Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, delivered a strong message to advertisers attempting to manipulate his social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter), during an interview at the New York Times Dealbook Summit.
In response to the issue of advertisers leaving X, Musk candidly expressed his true sentiments.
Unfazed by the departure of advertisers, Musk stated, "I hope they stop. Don't advertise." When questioned by Andrew Sorkin, a financial columnist with the New York Times and co-anchor of CNBC's Squawk Box, about his stance, Musk responded unequivocally, "No. If someone's going to try and blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go f*ck yourself." He reiterated this sentiment, emphasizing each word, "Go. F*ck. Yourself."
During the interview, Musk also took a direct swipe at Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, by addressing him, saying, "Hey, Bob!" This remark followed Musk's explicit instruction for advertisers to "f*ck off."
The decision by several corporations to withdraw their advertisements from X comes in the wake of a scathing article published by Media Matters, a far-left publication.
The article accused Musk of being antisemitic for refusing to suppress divisive opinions and for championing X as a platform that upholds free speech. In a show of support for X's commitment to these ideals, outlets such as Timcast, The Babylon Bee, and Benny Media have invested tens of thousands of dollars in advertising on the platform.
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