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After Musk’s anti-Semitic comments, a significant number of advertisers quickly abandoned his social media platform, X. This incident brought to light the controversies surrounding Musk and his platform, which had been facing mounting criticism for its promotion of anti-Semitic and racist content since Musk’s acquisition of the company in 2022.
The controversy began on Thursday when Musk endorsed a false post on X that accused Jewish communities of spreading animosity towards white people. The post also referred to a conspiracy theory that suggests Jews played a role in encouraging the migration of people of color to Western nations. This theory has been linked to the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, where 11 people lost their lives at the hands of an individual who believed in these conspiracies.
In response to the user’s post, Musk commented, “You said the pure truth.” This endorsement by Musk further fueled the outrage and intensified the backlash against him and his platform.
The subsequent Media Matters for America article exposed the presence of major brand advertisements alongside “pró-nazista” (pro-Nazi) messages on X. Brands such as Apple, Bravo, Oracle, Xfinity, and IBM were identified as having their ads displayed alongside hateful content. This revelation caused an immediate uproar and prompted swift action from these advertisers.
Following the publication of the article, Musk retaliated by labeling Media Matters as a “nefarious organization” in a social media message. However, his response did little to mitigate the growing concerns and condemnation from various sectors, including prominent figures within the Jewish community.
A group of 164 Jewish leaders, including rabbis, artists, and academics with diverse ideologies, issued a joint statement condemning the “antissemitismo no X” (anti-Semitism on X). They accused Musk of propagating anti-Semitism and called for a united effort from large corporations to withdraw their support from X.
IBM promptly announced that it would suspend its advertising on X while conducting an investigation into the situation. Lionsgate, an entertainment company, also pledged to halt its advertisements on the platform. The European Commission (EC) went a step further by requesting all its services to suspend advertising campaigns on X due to concerns about potential misinformation.
The situation escalated further when Musk declared that X Corp would be taking “thermonuclear action” against Media Matters and all those involved in what he deemed a fraudulent attack on his company. Subsequently, prominent companies such as Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Comcast, Lions Gate Entertainment, and Paramount Global followed suit by withdrawing their advertisements from X. Even Apple, the world’s largest company by market capitalization, announced its decision to join the boycott.
In response to the growing backlash, Musk defended X, accusing Media Matters of misrepresenting the platform’s true experience to undermine free speech and mislead advertisers. Musk claimed that Media Matters had created a separate account to deceive advertisers about X’s content.
However, civil liberties organizations argue that since Musk’s acquisition of X in October 2022, the platform’s reduction in content moderation has resulted in an increase in hate speech. This has prompted advertisers to distance themselves from X, as they do not want to be associated with such harmful content.
The White House also joined the condemnation, denouncing Musk’s endorsement of the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory as “horrible.” They accused him of promoting anti-Semitic practices and racist hatred that goes against American values.
Musk’s controversies extend beyond X. As the CEO of Tesla, an electric vehicle manufacturer, he has faced multiple legal proceedings alleging racism, as well as claims of unprovoked physical and sexual assault on employees.
The rise in global anti-Semitism, including the United States, has become a cause for concern. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reports that incidents of anti-Semitism increased by over 400% in the United States following the outbreak of the Israel-Palestine conflict involving the militant group Hamas on October 7.
The fallout from Musk’s anti-Semitic comments and the subsequent withdrawal of advertisers have further intensified the spotlight on the issue of hate speech and the responsibility of social media platforms in combating it. The incident serves as a reminder of the challenges faced in creating a safe and inclusive online environment.
