IBM has stopped advertising on X, Reuters reported, after a Media Matters report found corporate ads running next to pro-Nazi content on the platform. The move came a day after Elon Musk endorsed an antisemitic post that falsely claimed members of the Jewish community were stoking hatred against white people.
The post Musk replied to on Wednesday was not his first brush with antisemitic tropes. Reuters noted that he has taken part in discussions referencing such conspiracy theories before.
What X said
X’s position is that its system does not intentionally put brands “actively next to this kind of content.” The company also said the material Media Matters cited could no longer earn money from its posts.
Beyond that, X declined to comment and pointed to a statement from CEO Linda Yaccarino, posted on Thursday. “When it comes to this platform – X has also been extremely clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination,” Yaccarino said. “There’s no place for it anywhere in the world – it’s ugly and wrong. Full stop.”
Apple, Oracle and Xfinity did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Criticism
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, answered Musk on X. “At a time when antisemitism is exploding in America and surging around the world, it is indisputably dangerous to use one’s influence to validate and promote antisemitic theories,” he wrote.
On Friday the White House joined in. Spokesman Andrew Bates said it is unacceptable to repeat the “hideous lie” behind the most fatal act of antisemitism in American history. He added that it was worse still to do so one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Reuters carried his remarks, which responded to a Musk post.
The business backdrop
X was already struggling to sell ads. Reuters reported in October, citing third-party data, that monthly U.S. ad revenue had fallen at least 55% year-over-year in every month since Musk bought the company in October 2022.
Musk also runs the electric carmaker Tesla, which faces several lawsuits alleging rampant racial or sexual harassment of workers.
The row came as antisemitism rises in the United States and worldwide. After Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and war broke out, the ADL said antisemitic incidents in the U.S. climbed by nearly 400% over the year-earlier period.
Sources
- lionsgate ad ban x: Apple, IBM, Lionsgate suspend ads on X after Elon Musk endorses anti-Semitic post – The Economic Times
- IBM suspends ads on X after corporate ads appeared next to pro-Nazi content
Sources
- lionsgate ad ban x: Apple, IBM, Lionsgate suspend ads on X after…
- IBM suspends ads on X after corporate ads appeared next to…
