(Bloomberg) — Elon Musk railed against “bogus” media reports accusing him of antisemitism, issuing his strongest response yet after endorsing antisemitic content in a post on X that provoked outrage and alienated advertisers like Apple Inc.
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The backlash erupted last week after the billionaire Tesla Inc. chief and X-owner agreed with a post that said Jewish people hold a “dialectical hatred” of white people. That message has since drawn criticism from the White House as well as several Tesla investors. Walt Disney Co. was among the big corporate names that’ve distanced themselves from the platform formerly known as Twitter.
On Sunday, the entrepreneur tweeted that he wished “only the best for humanity.” Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman was among those who’ve leapt to Musk’s defense. The financier said last month he would be interested in pursuing a deal with X Corp. as part of a new investment vehicle that targets private companies seeking to raise $1.5 billion or more and possibly take them public, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Musk has long drawn fire for promoting hate speech. His latest post prompted criticism from both politicians and some of the world’s biggest companies, who’ve urged the billionaire to better control content on his platform. A range of advertisers also halted spending on X after a Media Matters report found that several companies ran ads on the social media platform next to pro-Nazi content.
Several advertising executives privately urged X CEO Linda Yaccarino over the weekend to resign in order to save her reputation, the Financial Times reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. But she’s refused to quit, saying she believes in the company’s mission, the FT reported.
Read More: Bill Ackman Defends Musk After Antisemitism Backlash on X
–With assistance from Dana Hull.
(Updates with more advertiser pressure in the fourth paragraph)
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