X CEO Linda Yaccarino addresses Musk telling advertisers to ‘go f‑‑‑ yourself’

Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, addressed comments from owner Elon Musk on the advertising boycott the company is currently facing late Wednesday.

While appearing at The New York Times Dealbook Summit on Wednesday, Musk was asked about the growing number of major advertisers that have left the platform over his controversial posts online and changes he has made to its content moderation policies.

“Don’t advertise. If someone is going to try and blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go f‑‑‑ yourself,” Musk responded. “Go f‑‑‑ yourself, is that clear? Hey Bob [Iger], if you’re in the audience: That’s how I feel. Don’t advertise.”

Yaccarino appeared to support Musk’s sentiment in a post on the platform hours later.

“X is enabling an information independence that’s uncomfortable for some people. We’re a platform that allows people to make their own decisions,” she wrote. “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. To our partners who believe in our meaningful work — Thank You.”

Since Musk apparently embraced an antisemitic conspiracy theory earlier this month, major advertisers including Disney — which Iger is the CEO of — and Apple have pulled their advertising from the platform.

Musk hired Yaccarino, a veteran advertising executive, in May to serve as the company’s CEO.

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