Elon Musk expressed strong criticism towards advertisers leaving Platform X.
“Go f**k yourself,” Musk, proprietor of X, declared during a Wednesday afternoon session at The New York Times DealBook Summit.
“What this advertising boycott is going to do is, it is going to kill the company,” Musk said.
“And the whole world will know that those advertisers killed the company.”
Musk also seemed to aim a dig at Disney CEO Bob Iger, who had previously talked about Disney withdrawing advertising from the platform.
“Don’t advertise. If someone is going to try and blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go f**k yourself,” Musk said, adding: “Go f**k yourself, is that clear? Hey Bob, if you’re in the audience. That’s how I feel, don’t advertise.”
Musk responded candidly to Disney CEO Bob Iger, not holding back in expressing his thoughts.
Linda Yaccarino, appointed by Musk as the CEO of X, reportedly watched the interview from the front row with a “stone-faced” expression, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
Certainly, the internet promptly reacted, with diverse opinions on Musk’s remarks. Some expressed support for his unfiltered approach, while others criticized the potential damage to his reputation and companies.
One prominent response came from English broadcaster Piers Morgan, who tweeted: “Brilliant…”
Another user questioned, “Can you blame the guy? Never catches a break, calls for peace and is told he’s pro-Russian.”
“Wants to save the world, get humans in space, and cement free speech …
“Yet he’s still pulled apart and his motives questioned, pretty hilarious. Legend imo”
However, another individual suggested, “He needs to stop replying to comments from people making racist statements and legitimizing them while making wild conspiracy-like comments.”
Another user bluntly inquired, “He’s got to be high, right?”
Musk apologized for endorsing a social media post widely perceived as anti-Semitic, characterizing it as “literally the worst and dumbest post that I’ve ever done.”
On X (formerly Twitter), Musk commented on November 15, referring to a post as “the actual truth” that claimed Jewish communities advocated a “dialectical hatred against whites.” This comment drew criticism for echoing a long-standing conspiracy theory among White supremacists.
The statement triggered a wave of major advertisers departing from X, including Apple, Disney, Comcast, and IBM. These companies criticized Musk for his association with anti-Semitism.
“I’m sorry for that tweet or post,” Musk said Wednesday. “It was foolish of me.”
Musk informed interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin that his post had been misinterpreted, clarifying that he sought to provide further context in subsequent posts within the thread.
During a recent visit to Israel, Musk met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the interview, Musk emphasized that he harbors no discrimination against Jews, describing himself as “philo-Semitic” or an admirer of Judaism.
During the interview, Musk wore a necklace given to him by a parent of an Israeli hostage taken in the Hamas attack on October 7.
The necklace reads, “Bring Them Home.” Musk clarified to Sorkin that his trip to Israel had been planned earlier and was not an “apology tour” related to the controversial tweet.