Linda Yaccarino brushes off Elon Musk's 'go f--- yourself' message to fleeing advertisers
Yaccarino said that X, formerly Twitter, is 'enabling an information independence that's uncomfortable for some people'
Elon Musk tells off advertisers who halt spending on X platform
The expletive-laden comments came during Musk's appearance at The New York Times DealBook Summit. (New York Times DealBook Summit)
X CEO Linda Yaccarino seemingly tried to do some clean-up Wednesday after owner Elon Musk told advertisers to "go f---" themselves in an interview earlier that evening.
"Today @elonmusk gave a wide ranging and candid interview at @dealbook 2023," the chief executive of the social media platform formerly called Twitter said in a post. "He also offered an apology, an explanation and an explicit point of view about our position."
"X is enabling an information independence that’s uncomfortable for some people. We’re a platform that allows people to make their own decisions," Yaccarino added.
ELON MUSK TELLS ADVERTISERS WHO LEFT X: ‘GO F--- YOURSELF'
Musk, who bought X just over a year ago for tens of billions of dollars, used expletives Wednesday evening while explaining to New York Times DealBook editor-at-large Andrew Ross Sorkin at the outlet’s summit how he felt about companies halting X ads earlier in the month.
Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino sent a memo to employees on Monday where she outlined her vision for the social media platform. (Richard Bord/Getty Images for Cannes Lions / Getty Images)
"If someone’s going to try and blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go f--- yourself. Go f--- yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is … that’s how I feel, don’t advertise," he said.
DISNEY'S IGER ON HALTING X ADS: ASSOCIATION WITH MUSK, PLATFORM NOT ‘A POSITIVE ONE FOR US’
X saw some companies such as Disney, IBM, Apple and Lionsgate cease advertising in mid-November.
That happened after Musk commented an X user had "said the actual truth" after that person alleged Jewish communities have spread "hatred against whites." The tech billionaire said he was sorry for the post on Wednesday and reiterated that he condemned antisemitism.
Tesla and SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk gestures during an in-conversation event with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Lancaster House in London on Nov. 2. (Kirsty Wigglesworth - WPA Pool/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The ad halt by companies also followed Media Matters for America reporting X ads for certain firms and antisemitic content had shown up adjacent to each other. X has since lodged a defamation complaint against the outlet over the report that it claimed left a "false impression that these pairings are anything but what they actually are: manufactured, inorganic and extraordinarily rare."
ELON MUSK'S X FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST MEDIA MATTERS, ALLEGES MANIPULATION OF DATA ON PLATFORM
Yaccarino went on to offer her perspective on advertising in her X post, saying, "X is standing at a unique and amazing intersection of Free Speech and Main Street – and the X community is powerful and is here to welcome you. To our partners who believe in our meaningful work – Thank You."
In this photo illustration, a Twitter logo is seen on a smartphone and Linda Yaccarino's Twitter webpage on a computer screen. (Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images | LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The former NBCUniversal executive also defended X earlier in the month, saying that the company has "always been very clear that discrimination by everyone should STOP across the board."
Yaccarino officially took over as CEO in June, when Musk passed the torch and moved into a role more focused on product design and technology. His acquisition of the company cost $44 billion.
Bradford Betz contributed to this report.