In a fierce attack on social media platforms on Thursday morning, X owner billionaire Elon Musk criticized Disney CEO Bob Iger, demanding that Iger suspend advertising on Facebook and Instagram due to recent allegations that content on those platforms facilitates child trafficking and sexual abuse. Musk continued his assault on Disney over its decision to withdraw advertising from the X platform.
Main Facts
In a tweet on X on Thursday morning, Musk linked to a CNBC report discussing a lawsuit filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, accusing Facebook and its parent company Meta of facilitating the distribution of child sexual abuse materials on those platforms and Meta’s inability to identify predator networks on its sites – which Meta denied.
In his tweet, Musk asked why Disney does not launch an “advertising boycott” against Meta’s platforms, asserting that Iger “supports this material” (Forbes reached out to Disney for comment).
Musk has faced significant backlash in recent weeks over his controversial comments on X, as the Left-Wing Monitoring Organization reported critically that some ads on X from companies like Apple and IBM appeared next to Nazi content, after Musk endorsed a post on X widely described as anti-Semitic.
Key Background
Musk, whose tenure as head of X has lasted one year, has faced numerous criticisms over concerns related to hate speech and content moderation policies on the platform. He was criticized extensively last month after endorsing a post on X from an account claiming that “Jewish communities were pushing the same kind of controversial hatred against whites who claim they want people to stop using it against them” (Musk later apologized for the comment). The platform also faced sharp criticism last month after a report from the Left-Wing Monitoring Organization found that there were ads on X from several major companies including Apple, IBM, and Oracle appearing next to Nazi posts. Musk then filed a defamation lawsuit against the Left-Wing Monitoring Organization, claiming that the organization’s report was “completely distorted of the actual experience on X.” In the following days, several major companies suspended their ads from the platform, including Apple, Disney, IBM, Lionsgate, and Xfinity, with Apple announcing to Forbes that it “does not tolerate hate speech and discrimination.”
Main Criticism
In his speech at the New York Times DealBook summit last week, Musk pleaded with advertisers that had left the platform to return, arguing that they were “extorting him” financially by pulling their ads. In the fiery exchange, Musk told advertisers to “go to hell,” and at one point, addressed Iger by name saying “Hi Bob.”
Surprising Fact
Hours after the New York Times summit, a group of right-wing accounts on X led a campaign on the platform urging Disney+ subscribers to cancel their accounts, with the right-wing X account “End Wokeness” stating: “Stop giving money to people who hate you.”
Our estimates suggest that Musk’s net worth exceeds $245 billion, making him the richest person in the world and the owner of SpaceX, Tesla, and X.
Further Reading
Apple And Disney Pull X Ads After Musk’s Promotion Of Antisemitic Post—Joining These Other Companies
Elon Musk Says Advertisers That Have Left X Shouldn’t Come Back
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