Elon Musk softens ‘go f— your self’ remark to woo advertisers

Elon Musk on Wednesday tried to stroll again remarks lashing out at advertisers fleeing his X social media platform.

On the Cannes Lions promoting pageant in Cannes, France, Musk was requested by WPP CEO Mark Learn what he meant by telling advertisers threatening to tug adverts from the platform late final yr to “go f— your self.”

Musk stated it was meant as a common level on free speech reasonably than a remark to the broader promoting business.

“It wasn’t to advertisers as a complete,” Musk stated. “It was with respect to freedom of speech, I believe you will need to have a worldwide free speech platform, the place individuals from a wider vary of opinions can voice their views.”

“In some circumstances, there have been advertisers who had been insisting on censorship,” Musk stated. “On the finish of the day … if we have now to choose between censorship and shedding cash, [or] censorship and cash, or free speech and shedding cash, we will select the second.”

“We’ll help free speech reasonably than comply with be censored for cash which I believe is the appropriate ethical determination,” he added.

Musk flew into Cannes earlier this week with an intention to reassure advert teams and international manufacturers over the way forward for X.

He was joined by Linda Yaccarino, X’s CEO and former chairman of worldwide promoting and partnerships for NBC Common.

Final yr, among the world’s largest advertisers together with Apple, IBM, Disney, and Sony pulled their promoting on X within the wake of controversial feedback made by Musk, in addition to situations of their advert placements being featured alongside poisonous posts.

In November, Musk travelled to Israel to fulfill with native officers after he was accused by civil rights teams of amplifying anti-Jewish hatred on X.

The tech billionaire, requested on the time whether or not this journey was an “apology tour” to advertisers, stated onstage at 2023 DealBook Summit in New York that advertisers threatening to halt spending on adverts on the platform ought to cease promoting on his platform.

“Do not promote,” he stated within the November interview with CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin. “If anyone goes to try to blackmail me with promoting? Blackmail me with cash? Go f— your self.”

Musk on Wednesday backpedalled on his assaults towards advertisers.

“After all, advertisers have a proper to look subsequent to content material they discover suitable with their manufacturers,” he stated. “What shouldn’t be cool is insisting that there will be no content material that they disagree with on the platforms.”

He added: “To ensure that X to be the general public sq. for the world, it actually higher be a free speech platform — that does not imply individuals can say unlawful issues; it is free speech throughout the bounds of the legislation.”

Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the mother or father firm of CNBC.