Amidst calls for Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino to resign in order to preserve her reputation, a number of other corporations are said to have joined Big Blue over the weekend, with IBM spearheading the most recent exodus of advertising from Elon Musk’s social media network.
As we previously reported at the end of last week, IBM removed its advertisements from the platform in response to a Media Matters investigation that revealed multiple advertisements from the company, Apple, Oracle, and other well-known brands had been placed next to antisemitic posts. Musk’s endorsement of the big replacement conspiracy theory—which holds that a global Jewish cabal is attempting to flood majority White countries with minority immigrants—was followed by the Media Matters report itself.
Since then, Media Matters has released a second report claiming to have discovered advertisements for major league baseball, eBay, and the world’s largest pharmaceutical company Bayer adjacent to messages calling for the murder of politicians and LGBTQ activists.
Apple, Disney, Warner Brothers Discovery, Paramount, Lions Gate, Comcast, and IBM appear to have joined forces to boycott X-rated advertising, and CEO Linda Yaccarino is coming under increasing criticism for her choice to stand up for Musk’s antics.
We also observe that corporations as a whole are spending less on advertising. Although there is probably bad information on other social networks as well, we haven’t heard of advertisers leaving those platforms. However, huge risk-averse corporations may be alarmed that the owners of such networks don’t publicly share their opinions on bizarre notions.
“Preserving the right to free expression is more crucial than ever. More than ever, right now “Said Yaccarino on Saturday.
Following the release of the Media Matters study and Musk’s divisive remarks, several advertising executives are said to have reached out to Yaccarino, advising the CEO of X that by staying at the company, she is jeopardizing her reputation as a dealmaker for commercial partnerships and advertising. Forbes reported that it verified the advertising leaders’ entreaties to Yaccarino to resign in order to address the issue of racism and antisemitism on X, but she has thus far refused.
We have not received a response from Twitter on our inquiries over the turbulent recent days.
