Elon Musk scoffs at advertisers leaving X because of his controversial posts: “If somebody's going to try to blackmail me with advertising ... go fuck yourself”

- In recent weeks, Musk has promoted and sometimes verbally endorsed what the White House called “antisemitic and racist hate” …

CNBC 2023-11-30 Lora Kolodny

Context & Ripple Effects

X had already tried to reassure advertisers that the platform would not become a free-for-all, but Apple’s pause in X advertising after Musk’s endorsement and ad-placement concerns showed how quickly brand-safety objections could translate into lost spending.

Musk’s public rejection of advertisers’ demands turns a reputational dispute into a sharper commercial rupture. Related coverage indicates that agencies were subsequently advising some brands not to return or to stop posting on the platform.

First-order effects

Advertisers weighing brand-safety risk face a clearer signal that Musk is unwilling to accommodate pressure tied to his posts, increasing the likelihood that existing pauses become longer-term pullbacks.
X’s ad-sales organization must contend with weakened confidence among large brands while its owner publicly frames their spending decisions as coercion.

Second-order effects

Marketing agencies gain stronger grounds to recommend withholding spend or activity on X, potentially concentrating the platform’s advertiser losses among brands with the strictest reputational controls.
X’s effort to attract smaller advertisers and use outside sales help becomes more consequential as it accelerates outreach to SMB ad buyers, who may be less able to replace major-brand budgets individually.

Third-order effects

If this posture persists, X’s advertising business could shift from a broad, brand-safe marketplace toward a more fragmented buyer base, with revenue less dependent on large agencies and marquee brands.
The episode also points to a more adversarial platform–advertiser relationship, in which disputes over moderation and executive speech are handled through public confrontation rather than shared brand-safety standards.

The trend: This is one data point in the widening split between platform owners’ speech choices and advertisers’ ability to enforce brand-safety expectations through spending.

Discussion

@malwaretech Marcus Hutchins on threads
You can't tell me Elon Musk isn't a conspiracy created by Big Zuckerberg to save the advertising model by getting Threads users to beg for ads
@drewharwell Drew Harwell on threads
Elon Musk: The advertisers conspire against me, even now their betrayal of our planet grows, I will see each one dismantled even if I must wield the blade myself Linda Yaccarino: Happy wacky Wednesday, Xsters! Did you know use of the 😜 emoji is up 15% over last quarter? We valu…
@bobschooley @bobschooley on threads
Still would like to know what level national security clearance Musk has.
@kevinmkruse Kevin Kruse on threads
Honestly, “go f*ck yourself” should be the message to anyone who *is* still advertising on Twitter
@goldengateblond Shauna Wright on threads
watch him. he lives in such a bubble of reply-guys that he really thought this would be an applause line. (it falls flatter than an X revenue report.)
@chancerydaily @chancerydaily on threads
the best part of Elon calling Andrew Ross Sorkin “his friend Jonathan” is that Andrew Ross Sorkin's name was literally plastered directly behind his head from Elon's POV
@kenpopehat Ken White on threads
Musk apologized for the “truth” tweet endorsing Great Replacement theory, but I get a strong sense he didn't understand why he was apologizing or why it offended, any more than he understands why endorsing pizzagate freaked people out. That's why it will keep happening.
@dankim312 Dan Kim on threads
When I worked at Twitter and and all the Musk stuff started going down, I joked/hoped that maybe our final, greatest contribution to society would be that Twitter would be his undoing, the thing that took him down So far so good
@lorakolodny Lora Kolodny on threads
Sorkin broke it to Musk, “Those advertisers are gonna say, 'we didn't kill the company,' They're gonna say ‘Elon... you said these things and they were inappropriate things,’ and they didn't feel comfortable on the platform.” Musk defensively snapped at him, “Let's see how Earth…
@fiona.badeaux @fiona.badeaux on threads
Also Musk at DealBook Summit 👇 “Jonathan, the only reason I'm here is because you're a friend.” “...I'm Andrew.”
@davidfrenchjag David French on threads
No company is entitled to my money or anyone's money. Refusing to advertise with a company because you don't like that company's values or brand isn't “blackmail,” it's free expression and the free market. The problem isn't with “woke” corporations. It's with Elon's sewer. …
@wsaletan Will Saletan on threads
Full credit to Elon. He doesn't just preach GFY; he runs his own company that way.
@kenpopehat Ken White on threads
He overpowered the crowd with his remarkable charisma
@moskov Dustin Moskovitz on threads
This headline seems incorrect. Iger clearly said they pulled advertising due to the post Elon apologized for, not other people's posts. So the apology was given under duress? And then Elon calls out Bob specifically in the audience after GFY to ensure the apology wouldn't take…
@fmanjoo Farhad Manjoo on threads
Elon: companies who don't advertise on X are killing the company and the public will punish them severely also Elon: Tesla doesn't advertise anywhere
@laurengoode Lauren Goode on threads
Musk's reaction to brands pulling advertising from X is a classic “you can't break up with me, I'm breaking up with you” position. The only (big) problem: It's existential for X. Also, Disney is currently valued at nearly $170 billion. X, a fraction of that https://www.wired.co…
@reckless1280 Nilay Patel on threads
Reminder that Elon bought what he thought was a monopoly and his fury at advertisers for leaving is because he thought they couldn't
@oneunderscore__ Ben Collins on threads
Oh no! Oh well.
@msignorile Michelangelo Signorile on threads
He also blames the advertisers themselves for destroying the platform by leaving, never mentions MM
@mattnavarra Matt Navarra on threads
Good luck trying to sell ads on X, Linda Yaccarino 💀
@realjuddlegum Judd Legum on threads
Seems like this could be a problem in X's suit against Media Matters, if it's not thrown out on a motion to dismiss. How can Musk claim damages from losing advertisers, when he's not interested in having advertisers?
@eric.young310 Eric Young on threads
Apple is like Disney, and other companies that protect their brand above all else. Every person that works there, works on a project for them, or is talent - knows about their reputation to never step out of line If a young Disney star steps out of line - a picture comes out of …
@pkafka Peter Kafka on threads
One thing that never gets addressed in these Twitter ad boycott stories: Why are the likes of Apple and Disney advertising there in the first place? Remember: Twitter is small! Advertisers don't reach many people there. In the pre-Musk days, ad reps dealt with that by telling …
@moskov Dustin Moskovitz on threads
At Dealbook today, Xitter CEO Linda Yaccarino sent a defiant message to former advertisers via her CTO: if winning your revenue means holding back on antisemitism, then “no thanks!”
@keithedwards Keith Edwards on threads
Catching up on the news. Elon Musk remains an amazing Director of User Acquisition for Threads.
@parkerortolani Parker Ortolani on threads
I know Zuck said they should wait until they get to a billion users to launch advertising but hell they should just do it now
@mollyjongfast Molly Jong-Fast on threads
Makes me grateful to be sober
@malwaretech Marcus Hutchins on threads
As bad as I thought that Elon interview was gonna be, it was somehow 10x worse. His movements and expressions look like he's completely out of it, and he seems to have deluded himself into believing that not only is the world going to be super mad if Twitter dies, but they'll bl…
@drewharwell Drew Harwell on threads
A defiant and visibly upset Elon Musk on stage at NYT DealBook Summit says of advertisers threatening to boycott: “Don't advertise. ... If somebody did try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself. Go. Fuck. Yourself. Is that clear?” …
@brianstelter Brian Stelter on threads
“What this advertising boycott is going to do, it's going to kill the company,” Musk said. “And the whole world will know that those advertisers killed the company. [We] will document it in great detail.”
@taylorlorenz Taylor Lorenz on threads
At the Dealbook summit, with X CEO Linda Yaccarino sitting in the room, Elon Musk just told advertisers — including Disney CEO Bob Iger — to go fuck themselves. “Don't advertise... If somebody did try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself. …
@rodhilton@mastodon.social Rod Hilton on mastodon
New birdsite sidebar just dropped — [image]
@lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org Lauren Weinstein on mastodon
Ya' know, one day Elon may wake up in the morning and just decide to shut down Twitter/X that day and be done with it. That's the “glass half full” view, of course.
@lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org Lauren Weinstein on mastodon
Magic 8 Ball says: “The world will keep spinning if Twitter/X vanishes from the face of the Earth.”
@alexwild@mastodon.online Alex Wild on mastodon
If nothing else, Mr. Musk has done us the great favor of killing the illusion that wealth somehow implies merit.
@dangillmor@mastodon.social Dan Gillmor on mastodon
The New York Times continues to send advertising money to Elon Musk — who hates journalism and boosts extremists. — The New York Times allows/encourages its journalists to pour their work into the malignant platform. — The New York Times hosts Musk at an event. He tells his …
@jpanzer@mastodon.social John Panzer on mastodon
@taylorlorenz This is exactly the kind of stable genius I want my investment advisor to bet on.
@taylorlorenz@mastodon.social Taylor Lorenz on mastodon
Andrew Ross Sorkin asks Musk about his mental state and Musk dove into how his mental state is admittedly stormy, not in a good way, then said: — “My life is finite, really a flash in the pan in a galactic timescale.”
@taylorlorenz@mastodon.social Taylor Lorenz on mastodon
“Just because it came out of my mouth, doesn't mean it's true,” Elon Musk later said at the Dealbook summit.
@ianRobinson@mastodon.social Ian Robinson on mastodon
We can hope. And if it does we can't thank the companies. — “What this advertising boycott is going to do is, it is going to kill the company,” Musk said Wednesday. “And the whole world will know that those advertisers killed the company.” …
@lindayax Linda Yaccarino on x
Today @elonmusk 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...
@andrewrsorkin Andrew Ross Sorkin on x
Watch my conversation with @ElonMusk: https://twitter.com/...
@lucas_shaw Lucas Shaw on x
I swear we need a media literacy course for billionaires/everyone.
@jyarow Jay Yarow on x
Elon Musk's mind is a dark storm. Elon Musk is remaking X in his own image.
@davidsacks David Sacks on x
Imagine if Bob Iger called the publisher of the NYT demanding a change in coverage or Disney would pull all of its advertising, how would Sulzberger respond if he had any integrity: “Go F yourself.” It's a reasonable response to being strong-armed.
@davidsacks David Sacks on x
To the extent that Fortune 500 companies have been hoaxed off the platform, advertising on X is probably a really good deal for small businesses right now.
@rmac18 Ryan Mac on x
can't wait for the internal directive to go out to X salespeople giving them talking points on how to explain their boss telling customers to go fuck themselves
@meidas_laurena @meidas_laurena on x
“If somebody's gonna try to blackmail me with advertising,” he said, “Go f—yourself.” Elon added, “Don't advertise.” He also told interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin, “I have no problem being hated. Hate away.” https://www.cnbc.com/...
@brianstelter Brian Stelter on x
Musk calls it “blackmail.” The better phrase is “the free market.” [video]
@minimaxir Max Woolf on x
Apparently not all happens on X.
@rmac18 Ryan Mac on x
With X CEO Linda Yaccarino sitting in the room, Elon Musk just told advertisers who have pulled out of X — including Disney CEO Bob Iger — to go fuck themselves.
@larakate Lara Cohen on x
We had literally a best in class sales team at Twitter. Even when our product was being out innovated, & other platforms delivered better results and bigger audiences they crushed & saved the company numerous times just bc advertisers liked them more. An insult to what they built
@sawyermerritt Sawyer Merritt on x
In response to advertisers that have backed away from X because of his comments, Musk said he views their pauses in spending as “blackmail” and said “go fuck yourself.” NYT: Elon did apologize for his post endorsing the white-nationalist theory. If it encouraged antisemites, he..…
@nicklongo Nick Longo on x
Elon Musk on @CNBC. I'm sure this will get advertisers back on your failing platform & new ones lined up. “Don't advertise. If someone is going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself. Go fuck yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is.” [vid…
@loupas Lou Paskalis on x
Thank you, @elonmusk, for making it very clear how seriously you take advertisers concerns in answer to @andrewrsorkin's question at @dealbook conference just moments ago. #Advertisers, judge for yourselves if this is a man who you can do business with. [video]
@yashar Yashar Ali on x
Elon Musk in response to advertisers like Disney pulling their ads on Twitter/X: “Don't advertise...go fuck yourself. Go. Fuck. Yourself. Is that clear?” [video]
@kyliebytes Kylie Robison on x
i'm genuinely asking here @lindayaX — why do you continue to defend the way elon treats your staff, your users, and your customers? what do these empty twitter platitudes do for who you're employed to serve?
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
If you heard the applause just now during the Elon Musk interview which he acknowledged, it was mostly from and led by a single row of supporters directly in front of me. I'm still processing this interview and this person on stage. Sorkin is doing a strong interview.
@sfmnemonic Mike Godwin on x
[Lunacy is a harsh mistress.] Unhinged Elon Musk Tells Advertisers: ‘Go F-ck Yourself’ https://www.rollingstone.com/ ... via @RollingStone
@danprimack Dan Primack on x
Musk says “Jonathan, I'm only here because you're a friend.” (his name is Andrew)
@stephenking Stephen King on x
Musk to advertisers: “Go fuck yourself.” Is that his idea of the soft sell?
@kantrowitz Alex Kantrowitz on x
Musk just told boycotting X advertisers to go fuck themselves, and warned of the backlash if they kill X. “Let the chips fall where they may.”
@altcap Brad Gerstner on x
The most ironic explanation usually prevails. OpenAI = super closed source profit maximizing AI. @elonmusk 🔥 [image]
@danprimack Dan Primack on x
Musk says that the “absolute truth” post was the most foolish thing he's ever posted here, and reiterated his subsequent clarifications. Still don't know why he didn't just pull it down. Could have solved a lot of his self-inflicted problems. It's still up.
@buccocapital BuccoCapital Guy on x
It's not wokeness. The ad units stink! They stink! If the ads were good the F500 companies would be here. Elon could launch their CEOs into the sun and they'd be here. But they stink! How many times have companies boycotted Meta only to return to Daddy Zuck b/c the ads work?
@sarafischer Sara Fischer on x
Reminder that X is much more heavily reliant on big brands for ad revenue — particularly in sports and entertainment — than most social media platforms.
r/elonmusk r on reddit
Elon Musk to Advertisers Who Left X: “Go F*** Yourself”
r/Destiny r on reddit
Elon musk has a message to any advertiser who want to leave x/twitter
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on threads
It's like the Trump era where every other statement or action would have been a scandal in a previous era but it's just too much to react to.
@jyarow Jay Yarow on threads
Elon Musk admitted he was throttling the NYT and it just kinda slipped past. He also implied Muslims are inherently antisemitic and that just slipped through.
@kenpopehat Ken White on threads
“Okay. Let's move on from the Jews and talk about vegetarianism and your love of dogs.”
@drewharwell Drew Harwell on threads
.@sorkinsays asks Musk if X throttled traffic to NYT. It did; we proved it: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Musk says X requires everyone to buy a subscription, which doesn't answer the question, and is likely a reference to this: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Sorkin m…
@waxmonkey.bsky.social @waxmonkey.bsky.social on bluesky
did he say this before or after “fuck you advertisers”
@rmac18 Ryan Mac on x
Elon Musk said on stage that news outlets and critics took his post engaging with a white nationalist conspiracy theory out of context. He said his other replies further clarified what he meant. Here are his replies. He says “minority groups” are the “primary threat” of Jewish…
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on x
Good take by ⁦@kimmasters⁩ Linda Yaccarino, Elon Musk and X: Behind the Mess, Ad Exodus - The Hollywood Reporter https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
@nsedef Sedef on x
I said her acceptance of this gig would bring ruin to her reputation and credibility + track record... even before her first day. Before I knew the flags on her prior performance & failings detailed here: “Linda Yaccarino's Very Unmerry X Mess” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ …
@halmarshall2309 Hal Marshall on x
“When Elon Musk announced last May that he was naming Linda Yaccarino the CEO of the company that I will always call Twitter, few people outside of the media business had any idea who she was.”
@nash076 @nash076 on x
Oh, @lindayaX was one of THOSE managers. Now shit makes a lot more sense. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ... [image]
@thr @thr on x
Former NBCUniversal ad sales chief and current X CEO Linda Yaccarino thought she could manage the mercurial Elon Musk. Her former colleagues are baffled at the result: “She let her ego get the best of her” https://thr.cm/oLzZHvA
r/EnoughMuskSpam r on reddit
Linda Yaccarino's Very Unmerry X Mess - “I had never heard of Linda Yaccarino before her joining X, but was she this ridiculous in her last job?”
r/Twitter r on reddit
Linda Yaccarino's Very Unmerry X Mess; The former NBCUniversal ad sales chief thought she could manage the mercurial Elon Musk. …

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