CEO Linda Yaccarino of X attempts to handle the aftermath as Paramount, Warner Bros, and other entities retract advertisements
After Elon Musk endorsed an antisemitic post, Apple decided to suspend all advertising on X, formerly known as Twitter, just two days later. This decision had a cascading effect, as several other major technology and media companies, including IBM, Disney, Lionsgate, Warner Bros, Paramount, Sony Pictures, and Comcast/NBCUniversal, also announced similar pauses in their ad placements on X. The move followed a report indicating that Apple’s ads had appeared alongside tweets praising Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. IBM had taken a similar action the night before, and Disney was reported by The New York Times to be suspending spending on the social media platform as well.
As of November 2022, Apple had been one of the social network’s major advertisers, spending up to $100 million annually. However, after Elon Musk’s acquisition in November 2022, Apple claimed it had “largely ceased” advertising on X in December 2022, despite conflicting financial data from ad analytics. Subsequently, Twitter experienced a significant decline in its business, marked by advertisers departing, regulatory scrutiny, dwindling user numbers, and a staff level below 50% of its pre-Musk era. Researchers have noted a troubling surge in antisemitic and racist posts on the platform since Musk’s controversial acquisition.
In December 2022, Musk entered into a public dispute with Apple as the company scaled back its advertising. Musk questioned online whether Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, and his employees “hate free speech in America” and shared a meme about “going to war” with Apple, which he later deleted. Shortly afterward, Cook invited Musk to Apple’s corporate headquarters, seemingly resolving the tension between the two.
On Thursday, IBM, also among X’s significant advertisers, announced its decision to halt advertising on the platform. The move was prompted by a Media Matters report that revealed both IBM and Apple’s ads appearing alongside hate speech. In response, Elon Musk labeled Media Matters as an “evil organization.”
An IBM spokesperson stated, “IBM has zero tolerance for hate speech and discrimination, and we have immediately suspended all advertising on X while we investigate this entirely unacceptable situation.”
Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X and former advertising sales chief at NBC Universal, assumed the role of damage control for Musk on Thursday. She emphasized X’s unwavering stance against discrimination and the need for it to cease universally. Notably, she refrained from mentioning Musk’s name or directly addressing his tweets.