X CEO Linda Yaccarino sought to manage fallout as Paramount, Warner Bros, and others withdrew ads
Following Elon Musk’s endorsement of an antisemitic post, Apple decided to halt all advertising on X, formerly Twitter, just two days later. This move triggered a domino effect, with several other major technology and media companies, including IBM, Disney, Lionsgate, Warner Bros, Paramount, Sony Pictures, and Comcast/NBCUniversal, also announcing similar pauses in their ad placements on X. The decision came in the wake of 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.
Following Elon Musk’s endorsement of an antisemitic post, Apple decided to halt all advertising on X, formerly Twitter, just two days later. This move triggered a domino effect, with several other major technology and media companies, including IBM, Disney, Lionsgate, Warner Bros, Paramount, Sony Pictures, and Comcast/NBCUniversal, also announcing similar pauses in their ad placements on X. The decision came in the wake of 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, following 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 engaged in a public dispute with Apple as the company reduced 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, leading to a seeming resolution between the two.
On Thursday, IBM, also counted among X’s significant advertisers, declared its decision to cease advertising on the platform. The move came in response to a Media Matters report that revealed both IBM and Apple’s ads appearing alongside hate speech. Elon Musk, in response, 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, took on 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.
