Musk’s X Defense: Controversy Intensifies Over Antisemitism Allegations
Elon Musk strongly criticized media reports that accused him of antisemitism, denouncing them as false. This comes after he faced backlash and lost support from advertisers, including Apple Inc., due to his endorsement of antisemitic content on X.
A backlash erupted last week after the billionaire Tesla Inc. chief and X owner agreed with a message that Jews have a “dialectical hatred” of white people. That message has since drawn criticism from the White House and several Tesla investors. The Walt Disney Co. was one of the big corporate names that have distanced themselves from the platform formerly known as Twitter.
On Sunday, the entrepreneur tweeted that he wished “only the best for humanity”. Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman was among those who jumped to Musk’s defense. The financier said last month it would be interested in a deal with X Corp. as part of a new investment vehicle targeting private companies seeking to raise $1.5 billion or more and potentially take them public, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Musk has long drawn fire for promoting hate speech. His latest post drew criticism from both politicians and some of the world’s biggest companies, who have called on the billionaire to better control the content on his platform. Several advertisers also suspended their X spend after a Media Matters report found that several companies were running ads on the social media platform next to pro-Nazi content.
Over the weekend, several advertising executives privately urged X CEO Linda Yaccarino to step down to save her reputation, the Financial Times reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. But he refused to quit, saying he believed in the company’s mission, the FT reported.
