Elon Musk has issued an apology for endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory, acknowledging that it may have been “literally the worst and dumbest post I’ve ever done.” The apology comes amidst a controversy over advertisers pulling their promotions from his social media platform, X. This advertising dispute, which has resulted in Disney and Warner Bros withdrawing their ads, could potentially lead to the downfall of the platform formerly known as Twitter, as Musk himself has admitted. Speaking at the New York Times DealBook summit, Musk expressed regret for his previous post, stating that he has made efforts to clarify his stance but maintains that he is not antisemitic. During his visit to Israel, Musk also spoke with top leaders and visited a kibbutz that was attacked by Hamas militants.
In addition to the recent controversy, Musk has been involved in other divisive incidents since his takeover of X in 2022. In November 2023, he promoted an antisemitic conspiracy theory on X, agreeing with a post that falsely claimed Jewish people were stoking hatred against white people. He has since acknowledged the foolishness of his post. Musk was also accused of promoting a long-debunked conspiracy theory known as “Pizzagate” on X in November 2023. Furthermore, in October 2023, he backed controversial war accounts on X, which received criticism for spreading disinformation about the conflict between Israel and Hamas. In September 2023, Musk admitted to denying a request from Ukraine to use his satellite network for a drone attack on a Russian naval base, citing concerns about escalating conflict. Lastly, in December 2022, Musk banned journalists from X after claiming they had shared his personal information. He later reinstated their accounts following a poll.
Musk’s tenure as the owner of X has been marked by controversial decisions. In December 2022, he welcomed former US President Donald Trump back to the platform after he was banned for inciting violence. Musk has also faced criticism for his handling of free speech and hypocrisy in removing journalists from X while promising to uphold free speech values. Additionally, he appointed Linda Yaccarino as his successor as CEO of Twitter, while labeling himself as the company’s new chief technology officer.