X CEO Linda Yaccarino defended platform owner Elon Musk hours after the tech mogul told advertisers boycotting X to "go f--- yourself.”
Yaccarino said Musk had a "wide ranging" and "candid interview" on Wednesday with Andrew Ross Sorkin of DealBook in an X post. The X CEO also noted Musk offered "an apology and explanation" for his explicit statement on advertisers boycotting the platform.
“X is enabling an information independence that’s uncomfortable for some people,” Yaccarino said. “We’re a platform that allows people to make their own decisions.”
“And here’s my perspective when it comes to advertising: 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,” she added.
In conclusion, Yaccarino thanked partners who believed in the platform.
During Wednesday's interview, Musk was asked about criticism he and X have faced in recent weeks.
"I hope they stop," Musk said of advertisers boycotting X.
Sorkin appeared confused with Musk's statement, though the tech mogul reiterated his remark.
"Don't advertise," Musk said.
"You don't want them to advertise?" Sorkin asked, to which Musk bluntly said, "No."
Musk paused briefly before elaborating, "If someone is going to try and blackmail me with advertising – blackmail me with money – go f--- yourself."
Sorkin appeared confused as Musk slowly repeated, "Go f--- yourself."
The audience erupted with laughter as Musk asked, "Is that clear? I hope it is."
The tech mogul then took aim at Disney CEO Bob Iger saying, "Hey Bob — if you're in the audience."
"What this advertising boycott is gonna do — it's going to kill the company," Musk conceded, though added, "the whole world will know those advertisers that killed the company. And we will document it in great detail."
Sorkin surmised the advertisers in question would claim they weren't to blame for X's downfall.
“They’re going to say, 'Elon, that you killed the company because you said these things and they were inappropriate things and that they didn’t feel comfortable on the platform,'" he said. "That's what they are going to say.”
"Let's see how Earth responds to that," Musk shot back.
In a statement per The Hollywood Reporter prior to Musk’s comments, the Disney CEO said he had "a lot of respect" for Musk. “We know that Elon is larger than life in many respects, and that his name is very much connected to the companies he founded or owns," Iger said. "By him taking the position he took in a public manner, we felt that the association was not necessarily a positive one for us.”
Last week, X filed a federal lawsuit against liberal media watchdog group Media Matters, which some have referred to as a political operative group for the Democratic Party.
The platform's lawsuit against Media Matters alleges the group "knowingly and maliciously manufactured" images depicting X advertisements next to posts featuring "Neo-Nazi and white nationalist fringe content."
