Elon Musk Criticizes Advertisers for Anti-Semitic Accusations

Billionaire Elon Musk has expressed his anger towards advertisers who have left his social media platform, X, due to the presence of antisemitic content. In an interview on Wednesday, Musk used profanity-laced language and told the advertisers to “go f*** yourself.” This outburst followed a moment of contrition during the New York Times DealBook Summit interview, where Musk apologized for a tweet he made on November 15 that agreed with an anti-Jewish post on X.

Since November 15, Musk has faced widespread criticism for supporting a user who falsely claimed that Jewish people were fueling hatred against white individuals. He defended the user’s reference to the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, stating that it represented “the actual truth.” However, Musk now acknowledges that his post was a mistake and admitted that it may be the worst thing he has ever shared, considering his history of posting “foolish” content.

Musk vehemently denied being antisemitic and admonished the advertisers who left X, formerly known as Twitter, for thinking they could blackmail him. He repeatedly used expletives to express his disdain, even addressing Robert Iger, the CEO of Walt Disney, which had pulled ads from X. Musk dismissed the notion that he was promoting hate speech and emphasized that X would not tolerate hate and conflict.

The “Great Replacement” theory asserts that Jewish people and leftists are orchestrating the replacement of white populations with non-white immigrants, ultimately leading to a “white genocide.” The White House condemned Musk’s post, describing it as an “abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate.”

In an attempt to address the controversy, Musk traveled to Israel and visited the site of Hamas’ recent attack on October 7. He also had a live-streamed conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X. During their discussion, both Musk and Netanyahu emphasized their opposition to antisemitism and any form of hate speech. Netanyahu commended Musk’s commitment to building a better future.

This is not the first time Musk and Netanyahu have interacted. They previously met at Tesla’s headquarters in California in September to discuss the benefits and risks of advanced artificial intelligence. During their recent conversation, Netanyahu encouraged Musk to find a balance between protecting free speech online and combating hate speech.

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