Recently, Apple, IBM, Paramount, Disney and many other companies have decided to stop advertising on X. Elon Musk responded directly to these companies with a vulgar message: in keeping with his usual provocative style.
The companies’ decision came in response to Elon Musk’s anti-Semitic posts on the platform, as well as reports that his ads were running alongside far-right conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic content.
Musk’s comments came during an interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin at the New York Times DealBook Summit. Before Sorkin finished his question about companies that have stopped advertising on X, Musk interjected:
I hope they stop. Don’t advertise. If someone tries to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money… fuck you.
Fuck you, is that clear?
Disney CEO Bob Iger was in attendance at the event, prompting Musk to continue the sentence by waving happily: “Hello Bob!”
In another part of the interview Musk stated that this advertising boycott would ultimately lead to X’s death.
This advertising boycott will kill X. Everyone will know that these advertisers killed the company, and we will document it in detail.
A report found that more than 100 brands followed suit and stopped advertising on X. Internal company key figures assume this This could result in a loss of more than $75 million in revenue.
It is unknown how long the companies’ commercial break on X will last. During his own DealBook interview, Bob Iger reiterated Disney’s decision to pause advertising on X.
This confrontation between large companies raises questions about the role of advertising on digital platforms and its consequences. Meanwhile, the future of X is in doubt due to uncertainty over the continuity of this commercial break.