OUTRAGEOUS! Elon Musk Slams Advertisers Refusing X as ‘Blackmailers’
During the New York Times’ DealBook Summit, Elon Musk made a surprising statement to advertisers who have ceased displaying ads on X (formerly Twitter) and are abandoning the platform. He urged them to halt their advertising efforts, accusing them of using their financial power to manipulate the owner of X. Musk’s bold defiance was evident as he repeatedly used strong language, urging brands like IBM, Disney, Comcast, and others who were responsible for boycotting the platform to leave. He also emphasized that the fate of X, in terms of advertiser influence, would ultimately be determined by the public.
According to a video on CNBC Television’s YouTube channel, which posted the entire exchange, interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin, a New York Times financial columnist, asked the billionaire entrepreneur about recent anti-Semitic posts on X and whether the company would survive an advertiser boycott. . Musk said: “I hope they stop. Don’t advertise.”
When a confused Sorkin asked the X owner to explain what he meant because he had previously apologized for his writing, Musk said, “If somebody tries to blackmail me with ads, blackmail me with money, go … yourself. Go to yourself. Got it? I hope it’s .”
Elon Musk urges brands leaving X to stop advertising
Musk also singled out Disney CEO Bob Iger, who was also invited to the event and had discussed his company’s lack of contact with X earlier on stage. He said, “Hey Bob, if you’re in the audience,” indicating that the previous message was for him as well.
The odd conversation continued when Sorkin asked Musk what he thought of X’s finances and whether he had a viable option if the platform was going to move away from advertising. Musk responded, “What this ad boycott will do is kill the company. And the whole world is going to know that the advertisers killed the company. Everyone is documenting it in great detail… Everyone on earth knows that. We’re gone, and it’s gone because of the advertiser boycott.”
Although it sounded defiant, Musk apologized for the anti-Semitic post, saying, “In hindsight, I shouldn’t have responded to that one person… I basically held a loaded gun to those who hate me, and probably to those who are anti-Semitic, and because of that. I’m fine sorry. That was not my intention.”
According to a NYT report, more than 100 brands have suspended advertising on X following the anti-Semitism episode, and the company is at risk of losing $75 million by the end of the year.
