Elon Musk discusses X advertising and birth rate at PM Giorgia Meloni political festival

During a political festival in Rome organized by the far-right Brothers of Italy party, Elon Musk stated on Saturday that advertisers were coming back to X (formerly Twitter) after a period of departure. Additionally, he expressed concerns about Italy’s declining birth rate potentially discouraging investors. The billionaire entrepreneur was a prominent guest at the Atreju political festival, hosted by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Asked about advertisers who had abandoned his platform over concerns about extremist messages, Musk said: “I think X is good, and we’re already seeing advertisers coming back to X.”

He added: “Brand advertisers are always worried about their brand… But I think it’s a short-term problem.”

Musk’s comments were more upbeat than before, when he said an ad boycott could “kill the company.”

On Saturday, he said some of the organizations that rejected X had been infected by the “virus of the awakened mind,” using the pejorative term “woke” used to condemn those considered too socially conscious.

He said identity politics was “very fragmented”, “anti-meritocratic” and “just not fun”, and he received a standing ovation from the audience, which included Meloni, who himself has opposed “woke ideology”.

His party came out on top in the 2022 Italian general election on promises to end mass immigration and defend traditional Christian family values.

Musk said he was in favor of “very legal immigration” and said countries should welcome anyone of integrity who is willing to work hard.

But he said it was not possible to assess who met those characteristics without oversight, concluding: “we’re going to increase legal immigration, but illegal immigration should stop.”

He also warned that migration does not replace domestic population growth and that without an increase in the birth rate, “people will disappear.”

He highlighted Italy’s low birth rate – something Meloni often talks about – and warned that it poses a risk to companies looking to invest in the country.

Asked directly if Italy was a good place to invest, he said: “I am concerned about the low birth rate.

“If a company invests in Italy, are there enough people to work there?”

The interviewer scoffed that it was a problem in 50 years, but Musk said it could be “even sooner.”

He concluded: “I agree it’s a good place to invest and a great country – make more Italians, I say.”