It’s a good thing Elon Musk can afford to be canceled because tonight he told his advertisers, “F*** yourself.”
Musk appeared at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit and was pressed by moderator Andrew Ross Sorkin about his Nov. 15 tweet and the fallout from it. He was specifically asked about Disney CEO Bob Iger, who took to the stage earlier Wednesday to explain his company’s decision to remove advertising from the platform.
“I hope they stop,” Musk said, confusing the host, who replied, “You don’t want them to advertise?”
Musk said, “Don’t advertise.”
Ross Sorkin asked, “What do you mean?”
Musk said, “If someone tries to blackmail me with advertising?” Blackmail me with money? Fuck yourself.
“Fuck yourself, is that clear?” Hey Bob, if you’re in the audience. That’s how I feel, don’t advertise.’
Disney wasn’t alone: Companies like Apple, Paramount, Airbnb and Uber pulled their advertising from X – a move that could cost the company $75 million, according to X’s internal documents.
Musk said the advertising boycott could “destroy the company.”
“This advertising boycott will destroy the company,” he said. “And the whole world will know that these advertisers killed the company.”
Linda Yaccarino, CEO of
Elon Musk appeared at the DealBook Summit in New York City on Wednesday
Disney CEO Bob Iger, 72, previously said he would not advertise on X because of Musk’s anti-Semitic tweet. Musk responded, “Fuck you, is that clear?” Hey Bob, if you’re in the audience. That’s how I feel, don’t advertise’
The South African-born billionaire can be seen in conversation with Andrew Ross Sorkin on Wednesday
Musk is seen on Monday with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, visiting Kibbutz Kfar Aza – one of the sites attacked by Hamas on October 7
When asked about his post, Musk said he “has no problem being hated.”
He added: “Essentially I gave the people who hate me a loaded gun.”
Musk complained that the media had ignored his attempts to clarify his post – but insisted that his visit to Israel this week, touring areas devastated by the Oct. 7 attack and meeting with the country’s leaders was not an “apology trip”.
He said his critics should focus on his work.
“We build the best cars,” he said. “Whether you hate me, like me, or don’t care, do you want the best car or not the best car?”
He also apologized for his apparent support of white nationalists.
Musk, who has been heavily criticized by the Anti-Defamation League and the Israeli Foreign Ministry for his previous comments, responded to a man on November 15th
In the video, a father is seen talking to his son about the online hate his son has spread and confronting him about his rhetoric.
The user of
“I am deeply disinterested in making even the slightest bit of crap now about the Western Jewish population coming to the disturbing realization that the hordes of minorities supporting the flooding of their land don’t particularly like them.”
“You want the truth told to your face, there it is.”
Musk, who has 163 million followers, responded: “You told the actual truth.”
On Wednesday, Musk said, “Looking back, I shouldn’t have responded to that particular post.”
But in the face of the advertising boycott, he appeared defiant, accusing the companies of blackmail and telling them – to the shock of the audience: “You can go fuck yourself.”
Musk attempted to clarify his November 15 tweet on November 19th
He again tried to explain the tweet and criticized groups like the Anti-Defamation League that had condemned it.
“What I wanted to say was that it is unwise to support groups that want your destruction,” he said.
Musk has a long history of toying with hypocritical rhetoric toward Jews, particularly George Soros, who angered him by selling his Tesla shares in May.
He also angered people with his response to the Israel-Hamas war.
In the days following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack, Musk was forced to delete a tweet that recommended an anti-Semitic account and a promoter of debunked videos as reliable sources of information about the attack on Israel.
The owner of
Followers were quick to point out that @WarMonitors had repeatedly used “Jew” as a slur on the platform and called on New York supermarket boss Avi Kaner to mind his own business, Jew.
“The guy Musk recommends for information about the escalation between Israel and Hamas is an anti-Semitic account with a history of spreading misinformation,” wrote Sam Sokol of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.