Elon Musk threatens “thermonuclear lawsuit” amid X ad boycott over anti-Semitism

Elon Musk has said he will file a “thermonuclear lawsuit” against media watchdog Media Matters and others after numerous companies paused advertising on Twitter/X over anti-Semitism concerns.

Companies including Apple, IBM, Disney, Paramount and Warner Brothers have pulled their ads after Media Matters found that those advertisements were being placed alongside anti-Semitic content, including those that praised Adolf Hitler and the Nazis and also denied the Holocaust.

In addition, on Wednesday (November 15), Musk was found to have engaged with a post on X that falsely claimed Jewish people were stoking hatred against white people. He said that the user, who referenced the “great replacement” conspiracy theory (which claims that white people are losing their power because of the demographic rise of people of colour through immigration), was speaking “the actual truth”.

“The split second court opens on Monday, X Corp will be filing a thermonuclear lawsuit against Media Matters and ALL those who colluded in this fraudulent attack on our company,” Musk said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“This week Media Matters for America posted a story that completely misrepresented the real experience on X, in another attempt to undermine freedom of speech and mislead advertisers,” a statement posted by Musk read.

“Above everything, including profit, X works to protect the public’s right to free speech. But for speech to be truly free, we must also have the freedom to see or hear things that some people may consider objectionable,” he continued.

Musk has previously denied that he is anti-Semitic. He later said his comments referred to groups like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and other unspecified groups rather than all Jewish people.

In addition, a spokesperson for X told the BBC that the company does not intentionally place brands “next to this kind of content” and the platform is dedicated to combatting anti-Semitism.

X chief executive Linda Yaccarino posted on Friday evening that the platform had been “extremely clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination. There’s absolutely no place for it anywhere in the world”.

The White House released a statement condemning Musk’s tweet, saying that “we condemn this abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate in the strongest terms.”

Meanwhile, it was announced last week that a biopic about Musk is in development and is set to be directed by Darren Aronofsky (Requiem For A Dream, The Whale).

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