Billionaire Elon Musk criticised advertisers who stopped spending on his social media platform, X, due to antisemitic and hateful content, calling it “blackmail” and telling them not to advertise. During an interview at The New York Times DealBook Summit, Musk specifically mentioned Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger.
Musk also apologised for endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory on X. These comments followed Musk’s recent visit to Israel, where he toured a kibbutz attacked by Hamas militants and held talks with leaders.
Elon Musk has been accused by the Anti-Defamation League and others of tolerating antisemitic messages on the X platform since purchasing it last year. The content on X, formerly Twitter, has faced increased scrutiny since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began in October.
Several major brands, including Disney and IBM, ceased advertising on the platform this month after a report by liberal advocacy group Media Matters claimed their ads appeared alongside pro-Nazi content and white nationalist posts. X has responded by suing Media Matters, alleging that the report was manufactured to “drive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp.”
