Elon Musk stated Monday that X (formerly Twitter) has “no other choice” than to file a lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League due to a continuing slump in advertising revenues. Musk also said that the tech giant’s advertising revenue in the U.S. was down 60% following his purchase of the company for $44 billion last year. Musk’s tenure as CEO has been rocky to say the least. X laid off thousands and Musk implemented dramatic changes, including a program to reinstate suspended accounts. The ADL warned that the change would lead to an increase in harassment and hate speech. That included an amnesty program for suspended accounts that prompted groups — including the ADL — to warn the changes would lead to an increase in harassment and hate speech.
But Musk said he blamed the fall in ad dollars on the ADL — which works to combat hate against Jewish people — saying the group had falsely accused X and Musk of being anti-Semitic.
To clear our platform’s name on the matter of anti-Semitism, it looks like we have no choice but to file a defamation lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League … oh the irony!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
“ADL is unsurprised yet undeterred that antisemites, white supremacists, conspiracy theorists and other trolls have launched a coordinated attack on our organization,” a spokesperson for the group said. “This type of thing is nothing new.”
The ADL noted that it recently participated in the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington and met with executives at X, acts that “clearly upset these hateful groups.”
“Such insidious efforts don’t daunt us,” the spokesperson continued. The spokesperson continued, “Such insidious efforts don’t daunt us.”