Elon Musk Challenges Advertisers to “Go F*** Yourself” Amid X Backlash
Elon Musk, the CEO of X, formerly known as Twitter, has fired back at advertisers who have pulled their support from the platform in the aftermath of an antisemitic post. Speaking at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit, Musk warned that the exodus of advertisers could potentially “kill” the platform and had a strong message for the companies involved, including Disney, Apple, and IBM: “Go f*** yourself.”
Ad Spend Blackmail
According to Musk, advertisers with concerns about his conduct should simply stop spending on the platform, which historically has been heavily reliant on ad revenue. “Don’t advertise,” Musk proclaimed emphatically, adding, “If someone is going to try and blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go f*** yourself. Go f*** yourself. Is that clear? Hey Bob, if you’re in the audience. That’s how I feel, don’t advertise.”
The reference to Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, is significant as the entertainment and theme park giant is among the brands that paused advertising on X this month in response to Musk’s recent actions. Iger earlier declined to comment on whether his company would resume advertising on X, stating that the association with Musk and X was not a positive one for Disney.
Platform Valuation and Crisis
Musk’s bold stance against the advertisers is notable considering that X employees were recently awarded stock grants at a valuation of $45 per share, valuing the company at $19 billion – less than half of what Musk paid for the platform a year ago.
The advertising crisis began on November 15 when a user posted an antisemitic message, prompting Musk to publicly reply in a way that was widely seen as lending support to an extremist conspiracy theory. Musk, speaking at the New York Times event, acknowledged that his reply was “one of the most foolish if not the most foolish thing” he had ever done on the platform.
Israel Visit
Earlier this week, Musk traveled to Israel and met with the country’s president and prime minister, who both expressed concerns about the presence of antisemitism on social media platforms. This comes amid growing criticism and scrutiny of X’s handling of hate speech and extremism on the platform.
Final Thoughts
While the fallout from Musk’s actions on the platform continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the departure of major advertisers will impact the future of the platform and whether Musk’s unapologetic stance will ultimately resonate with the wider public and user base of X.
I have over 10 years of experience in the field of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. I have attended numerous conferences and events around the world, and my work has been featured in major publications such as CoinDesk, Bitcoin Magazine, and Yahoo Finance.
