- Elon Musk endorsed an antisemitic post on Wednesday, calling it “the actual truth.”
- Ads have also appeared next to pro-Nazi posts on Musk’s platform, non-profit Media Matters reported.
- X workers got calls from advertisers asking about both incidents, NYT reported.
X owner Elon Musk is facing growing criticism after endorsing an antisemitic post on his platform.
Some X employees are facing the brunt of the uproar, and are reportedly getting calls from advertisers asking about Musk’s comments, according to The New York Times. The advertisers have also been asking about a recent report from non-profit Media Matters that found that ads from major companies have also been appearing next to pro-Nazi and pro-white nationalist posts on Musk’s platform.
The uproar began when Musk responded in agreement on Wednesday to a post that said that Jewish communities were pushing hatred against white people. X user @BreakingBaht said that “western Jewish populations” were coming to the “disturbing realization that those hordes of minorities that support flooding their country” don’t like them. The post was quickly criticized as echoing the “great replacement theory,” which is a common belief among white supremacists. The theory accuses marginalized racial and ethnic groups of coming to the US and other predominantly white countries to take over the population and eradicate white people.
“You have said the actual truth,” Musk replied to the post.
IBM has suspended advertising on X after ads for the company were shown next to pro-Nazi content. IBM said in a previous statement to Business Insider that it has “zero tolerance for hate speech and discrimination.” IBM also pulled back on a deal to spend $1 million in advertising on X during the end of 2023.
X has also been placing advertisements next to major companies like Apple, Oracle, and Xfinity, according to Media Matters. BI has reached out to those companies for comment.
X CEO Linda Yaccarino posted a response to claims of antisemitism on X Thursday afternoon.
“X has been extremely clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination. There’s no place for it anywhere in the world,” she said.
Some users on X responded to Yaccarino’s post, asking her if X owner Musk was aware of this stance and requesting that she relay her message to him.
Antisemitic posts from X users, which were flagged by Media Matters, will now be labeled as “sensitive media,” an X executive told Business Insider in a statement.
Some in the tech community have also spoken up about Musk’s comments. Dustin Moskovitz, cofounder of Facebook and CEO of Asana, said in a Threads post that Musk should resign all of his leadership positions. Musk leads six companies including X, SpaceX, and Tesla.
Tesla investor Ross Gerber, CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management, said he plans to ditch his Tesla for a Rivian and that his clients are “pissed off.”
“Getting a flood of messages from clients wanting out of tesla and anything to do with Elon Musk,” he wrote on X. “Many saying they are selling their cars as well. What is he doing to the tesla brand??!!?!?”
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