Elon Musk said that he will do whatever required to maintain for the free speech on the X platform.
Elon Musk was brutally straightforward during his recent interview on Wednesday, November 29. During the 2023 DealBook Summit in New York on November 29 Elon Musk, owner of the micro-blogging platform X (formerly Twitter), criticized advertisers who abandoned the social media site due to antisemitic posts he had shared.
Despite publicly endorsing content labeled as “antisemitic and racist hate” by the White House, Musk later apologized and deleted the tweet. When questioned about advertisers departing from the platform during an interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin, Musk responded:
“If someone is going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself …. Go … fuck … yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is.”
Well, billionaire Elon Musk obviously knows the bad side of drying up advertising revenue. “What this advertising boycott is going to do, it’s going to kill the company,” Musk told Sorkin, adding that “the whole world will know that those advertisers killed the company, and we will document it in great detail.”
Musk also acknowledged Disney CEO Bob Iger, who was reportedly present in the audience, greeting him with a shout of “Hi Bob!” This recognition came as Disney was among several advertisers that chose to exit X.
Elon Musk’s X Facing Revenue Slump
A report from The New York Times on Nov. 24 indicated that over 200 advertisers, including major brands like Airbnb, Coca-Cola, and Microsoft, could put up to $75 million in revenue at risk. In November, Media Matters revealed ads for Apple, Bravo, Oracle, Xfinity, and IBM appearing alongside posts promoting Hitler and the Nazi Party on X.
Musk’s platform has sued Media Matters for defamation. NPR reported on Nov. 25 that the platform has lost 50 of its top 100 advertisers since Elon Musk took over, with prominent brands like Ford, Verizon, Chevrolet, Chipotle, and various pharmaceutical companies, including Merck, pulling their advertising in recent months.
Crypto adviser Aubrey Strobel found humor in the outburst, pointing out that CNBC wasn’t prepared for it, leading to a violation of FCC guidelines and a potential fine for the network. Elon Musk, on a spirited rant, expressed disdain for people focused on appearing good while engaging in malicious activities, using explicit language to emphasize his sentiment.
When Elon Musk bought Twitter, many people questioned how far he would go to protect free speech.
I guess we have our answer now. pic.twitter.com/VeS8n3buR7
— Pomp 🌪 (@APompliano) November 29, 2023
Popular investor and entrepreneur Anthony Pompliano also praised Elon Musk for his gutsy behavior and for not succumbing to the big players.
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