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Elon Musk’s “Go f*ck yourselves” statement to advertisers leaving X has been defended by the social media platform’s chief executive (CEO) Linda Yaccarino, who said that the owner was stating the position of the company.
Writing a post on X that included a video from the now infamous interview, Yaccarino said: “Today, Elon Musk gave a wide-ranging and candid interview at Dealbook 2023. He also offered an apology, an explanation and an explicit point of view about our position.
“X is enabling an information independence that’s uncomfortable for some people. We’re a platform that allows people to make their own decisions. And here’s my perspective when it comes to advertising: X is standing at a unique and amazing intersection of Free Speech and Main Street – and the X community is powerful and is here to welcome you. To our partners who believe in our meaningful work – Thank you.”
Musk has long been driving advertisers away from his platform for racist comments and allowing objectionable content to proliferate. Advertising is by far the majority of the platform’s revenue. The New York Times reported X may lose up to $75 million in revenue as more advertisers pull out. Brands including IBM, Apple and Disney have stopped spending on X in the last month.
“Don’t advertise,” Musk said of brands leaving X while speaking with Andrew Ross Sorkin at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit. “If someone tries to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money – go f*ck yourself,” he told brands departing the social media network.
His blunt response was made while answering questions about the criticism he faced around online posts that have been described as antisemitic.
“Go. F*ck. Yourself. Is that clear? Hey Bob, if you’re in the audience, that’s how I feel.” He repeated to underline his point specifically to Disney chief executive Bob Iger. It also shows that the Tesla owner does not plan to change tact in how he is approaching his claim to back free speech through X.
Musk also warned that the impact of the advertising boycott could be fatal for the company he paid $44 billion for just over a year ago when it was still known as Twitter.
