“Go fuck yourself.”
This bold statement was made by Elon Musk during an incredibly unconventional conversation with Dealbook’s Andrew Ross Sorkin on Wednesday night. At the event sponsored by the New York Times, Musk, the increasingly unpredictable CEO of Tesla, asserted that he would not be “blackmailed” by advertisers who might withdraw their financial support from his struggling social media platform, X, following his recent, controversial remarks. Instead, Musk provocatively suggested that any advertisers concerned about his more audacious opinions should simply “fuck off.” Notably, he pointed out Disney CEO Bob Iger, whose company recently chose to withdraw its advertisements from X in response to Musk’s remarks that many considered antisemitic: “Hi Bob!” Musk taunted, waving to the audience after directing potential revenue sources to exit the platform.
The entire exchange was comical in a uniquely bizarre and unsettling way that only Elon Musk-related events can evoke. Adorned in a leather jacket reminiscent of an 1980s action film, the billionaire provocateur passionately defended his outlandish statements when Sorkin probed him about whether his recent comments could harm his business ventures. The dialogue unfolded as follows:
MUSK: “I hope they stop.”
SORKIN: “You what?”
MUSK: “Don’t advertise.”
SORKIN: “You don’t want them to advertise?”
MUSK: “If somebody’s going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself.”
SORKIN: “But—”
MUSK: “Go…fuck…yourself.”
While one might expect to be shocked by such a display, Musk’s remarks are notably consistent with his established persona. In recent weeks, the unabashed billionaire’s comments have landed X (previously known as Twitter) in significant trouble. Alongside a tweet that sparked widespread allegations of antisemitism, he also recently tweeted about pizzagate, which raised numerous eyebrows across the internet. In response to the inflammatory “Jewish” comments, advertisers have reacted by pulling their ads from the platform, thereby depriving the beleaguered website of crucial financial support.
Yet, true to form, Musk appears unconcerned about offering a mea culpa (or, it seems, about repairing the damaged financial streams of his company). Instead, he seems determined to stand his ground, even if such a stance results in further declines for X.
