service. On Friday, several prominent advertisers suspended their marketing on X after Musk faced backlash for endorsing a post that propagated an antisemitic conspiracy theory, labeling it as “actual truth.” Among the advertisers pausing ads on the platform were Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, Sony, Lionsgate, Apple, and IBM.
However, on Friday night, Musk encouraged users to sign up for X’s paid subscription service, which would eliminate ads from their timelines. He wrote, “Premium+ also has no ads in your timeline.” Musk, the billionaire owner of X, also accused major advertisers of being the “greatest oppressors” of free speech.
Shortly after the exodus of advertisers, Musk posted on X that terms such as “decolonization” and “from the river to the sea” were against the platform’s terms of service and would result in suspension. Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt reposted Musk’s message and expressed support for him, despite Musk threatening to sue the ADL just two months ago, blaming them for a decline in advertising revenue.
On Thursday, Media Matters For America published a report revealing that advertisements from companies like IBM, Apple, Oracle, and Xfinity were appearing alongside harmful content on X. X CEO Linda Yaccarino attempted to address concerns by stating that the platform’s stance has always been against discrimination, urging everyone to agree on the need to stop it.
