Amid an antisemitism controversy, several corporations, including Apple, Disney, and IBM, have temporarily halted their advertising on X. This decision follows a situation where Elon Musk, the owner of X, previously known as Twitter, echoed an antisemitic stereotype on the platform.
The boycott has gained momentum following an investigation by a US group that highlighted advertisements appearing alongside pro-Nazi posts on X. Despite Musk’s denial of any antisemitic intent in his post and his threat to sue over the advertising investigation, the boycott continues.
Media Matters for America, a left-leaning pressure group, reported that it had discovered advertisements purchased by prominent companies displayed next to posts containing Hitler quotes, Nazi praise, and Holocaust denial. A representative for X assured that the company does not intentionally position brands “next to this kind of content” and is committed to fighting antisemitism on the platform.
Musk announced on November 18 that X would initiate a “thermonuclear lawsuit” against Media Matters as soon as the court opens on November 20. He accused the group’s report of misrepresenting X’s real user experience to undermine freedom of speech and mislead advertisers.
Musk faced criticism on November 15 after responding to a post that shared an antisemitic conspiracy theory, labelling it as “actual truth”. The billionaire entrepreneur of Tesla and SpaceX denied any antisemitism and later clarified that his comments were directed not at all Jewish people, but at organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and other unspecified “Jewish communities”.
The White House condemned Musk’s endorsement of the post, with spokesperson Andrew Bates stating, “We condemn this abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate in the strongest terms.” Following the Media Matters investigation, IBM became the first company to withdraw its advertising from the site, citing the unacceptable placement of its ads next to Nazi content.
The European Commission, Comcast, TV network Paramount, and movie studio Lionsgate have also withdrawn their advertising funds from X. On Friday evening, the ADL, one of X’s most vocal critics regarding its moderation of inflammatory content, commended Musk’s efforts to combat hate on the platform.
Musk had announced on X that anyone using terms such as “from the river to the sea” - a phrase the ADL has identified as a coded call for Israel’s destruction - could face suspension from the platform. ADL’s chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt responded by calling this an “important and welcome move”.
Linda Yaccarino, X’s chief executive, stated on November 17 evening that the platform has been “extremely clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination. There’s absolutely no place for it anywhere in the world”. The platform maintains stronger brand safety controls than other social networks and hate speech and extremism have decreased on the platform despite significant reductions to the company’s safety team.
Several external groups dispute this claim, arguing that such content has increased under Musk’s leadership. It remains uncertain what proportion of X’s revenue is currently derived from ads, as it is now a private company and no longer publishes quarterly reports.
Before Musk’s takeover, advertising accounted for approximately 90% of Twitter’s revenue. Musk has attempted to shift this reliance on advertising revenue by introducing a paid-membership tier. A monthly fee grants users a blue tick next to their name and boosts their content, but this still constitutes a small fraction of the revenue.
In April, Musk stated that “almost all of them [advertisers] have either come back or they’re going to come back”. However, three months later, he acknowledged in a post on X that ad revenue had fallen by 50%. His appointment of Ms. Yaccarino, a former ad executive, was widely perceived as an attempt to rebuild relationships with advertisers.
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