Apple pauses ads on X / Twitter after Elon Musk endorses antisemitic conspiracy

Elon Musk’s recent endorsement of a far-right conspiracy theory has dealt a significant blow to the social media company.

According to a recent report from Axios, Apple announced on Friday that it will suspend advertising on X, previously known as Twitter.

Implications for X

This move signifies a major setback for X. Despite Musk’s previous controversial actions, Apple had refrained from participating in any boycotts or joining other advertisers in suspending ad campaigns during his first year at the helm of X. Apple’s expenditure on advertising on the platform reached approximately $100 million last year, as reported by Bloomberg in November.

Apple’s decision to halt ads on the platform comes on the heels of Musk’s recent support for an antisemitic conspiracy theory on X, alleging that Jewish groups are aiming to replace white populations with minority immigrant groups.

Musk’s support for these prejudiced claims coincided with a new report from Media Matters for America, which discovered ads from several major corporations being displayed alongside pro-Hitler and pro-Nazi content. Notably, ads from Apple and IBM were featured alongside such posts.

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On Thursday, IBM became the first of this group of advertisers to declare the suspension of its ads on X. Subsequently, on Friday, Apple and Lionsgate followed suit. It remains to be seen whether other X advertisers will follow the lead of these tech companies.

The EU also stated on Friday that it was withdrawing its ads, citing the prevalence of Israel-Hamas disinformation on the platform as the reason for its decision.

X has been grappling with declining ad sales since Musk’s takeover. Within a short period after Musk’s acquisition last year, half of the platform’s largest advertisers paused their ad campaigns. A report from June revealed that X’s ad sales had plummeted by 60 percent compared to the previous year.