The computer giant IBM stops all advertising on Elon Musk’s (52) online platform X (formerly Twitter) after his ads were discovered next to Nazi posts. IBM does not tolerate hate speech and is investigating the “absolutely unacceptable situation,” a spokesman said on Thursday. The computer company wanted to spend around a million dollars on X in the final quarter, as the New York Times reported, citing internal messages from the platform.
Apple and Oracle also affected
A few hours earlier, the organization Media Matters had shown how advertisements from, among others, IBM, Apple and the software company Oracle appeared on X alongside posts with positive statements about Adolf Hitler and the ideology of the National Socialists.
This is far from the first time something like this has happened. Companies have little influence over exactly which posts their advertising is placed next to. The ads are shown more with reference to age target groups, specific areas or user interests. In order to avoid a negative environment for their brands, advertisers rely primarily on X to consistently keep hate speech off the platform. Other online services have also had similar problems with their advertising customers in the past, for example Google’s video platform YouTube. At that time, it tightened content supervision in order to win back advertising customers.
Spending cut
Since Musk bought Twitter a year ago, many companies have had concerns about exactly this and are staying away from the platform or limiting their spending. Musk has said several times that advertising revenue is only about half as high as it was during the Twitter era. At times he tried to incite his followers against renegade advertisers. When there were reports that Apple had cut spending on ads on the platform, Musk visited CEO Tim Cook (63) at its headquarters in Cupertino. The X boss Linda Yaccarino (59), appointed by Musk, promised advertisers a safe environment.
Musk represents political views of the American right and accused the former Twitter leadership of suppressing them. He promised more freedom of speech – all statements that did not violate the law should be allowed. At the same time, his dismissal actions greatly affected the Twitter teams that were supposed to ensure the deletion of hate speech.
Musk complains about racism against white people
The X owner himself caused a new controversy: he endorsed a post that spread an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. It said, among other things, that “hatred against whites” was being spread by the Jews. Musk wrote under the post on Wednesday that it contained the “actual truth.” Musk later added that he was referring to “some groups” such as the Jewish organization Anti-Defamation League (ADL) that spread “effectively anti-white racism and anti-Asian racism.” In further statements, Musk reiterated that, in his view, there is a problem with racism against white people.
ADL boss Jonathan Greenblatt wrote on The American Jewish Committee organization also pointed out that the post supported by Musk contained elements of the conspiracy theory that played a role in the attack on a synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018. The attacker killed eleven people at the time.
Musk has more than 160 million followers on X. After earlier criticism, he emphasized that he had no anti-Semitic views. Yaccarino wrote on X on Thursday that discrimination from all sides must stop.
US investor Ross Gerber raised the question of what consequences Musk’s actions would have for the electric car manufacturer he leads Tesla will have. Musk is not acting in the interests of Tesla, criticized Gerber on the TV channel CNBC. “He destroys everything he has built” and damages the reputation of the car manufacturer. He himself will be replacing his Tesla Model Y with a vehicle from competitor Rivian next year – “and I’m sure the rest of Los Angeles will do the same.”