Elon Musk Confronts Advertiser Exodus at DealBook Summit

In a candid and explicit exchange at The New York Times DealBook Summit on Wednesday, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk addressed the advertiser boycott facing his social media platform, X. The controversial entrepreneur did not mince words when expressing his frustration with advertisers abandoning the platform.

During an interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin, Musk exclaimed, “Go f— yourself,” aimed at advertisers participating in the ongoing boycott. He went on to predict dire consequences for the platform, stating, “What this advertising boycott is going to do is, it is going to kill the company. And the whole world will know that those advertisers killed the company.”

The heated remarks came in response to Disney CEO Bob Iger, who had earlier discussed Disney’s decision to pull advertising from X. Musk’s retort was unequivocal, saying, “Don’t advertise. If someone is going to try and blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go f— yourself,” he added, directing the message specifically to Iger.

In the course of the interview, Musk also issued an apology for endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory on X, acknowledging its role in fueling the recent advertiser exodus.

Musk’s comments follow his recent visit to Israel, where he toured a kibbutz attacked by Hamas militants and engaged in talks with top leaders. The CEO has been under scrutiny, with accusations from the Anti-Defamation League and others, claiming that antisemitic messages have been tolerated on X since Musk’s acquisition of the platform last year. The platform, formerly known as Twitter, has faced increased scrutiny during the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Several major brands, including Disney and IBM, ceased advertising on X after a report by liberal advocacy group Media Matters alleged that their ads were appearing alongside pro-Nazi content and White nationalist posts. In response, X filed a lawsuit against Media Matters, accusing the organization of manufacturing the report to “drive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp.”

As the controversy continues, the future of X remains uncertain, with Musk’s candid remarks at the DealBook Summit highlighting the escalating tensions between the platform and its advertisers.