As the fallout from Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s anti-Semitic remarks grows, advertisements on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) are being halted. Even the U.S. White House joined in the criticism, calling it “an abhorrent act that promotes anti-Semitism and racist hatred.” There is an assessment that the ‘Musk risk’, in which a company suffers damage due to the owner’s scandal, has recurred.
On the 17th (local time), foreign media such as the New York Times (NYT) reported that large entertainment companies such as Apple, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount Global, as well as big tech company IBM, have stopped advertising for X. The European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, also decided to suspend X advertising.
This began when Musk agreed with an article raising an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory posted on X on the 15th, amid the Middle East war between Israel and Hamas. When one user This is one of the anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that Jews are bringing immigrants of other races to reduce the white population in the United States.
Musk also posted a post about the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a non-profit Jewish human rights organization in the United States, saying, “I am truly displeased with the message ADL puts out and all organizations involved in racism.” Without giving specific examples, they claimed that they were spreading anti-white messages. In response to this, White House Deputy Spokesperson Andrew Bates criticized on the 17th, saying, “It is unacceptable to hide behind anti-Semitism and repeat terrible lies.”
As Musk openly expressed his support for anti-Semitic views, several companies took down their advertisements, and even Tesla’s stock price, which had not had any negative news, plunged 3.81% to $233.59 (302,900 won) the next day on the 16th.
On the 18th, Musk criticized the companies that declared a halt to advertising, saying on his He also wrote, “When court opens on Monday, I will file a bombshell lawsuit against everyone who conspired in this fraudulent attack, including Media Matters.” When Media Matters, a left-leaning group, published a report on the 17th stating that advertisements for companies such as IBM, Apple, and Oracle were placed next to X’s anti-Semitic content, this led to the suspension of advertisements by companies such as IBM.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), after Musk acquired Twitter in October last year and changed its name to
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.