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Elon Musk’s endorsement of an anti-Semitic post caused Apple to pause advertising on X, sources told Axios. The iPhone maker has been one of the biggest advertisers on X, and it remains to be seen when it resumes ad campaigns on the platform.
The controversy started on Wednesday when Elon Musk endorsed an X post claiming Jewish communities support “dialectical hatred against whites.” In response to the post, Musk said, “You have said the actual truth.” Following the move, 164 Jewish rabbis and activists called Big Tech companies to stop advertising on X. The critics also asked Apple and Google to remove the X app from their stores.
Elon Musk’s response to an anti-Semitic post makes Apple stop advertising on X
Apple has already complained its ads appear next to the far-right content. Yet, the company needs to clarify the real reason behind halting advertising on X. As per a report by nonprofit Media Matters for America, Apple, IBM, Amazon, and Oracle ads have appeared alongside far-right content on X.
In response, X CEO Linda Yaccarino said on Thursday that the company has been “extremely clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination.” She added, “There’s no place for it anywhere in the world — it’s ugly and wrong. Full stop.”
Musk’s response to that anti-Semitic post also prompted the White House to react. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement, “It is unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie behind the most fatal act of Antisemitism in American history at any time, let alone one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”
While X hasn’t yet responded to Apple’s decision, a platform’s executive noted they did a “sweep” on accounts, and errant accounts are not monetizable anymore. The executive added that X does not “intentionally” place brand ads next to far-right content and doesn’t support this type of content by ad placement. X also made the headlines last month after it monetized an account with a history of mocking a child’s suicide.
Besides Apple, Lions Gate Entertainment is another company that stopped advertising on X. Elon Musk’s move could make more advertisers pull out from the platform, putting X ad revenues in a critical situation.