Elon Musk's Defiant Response to Advertiser Blackmail Attempts

• Elon Musk Shares Strong Words at 2023 DealBook Summit
• Advertisers Boycott and the Controversial Posts
• Musk's Stance on Free Speech
• Musk Denies Antisemitism Allegations

Elon Musk Shares Strong Words at 2023 DealBook Summit

During the 2023 DealBook Summit held in New York, Elon Musk, billionaire and proprietor of X, aired his strong views against advertisers he accuses of trying to blackmail him. Musk, in his address, confronted the advertisers contemplating a boycott of the X platform. He stated, if someone's going to try to blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go fend for yourself. He continued with a blunt suggestion, Don't advertise.

Advertisers Boycott and the Controversial Posts

A number of advertisers have instituted a boycott of the platform due to the sharing of antisemitic posts. In a twist, Musk insinuated that his supporters, and those of X, might retaliate by boycotting these advertisers. In a dialogue with interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin, Musk expressed, "I have no problem being hated. Hate away."

Musk's Stance on Free Speech

Musk has been publicly advocating for free speech despite some instances being tagged as "hate speech" by certain users and advertisers. Recently, the tech mogul has been involved in promoting and occasionally verbally backing what the White House referred to as "antisemitic and racist hate" on X, formerly known as Twitter. Several companies such as Disney, Apple amongst others have put on hold their advertising campaigns on the platform.

Musk Denies Antisemitism Allegations

Musk, who is also the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, refutes any claims that he is antisemitic. On X, he emphasized, "Clear calls for extreme violence are against our terms of service and will result in suspension".

Edited by Jonathan Stoker