Musk regrets controversial post but won't bow to advertiser 'blackmail'

Musk regrets controversial post but won't bow to advertiser 'blackmail'

Elon Musk's comments at the New York Times' Dealbook conference drew a shocked silence
Elon Musk's comments at the New York Times' Dealbook conference drew a shocked silence. Photo: Slaven Vlasic / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFP
Source: AFP

Elon Musk apologized Wednesday for endorsing a social media post widely seen as anti-Semitic, but accused advertisers who are turning away from his social media platform X of "blackmail" and said anyone who does so can "go fuck yourself."

The remark before corporate executives at the New York Times' Dealbook conference drew a shocked silence.

Earlier, Musk had apologized for what he called "literally the worst and dumbest post that I've ever done."

In a comment on X, formerly Twitter, Musk on November 15 called a post "the actual truth" that said Jewish communities advocated a "dialectical hatred against whites," which was criticized as echoing longtime conspiracy theory among White supremacists.

The statement prompted a flood of departures from X of major advertisers, including Apple, Disney, Comcast and IBM who criticized Musk for anti-semitism.

Read also

COP28 president denies using climate talks to push oil deals

"I'm sorry for that tweet or post," Musk said Wednesday. "It was foolish of me."

He told interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin that his post had been misinterpreted and that he had sought to clarify the remark in subsequent posts to the thread.

But Musk also said he wouldn't be beholden to pressure from advertisers.

"If somebody's gonna try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money?" Musk said. "Go fuck yourself."

But the billionaire acknowledged that there were business implications to the advertiser actions.

"If the company fails... it will fail because of an advertiser boycott" Musk said. "And that will be what will bankrupt the company."

Musk, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to Israel earlier this week, insisted in the interview that he holds no discrimination against Jews, calling himself "philo-Semitic," or an admirer of Judaism.

Read also

Man's hilarious struggle to fit big TV into his VW Polo has South Africans entertained on TikTok

During the interview, Musk wore a necklace given to him by a parent of an Israeli hostage taken in the Hamas attack on October 7. The necklace reads, "Bring Them Home."

Musk told Sorkin that the Israel trip had been planned earlier and was not an "apology tour" related to the controversial tweet.

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.