Elon Musk Faces Backlash as Companies Pull Advertising From Platform
Elon Musk has found himself in hot water after seemingly endorsing an antisemitic post on X, causing several large companies to pull their advertisements from the platform. The latest corporation to join in the backlash is Disney, which announced that it would be stepping back from advertising on X. This move comes after Musk responded to a post claiming Jewish people were spreading hatred against whites, stating that the post spoke the ‘actual truth.’ He also made unusual claims about how American children are miseducated on the country’s history of slavery.
The consequences of Musk’s comments have been severe. In addition to Disney, other major companies like IBM, Apple, and Lionsgate have also suspended their ad campaigns on X. Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN, and various other firms have followed suit, pausing their spending as well. These actions were prompted by a recent report by the non-profit Media Matters, which revealed that advertisements from these companies were being placed alongside white supremacist and antisemitic content on the platform.
Musk’s behavior has not only garnered negative attention from advertisers, but also from individuals within the industry. Asana CEO and Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz has called for Musk to resign from all six of his companies. Tesla investor Ross Gerber remarked that Musk has essentially stepped aside as Tesla CEO through his actions, despite not formally resigning. Other individuals have criticized Musk’s actions for the damage they have caused to his brand.
On top of the public outcry, X employees are now receiving calls from concerned advertisers inquiring about Musk’s actions and the Media Matters report.
Source: Disney just joined a long list of large companies dropping ads from X: report
