Elon Musk’s advertiser rant ‘candid’ and ‘profound’

In a memo to employees Thursday, X CEO Linda Yaccarino strongly defended Elon Musk’s expletive-laced tirade against departed advertisers earlier this week, calling his remarks both “candid” and “profound.”

During a conversation with New York Times reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin, Musk did not mince words when Sorkin asked him about apologizing to large advertisers like Disney, Apple and Coca-Cola that have recently fled the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. 

“If someone’s going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money? Go f—k yourself,” the X owner and CTO told Sorkin. “Go. F—k. Yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is.” The billionaire went on to say, “I hope they stop. Don’t advertise.” 

In Yaccarino’s memo, which CNBC obtained in full, she wrote Musk “shared an unmatched and completely unvarnished perspective and vision for the future.” She also promised X would be a platform free of censorship.

“Our principles do not have a price tag, nor will they be compromised — ever,” she wrote. “And no matter how hard they try, we will not be distracted by sideline critics who don’t understand our mission.”

The advertiser exodus comes after a Nov. 18 report from watchdog group Media Matters said that ads from companies like IBM, Oracle and Xfinity were appearing on X next to pro-Nazi content last month. And three days earlier, Musk had agreed with an antisemitic post from an X user. 

Despite Musk’s refusal to placate the companies that pay X’s bills, the advertiser debacle comes at a tumultuous time for the company. As SFGATE columnist Drew Magary wrote this week, X’s revenues have dropped by 50% and its American user base fell by nearly 20% in the year since Musk became owner.

For her part, though, Yaccarino urged employees not to be distracted by Musk’s most recent controversy, of which there have been many. 

“If you haven’t watched [the Sorkin interview], please take the time to absorb the magnitude and importance of what we’re all a part of,” she wrote. “Because that’s exactly what I wanted to focus on with you today.”