Don't advertise and go f*ck yourself: Elon Musk to advertisers

Billionaire Elon Musk has said that advertisers who have halted spending on his social media platform X in response to antisemitic and other hateful material are engaging in "blackmail" and, using profanity, essentially told them to go away.

"Don't advertise," Musk said.

He specifically called out Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger, saying, "Hey Bob, if you're in the audience ... that's how I feel."

Some users appeared to shower praise on Musk for his comments.

BREAKING: Elon Musk tells advertisers to “go f**k” themselves if they are going to try and blackmail him on his own platform.

And this is exactly why Elon was the perfect person to buy Twitter 🔥

“If somebody's gonna try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with… pic.twitter.com/33dPDu8wZC

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 29, 2023

In an on-stage interview at The New York Times DealBook Summit on Wednesday, Musk also apologised for endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory in response to a post on X that helped fuel an advertiser exodus.

The comments come just two days after Musk 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 organisation, 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, this month stopped advertising on the platform after a report by liberal advocacy group Media Matters said their ads were appearing alongside pro-Nazi content and white nationalist posts.

X has since sued Media Matters, saying the Washington-based nonprofit manufactured the report to "drive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp".

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