Elon Musk tells companies who have stopped advertising on X to ‘go f**k yourself’

Elon Musk has not minced his words when he was asked about the companies who have stopped advertising on X/Twitter.

Some of the biggest brands in the world have reportedly ended their spending on the social media app over the last few weeks and months.

A report from Media Matters for America highlighted how Chanel, CNN, Dell, Diageo, Hewlett-Packard, Kellogg Company, LinkedIn Corporation, Mars, Incorporated, Nestle, The Coca-Cola Company and loads of other big-name corporations have 'quietly' dropped out.

Fifty of the top 100 advertisers on X/Twitter have apparently fled, which 'have accounted for nearly $2 billion in spending on the platform since 2020'.

Musk was asked about this desertion during a chat at the 2023 DealBook Summit in New York.

“If somebody’s gonna try to blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go f**k yourself," he said.

“Don’t advertise.”

That is one hell of a statement.

Interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin was clearly taken aback from the comments as it took him a few second to work out his next question.

But Musk had more ammunition in his arsenal.

“The whole world will know that those advertisers killed the company and we will document it in great detail,” Musk said in a threat to those companies who have left and those who are considering leaving.

Musk has been accused of posting and sharing tweets on the social media platform that have been regarded as antisemitic.

He's addressed that criticism, where he said they were 'one of the most foolish if not the most foolish thing I’ve ever done on the platform'.

But the tech billionaire insisted he isn't against Jewish people.

“I’m sorry for that tweet or post,” he said.

“I tried my best to clarify, six ways to Sunday, but you know at least I think over time it will be obvious that in fact, far from being antisemitic, I am in fact philosemitic.”

Media Matters for America said antisemitism isn't the only issue that has plagued X/Twitter in the past year.

"Elon Musk has continued his rash of brand unsafe actions — including amplifying conspiracy theories, unilaterally reinstating banned accounts such as that of former President Donald Trump, courting and engaging with far-right accounts, and instituting a haphazard verification scheme that allowed extremists and scammers to purchase a blue check. This last move, in particular, opened the platform up to a variety of fraud and brand imitations," it said in a statement.

Topics: Elon Musk, Twitter, Social Media

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Senior Journalist at LADbible. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign. He is in charge of the LADbible Australia editorial content and social presence.

@stewartperrie