Elon Musk Unleashes Fiery 'P-Off' Message to Advertisers Deserting X Amid Antisemitism Storm

In a moment that sent shockwaves across the tech and advertising worlds, Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), delivered an unvarnished and expletive-laden message to companies pulling their advertisements from his platform. During a tense interview at The New York Times DealBook Summit, Musk, under pointed questioning from Andrew Ross Sorkin, defiantly told boycotting advertisers to 'P-off' – a thinly veiled reference to a much stronger expletive.

The extraordinary outburst came as X faces an exodus of major advertisers, including titans like Disney, Apple, IBM, and Warner Bros.

Discovery. These companies have paused or withdrawn their ad spending due to mounting concerns over the proliferation of antisemitic content on the platform and, critically, Musk's own amplification of an antisemitic conspiracy theory. Sorkin pressed Musk hard on the financial implications, citing reports that X could lose a staggering $75 million in ad revenue by year-end.

Musk, however, remained unapologetic, stating with characteristic bluntness, "What this advertising boycott is going to do is, it's going to kill the company." But he quickly pivoted, directing his ire at the departing brands: "If someone is going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail with money, go fuck yourself." He then explicitly addressed the advertisers by name, adding, "Is that clear?" He further clarified that such boycotts are effectively "killing the company," but that he believes the world will judge them for it, rather than him.

Despite the aggressive stance, Musk did express regret for sharing the antisemitic post that fueled much of the recent controversy.

"I am sorry for that post," he stated, acknowledging it was "foolish" and "perhaps the worst and dumbest post" he has ever made. Yet, this concession was overshadowed by his defiant tone towards the advertisers, framing the issue as a battle for free speech against corporate pressure.

This incendiary exchange underscores the ongoing volatile relationship between Musk, advertisers, and the concept of content moderation on X.

While he champions free speech as the platform's guiding principle, his interpretation and the subsequent content environment have alienated many, posing a significant challenge to X's financial viability. The question now looms: can X survive this self-inflicted crisis, or will Musk's uncompromising stance prove to be its ultimate undoing?