Elon Musk tells advertisers who left X (formerly Twitter): 'Go f--- yourself'
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 29: Elon Musk speaks onstage during The New York Times Dealbook Summit 2023 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on November 29, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for The New York Times)
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk had some harsh words for advertisers who are fleeing the platform X.
"Go f--- yourself," Musk, owner of X, said during a Wednesday afternoon appearance at The New York Times DealBook Summit.
Musk made the comment while being interviewed by Andrew Ross Sorkin, speaking about the current advertiser boycott.
"What this advertising boycott is going to do is, it is going to kill the company," Musk said. "And the whole world will know that those advertisers killed the company."
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In response to Disney CEO Bob Iger, who earlier discussed Disney pulling advertising from the platform, Musk didn't hold back.
"Don't advertise. If someone is going to try and blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go f--- yourself," Musk said, adding: "Go f--- yourself, is that clear? Hey Bob, if you're in the audience. That's how I feel, don't advertise."
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 29: Elon Musk speaks onstage during The New York Times Dealbook Summit 2023 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on November 29, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for The New York Times)
During the interview, Musk also apologized for endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory in response to a post on X that helped fuel an advertiser exodus.
Musk's comments come just days after he visited Israel, where he toured a kibbutz attacked by Hamas militants and held talks with top leaders.
Musk has faced accusations from the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish civil rights organization, and others of tolerating antisemitic messages on the platform since purchasing it last year. The content on X, formerly Twitter, has gained increased scrutiny since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October.
A slew of big brands, including Disney and IBM, stopped advertising on the platform this month after a report by liberal advocacy group Media Matters said their ads were appearing alongside pro-Nazi content and White nationalist posts.
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X retaliated with a lawsuit, saying the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit manufactured the report to "drive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp."