Walmart is the latest company to pull advertisements from Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter. The superstore corporation said in a statement, “We aren’t advertising on X as we’ve found other platforms to better reach our customers.”
Walmart joins Disney, Apple, and other multi-billion dollar companies in removing advertisements from X. The boycott comes after Elon Musk earlier this month agreed with an X user who falsely claimed members of the Jewish community were stoking hatred against white people. Musk has been vocal about making his social media platform a place for all free speech. However, major companies and many users have noted that this free speech has been known to include “hate speech.”
X has seen difficulty in maintaining advertisers since Musk’s acquisition of the platform last year. The decision to pull advertising from the platform comes after Musk apologized for his comments supporting the aforementioned X post slandering the Jewish community in an interview. However, Musk then proceeded to hurl swears at those companies who halted ads on X, accusing them of blackmail.
Also Read: Elon Musk to Advertisers Trying to Blackmail Him “Go F— Yourself”
A source at a major ad-buying agency, who chooses to remain anonymous, said X ad sales representatives appeared frustrated in the aftermath of Musk’s outburst against brands. Furthermore, the representatives have been tight-lipped on opinions on Musk’s comments.
According to Media Matters, major brands including Apple, Walt Disney, and Warner Bros Discovery have seen their ads appear next to multiple anti-Semetic posts, hence the boycott. In response, many users who support Elon Musk have boycotted these platforms. This includes users cancelling their Disney+ subscriptions and other forms of protest.