KUALA LUMPUR – A slew of US tech and entertainment giants, including Apple, Disney, and Warner Bros Discovery, have temporarily stopped their online ad campaigns on X (formerly Twitter) following a controversial comment by platform owner Elon Musk.
Other companies suspending their ad spending on X are Paramount Global, Lions Gate Entertainment, Comcast, and IBM.
Musk had recently agreed with a post accusing “Jewish communities” of pushing “hatred against whites”.
Meanwhile, CNBC reported that IBM’s decision was following its “zero tolerance for hate speech and discrimination and we have immediately suspended all advertising on X while we investigate this entirely unacceptable situation”.
It was also reported that the European Commission informed that it has stopped advertising on X due to “widespread concerns relating to the spread of disinformation”.
However, Musk acknowledged the backlash today with a tweet.
“As I said earlier this week, ‘decolonisation’, ‘from the river to the sea’ and similar euphemisms necessarily imply genocide. Clear calls for extreme violence are against our terms of service and will result in suspension.” – November 18, 2023