Amid an outcry over unchecked antisemitic content on social media site X, platform owner Elon Musk today slammed the “bogus media stories,” claiming that he was endorsing such material. In a post on the site, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX blasted what he called the “holier-than-thou hypocrisy of big media companies who lay claim to the truth but publish only enough to sugarcoat it.”
In his post, Musk noted that the company hired a former NBCUniversal executive to rebuild ties with advertisers who fled when he took over X in October 2022. The company has struggled under his leadership, with ad revenue down, regulators hovering, and staff levels at less than 50% of what they once were after layoffs. Civil rights groups have slammed Musk for allowing hateful speech to increase on the site and restoring controversial conservative accounts.
The X post that sparked this week’s backlash was a like of a video from a user who wrote about Jewish communities pushing hatred against whites, an allegation reminiscent of the dangerous conspiracy theory that motivated last year’s deadly attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue that killed 11 people. The statement drew the ire of many users and Jewish groups, who blasted Musk for agreeing with the message.
He wrote that he would sue a nonprofit group that claimed he had been swayed by “the antisemitic propaganda of the ADL.” In addition, he wrote that he had already filed a lawsuit against Media Matters for America, which made a report showing ads for Apple, IBM, Disney, and Oracle running on X next to Hitler and Nazi propaganda.
He continued, “This past week, there were hundreds of bogus media stories claiming that I am antisemitic. Nothing could be further from the truth.” “I wish only the best for humanity and a prosperous and exciting future for all,” he said. The White House has slammed the post as an endorsement of a racist conspiracy theory, and major American companies, including Apple, IBM, Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, and Comcast’s NBCUniversal brand, have paused their advertisements on the site. The ADL has criticized Musk for his statements and said his actions threaten the safety of Jews and other minorities.
It has been a tumultuous time for the tech sector as many companies pull advertising amid growing concern over white nationalism, racism, and bigotry. The controversy also comes as the Trump administration has been implementing a strategy to combat antisemitism and as the Israel-Hamas war has sparked record levels of online hate against Jewish Americans. Some 7,000 hate incidents were reported to the ADL last month, a 40% increase over last year. The White House has condemned the rise in hate incidents and pledged to protect Jewish and minority communities.