Apple has decided to suspend its advertising on X, formerly known as Twitter, following an incident where the platform’s owner, Elon Musk, expressed support for a post addressing the Jewish community.
The controversy unfolded when a user on X, @breakingbaht, also known as ‘The Artist Formerly Known as Eric,’ posted content claiming that Jewish communities were promoting hatred against whites.
The user asserted, “Jewish communities have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them.”
The post continued with inflammatory remarks about Western Jewish populations.
Elon Musk responded to the controversial post, stating, “You have said the actual truth,” drawing criticism for endorsing the statement.
Axios reported on Friday that Apple has decided to halt all advertising on X in response to the controversy.
Notably, Apple, Google, Amazon, and Disney have received requests from 164 Jewish rabbis and activists to cease advertising on X, with additional calls for Apple and Google to remove X from their platforms.
The White House also weighed in on the matter, with spokesperson Andrew Bates condemning the post as “unacceptable” and highlighting the sensitivity of the issue, especially given the recent surge in antisemitic acts.
Bates emphasized that repeating such falsehoods contributes to antisemitism, referencing it as the most fatal act in American history.
In response to the backlash, Linda Yaccarino, X’s CEO, addressed the situation in a post on Thursday.
Yaccarino reaffirmed the platform’s commitment to combating antisemitism and discrimination, emphasizing that there is no place for such sentiments anywhere in the world, deeming them as both ugly and wrong.
The incident has sparked a wider conversation about social media responsibility and the role of prominent figures in endorsing or condemning divisive content.