CEO of a social media company threatens to sue media watchdog for claiming that advertisements were running next to antisemitic content

Following the halting of major US firms' advertisements on Elon Musk's social media platform due to concerns around antisemitism, Musk declared he would launch a "thermonuclear lawsuit" against Media Matters and other parties.

Corporate commercials from IBM, Apple, Oracle, and Comcast's Xfinity were found to be running alongside antisemitic content, including praise for Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, according to a report released earlier this week by media watchdog Media Matters.

As a result, some well-known figures in media and technology declared they would no longer be running advertisements. Disney, Warner Brothers, and Paramount were also involved.

Musk wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying, "The split second court opens on Monday, X Corp will be filing a thermonuclear lawsuit against Media Matters and ALL those who colluded in this fraudulent attack on our company."Musk said on Wednesday that the person who made reference to the "great replacement" conspiracy theory in a post on X was expressing "the actual truth," refuting the erroneous accusation made by the poster that Jews were inciting anti-White sentiment.

Musk tweeted a statement saying, "This week, in another attempt to undermine freedom of speech and mislead advertisers, Media Matters for America posted a story that completely misrepresented the real experience on X."

"X strives to defend the public's right to free expression above all else, even profit. However, he continued, "in order for speech to be fully free, we also need to be allowed to see or hear things that some people might find offensive.

He has denied being antisemitic in the past, but he did not address the controversy surrounding his remark.

Musk continued by disputing Media Matters' conclusions.

When Musk purchased X in November 2022, Apple was one of the company's largest marketers, spending up to $100 million (£80 million) annually, according to Bloomberg.

Since then, there has been a downward trend in the number of X advertisers and users, and Musk introduced a premium membership scheme with the stated goal of combating bots on the website.

With a statement describing Musk's tweet as a "abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate" that "runs against our core values as Americans," the White House joined the outcry against the message on Friday.

The White House spokesperson, Andrew Bates, stated in reference to the attacks on October 7th, by Hamas against Israel, that "it is unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie." a month following the Jewish people's bloodiest day since the Holocaust.

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