Elon Musk reacted strongly to accusations of anti-Semitism targeting him after he approved anti-Semitic content in a message on of his social network.
In a post published on Sunday, November 19, the owner of the social network protested against the papers “cans“media accusing him of anti-Semitism and said he did not wish”only the best for humanity“.
Backlash erupted last week after the billionaire endorsed a post claiming Jews were harboring a “dialectical hatred” towards white people. This message has since been condemned from the White House to Tesla investors. “It is unacceptable to repeat this awful lie […] one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust” said Andrew Bates, White House spokesperson, referring to the attack carried out on October 7 against Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
Elon Musk on Saturday threatened to sue media watchdog Media Matters and those who attacked his social network. “The very second court opens on Monday, X Corp will file a thermonuclear lawsuit against Media Matters and everyone who participated in this fraudulent attack on our company” Elon Musk wrote in a post on X, without naming other parties.
Advertisers flee the social network, Musk advertises his premium subscription
Elon Musk and ads from IBM, Apple and others had been placed alongside content promoting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.
Several large American companies have adopted measures to cut their advertising campaigns on X. Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Comcast, Lions Gate Entertainment and Paramount Global declared on Friday that they were suspending their advertising on did the same. IBM cut ads on Thursday, November 16.
“Most of the biggest advertisers are the biggest oppressors of your right to free speech“, Musk reacted on X on Friday, while promoting the premium subscription which removes advertisements from users’ news feeds.
Yaccarino remains in office
According to Financial Times, which cites people familiar with the matter, several advertisers have privately asked Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, to resign in order to save her reputation. However, she reportedly refused, saying she believed in the company’s mission. Linda Yaccarino said last Thursday that “When it comes to this platform, X has also been extremely clear about its efforts to combat anti-Semitism and discrimination. There is no place for this anywhere in the world — it is ugly and bad. And that’s all“.
Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman has come to Elon Musk’s defense. The financier said last month he would be interested in a deal with X as part of a new investment vehicle that targets private companies looking to raise $1.5 billion.
Sources: Bloomberg, Reuters, Financial Times.