Elon Musk has a succinct message for Apple and others who paused advertising on X over a fake controversy ginned-up by Media Matters: “Go fuck yourself.”
“Don’t advertise. If someone is going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself. Go fuck yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is,” Musk said.
Seems fairly clear.
Musk added, “What I care about is the reality of goodness, not the perception of it. And what I see all over the place is people who care about looking good, while doing evil. Fuck them.”
The judge is the public. – Elon Musk
The backstory: X CEO Linda Yaccarino sent a note to employees on the evening of Sunday, November 19th, saying a Media Matters hit-piece on ads appearing near antisemitic content on the social media platform is “misleading” and that the company is in the midst of battling “deceptive attacks.”
The statement comes after Media Matters claimed the platform was placing ads for major companies such as Apple and others “next to content that touts Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party.” In knee-jerk reaction, many advertisers, including Apple, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Lionsgate quickly paused ads on the social media platform. Yaccarino says this advertising pause is only “temporary.”
Caitlin Huston for The Hollywood Reporter:
“While some advertisers may have temporarily paused investments because of a misleading and manipulated article, the data will tell the real story. Because for all of us who work at X, we’ve been extremely clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination, as there’s no place for it anywhere in the world,” Yaccarino wrote in the memo to all X employees, under the headline “Our Work is Meaningful.”
Additionally, [X owner Elon] Musk drew criticism for writing a post on Wednesday that many are calling out as being antisemitic. Musk said “you have said the actual truth” in response to another user on X, who said, “I’m deeply disinterested in giving the tiniest shit now about western Jewish populations coming to the disturbing realization that those hordes of minorities that support flooding their country don’t exactly like them too much.”
MacDailyNews Note: Yaccarino’s full memo:
Team,
Across every corner of this company, we’re working to create a platform for everyone. And there is no other platform that’s working as hard to protect free speech like X. Our work is critical, but it’s not always easy. What we’re doing matters, which means it naturally invites criticism from those who do not share our beliefs.
While some advertisers may have temporarily paused investments because of a misleading and manipulated article, the data will tell the real story. Because for all of us who work at X, we’ve been extremely clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination, as there’s no place for it anywhere in the world.
I want to encourage you to read and listen to all the feedback. On one side, there’s a vocal minority trying to use deceptive attacks to undermine our work. But on the other side, there are vocal supporters and courageous partners who believe in X and the meaningful work you are all doing. Hold on to that and keep pushing forward. No critic will ever deter us from our mission to protect free speech.
Let’s keep putting our values to work and lean on one another. I am extremely proud to be on the front line with you all — and I’ll see you all at the office tomorrow morning.
Linda
Prior to the memo, X owner Elon Musk addressed the situation:
Read more:
• How social networks became a ‘subsidiary’ of the FBI and CIA – Jonathan Cook for Middle East Eye, February 20, 2023
MacDailyNews Take: Any report that claims Musk “endorsed an antisemitic post on X” is lying to you (see below).
Some might say that the loss of control and the ability to direct speech and promote certain political viewpoints while squelching others on Twitter, now X, is the reason why some are going after the powerful platform.
Rather than paraphrase and mischaracterize the original exchange, as far too many media outlets, many with agendas and ulterior motives, have done and are currently doing, we’ll simply present it verbatim:
Charles Weber (@CWBOCA) via X:
To the cowards hiding behind the anonymity of the internet and posting “Hitler was right”:
You got something you want to say? Why dont you say it to our faces…
The Artist Formerly Known as Eric (@breakingbaht) via X replied:
Okay.
Jewish communties have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them.
I’m deeply disinterested in giving the tiniest shit now about western Jewish populations coming to the disturbing realization that those hordes of minorities that support flooding their country don’t exactly like them too much.
You want truth said to your face, there it is.
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) via X replied:
You have said the actual truth
Musk followed up with this reply:
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) via X:
The ADL unjustly attacks the majority of the West, despite the majority of the West supporting the Jewish people and Israel.
This is because they cannot, by their own tenets, criticize the minority groups who are their primary threat.
It is not right and needs to stop.
Musk further clarified in an additional response:
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) via X:
You [are] right that this does not extend to all Jewish communities, but it is also not just limited to ADL
By the way, Musk has since apologized for his original “You have said the actual truth” reply.
For this, this Media Matters-concocted charade, Apple paused their advertising on X. It’s a weak, spineless, disappointing, lemming-like move. You’d think Media Matters were the CCP by how fast Tim Cook jumped.
Musk has a message for Apple & others who paused advertising on X: ‘Go F yourself’
For this charade, Apple paused their ads on X. It's a weak, spineless, disappointing, lemming-like move. You'd think Media Matters were the CCP by how fast Tim Cook jumped.https://t.co/8kWiigruDV
— MacDailyNews (@MacDailyNews) November 30, 2023
NEW from me @Telegraph:@elonmusk's lawsuit against Media Matters is a helpful reminder of what that organization truly is
Let's explorehttps://t.co/MtRsWfnA2I
(1/xx)
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) November 30, 2023
See also:
• The Babylon Bee lampoons Apple CEO Tim Cook for pulling ads from X ‘while shaking hands with brutal Chinese dictator’ – November 22, 2023
• Apple CEO Cook: ‘Fake news’ is ‘killing people’s minds’ – February 11, 2017
There is, of course, much more to this story, as Apple very likely knows, but seems to be ignoring for some reason: Musk, who bought Twitter last year and later renamed it X, lifted many restrictions, including banning, shadow-banning, and other moderated content on the platform as part of his stated free-speech-absolutist agenda. The ADL, an advocacy group, has publicly criticized Musk’s free speech policy, joining calls for advertisers to drop X. Musk in September threatened the ADL with a massive libel suit.
Read more:
• How social networks became a ‘subsidiary’ of the FBI and CIA – Jonathan Cook for Middle East Eye, February 20, 2023
• As Musk and the ADL duke it out, critics within both camps settle old scores – Canaan Lidor for The Times of Israel, September 11, 2023
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If Tim Cook really believed in his worldview, he’d allow full discussion from all sides. If his ideas are so right they’ll prevail. But, no, Cook wants – needs – to censor. He’s a good little authoritarian commie when it comes down to it.
By withholding Apple’s ad dollars over a FAKE hit-job, Cook wants to force the one major social media platform that allows some semblance of free speech, now uncensored by the CIA (unlike Facebook, Instagram, etc.), to go dark, like Parler, so that he and his ilk can FORCE his silly, stupid, globalist, establishment ideas on the public because he knows that his ideas FAIL in the bright light of open public debate – just as they’ve failed repeatedly and predictably throughout human history.
Cook is a weak, spineless, go along to get along lemming. Go fuck yourself, indeed.
Well said!…
Who needs X?
Who needs X? Only those who’d like to hear from everyone and explore every angle, not just be relegated to state-approved, CIA-sanctioned establishment propaganda.
Sign into X and post this: “Elon Musk should pay taxes.” See what happens to your account when you explore that angle.
Nothing will happen (except that everyone will know you’re quite uninformed).
Elon Musk’s annual tax bill is the largest in ANY country’s history. Musk will pay a total of $12 billion in taxes to the U.S.A.
https://www.cnbc.com/video/2021/12/15/elon-musk-to-pay-record-high-12-billion-tax-bill.html
https://twitter.com/scrowder/status/1730005370272108822
Right on Elon. Apple is very busy licking chinas … boots
You gotta love this man!!! Elon Musk is fearless, unapologetic, frank and direct calling out Bullspit across the media and political spectrum fighting for what is RIGHT. A creative genius and world’s richest man he should run Apple tomorrow or lobby for Trump’s VP running mate. Those two would embarrass the hapless woke Democrats and turn the world around on a dime…
Elon Musk is not a natural-born U.S. citizen and is therefore ineligible to serve as Vice President of the United States of America.
And we’re grateful for that. We have a “natural born insurrectionist” to disqualify anyway.
Really? Who? Was there an insurrection?
When you see deer shit, you scoop it up to your nose and take a sniff in order to know what it smells like?!?
Nancy Pelosi, Ray Epps, Antifa infiltrators, Capital Police, FBI is asshoe agents dressed as Trump supporters answers your who, and are the true insurrectionists according to the 40,000 hours of video released to the public and not just privy to the DCdickheads in Washington holding yet another sham J6 investigation.
Trump is going to be mightily busy as president, sending career criminal politicians and deep state sacks of shit of worthless government agencies to prison.
Thank you…
Listening to a billionaire talk about the ‘reality of goodness’! If anyone needs to go fuck themselves it’s him and others of his ilk.
YOU!
G. F. Y.
NO! It’s YOU and your CLUELESS ilk that cannot solve any problems and rightly relegated to the petty mocking sidelines. You OFFER NOTHING! What part do you not understand?!?!?
Elon Musk is unravelling in front of our eyes.
He’s done this to himself.
I thought he was going to hit Media Matters with a quote “thermonuclear lawsuit as soon as the courts open at 9am on Monday” that was two weeks ago …. No lawsuit implies that there is merit in their accusations…
Try to keep up.
This lawsuit might as well be Media Matters obituary:
Cheers, It is a bit harder trying to keep up from Scotland …..
The suit was filed in the Fort Worth division of federal court in the Northern District of Texas on Nov. 20.
Elon Musk defended free speech and the very idea of freedom. Nobody on the Left ever does that. Certainly not Tim Cook. The Left agrees with Hitler and Stalin that censorship is the best path to civic virtue. Censorship and jailing one’s political opponents. With a Democrat President having stolen the office, Musk could easily end up in jail for his speech and his attitude.
A democrat president having stolen the office …. Ha Ha ha, you are hilarious and easily led
Easily led? So you still believe Biden got the most votes of any candidate in history?
Dumbass
Yep. That’s what happens as the US population grows and there is great voter turnout. You wind up with the election with the single-most number of total votes cast, of which 7 million more (give or take) went to Joe Biden. It’s not that complicated, really. Take off the tinfoil hat and step away from the keyboard before you reveal even greater ignorance.
This even triggered Peter Zeihan to quit twitter, which I found ridiculous from someone who claims to be a collector of information and putting odd pieces together for businesses and governments to consider their eventual outcomes.
Now he is peddling his opinion of people like Musk rather than using the events to paint a larger picture.
Yeah, November is affecting the minds of too many who fear Trump’s return.
Weird….
I am with him. There is no alternative to Apple or Microsoft if one needs software, and that is just a fact. I used to be a very vehement Apple evangelist, and now, I would dump this company in a heartbeat if there were another viable option. Younger people will not grasp the absolute gravity of that.
Tim Cook has basically destroyed Apple, the people working there now are virtue signaling morons that rely on data and algorithms to do their jobs, and I wish I could kick them to the curb, what they are today is a mockery of what they once were. Millennial Silicon Valley, web 2.0 – these things are the antithesis of the old guard. Technology went from empowering to disenfranchising in a heartbeat in the 21st century, and if you believe these fools are not greedy and in it for the money, think again. The arrogance and stupidity are just a throw-in. They co-opt, they actually create nothing whatsoever. Add ideology to the mix, something that should be a personal matter, and you don’t really even have a company anymore.
Apple is getting my business in 2023 through clenched teeth. They are not too big to fail, they have failed before when the world was their oyster, and many of us are pretty well fed up. Think what you will of Elon as a man, but he has called the Valley’s bluff. This is bull****. It has been since privileged sociopaths the likes of Zuckerberg ascended. People are no longer a consideration, and the anti-capitalist irony is thick as molasses when social media’s on a &1,000+ iPhone with ubiquitous wifi. Go to ****, modern Apple. Wish we didn’t need you at all. FY, indeed.
Boy, what a sad group of deluded losers gathers here regularly these days, full of conspiracy theories about ‘Deep State’ nonsense, QAnon-adjacent drivel and the projection of their own flaws/weaknesses onto those of their perceived ‘enemies’. This site has become really quite depressing (not to mention toxic) and increasingly only tangentially about Apple.
F-uck the brainwashing manipulative propaganda machine media has become!
At no time in history has Critical thinking been more important !!!
…and less demonstrated.
The world needs more men who cannot be bought, bribed, blackmailed or scared.
That is exactly what I call an anti-Semitic remark! WTF. The reason I can’t support this website is its appeal to the hee haw / Trump crowd. It’s a shame bec many takes are good ones