Elon Musk, the CEO of X (formerly Twitter) and SpaceX, attended the Cannes Lions advertising festival where he addressed his previous comments about advertisers. In November, Musk faced backlash when major companies pulled their ads from X after he endorsed an antisemitic, conspiratorial post. Musk clarified that he didn't mean all advertisers should go f**k themselves, just some of them. He emphasized the importance of free speech and the right moral decision to support it. Musk stated that advertisers have the right to appear next to compatible content but shouldn't insist on censoring content they disagree with. Musk assured that 'X' will not censor content under pressure from advertisers and emphasized the platform's commitment to freedom of choice and open dialogue. He aims to create an environment where ads are considered content and are delivered to users based on their interests. Musk admitted that not every post he makes is a 'banger' and that he sometimes shoots himself in the foot, but he values being genuine over going through a filter. Musk's appearance at Cannes is seen as an attempt to mend relations with advertisers and address concerns about hate speech and censorship on X. [5b5cc82f] [afce49e2]
Elon Musk clarified his controversial comments on free speech at the Cannes Lions advertising festival, emphasizing X's commitment to free speech over censorship. X CEO Linda Yaccarino supported Musk's stance, highlighting the platform's role in enabling information independence. Musk reiterated the importance of authenticity and free speech, despite occasional personal missteps. Musk's previous comment telling advertisers to 'go f--- yourself' was meant as a general point on free speech rather than a direct attack on advertisers. He emphasized that X has made progress in creating a safer environment for brands, but complete content censorship is unacceptable. Musk stated that X would prioritize free speech over censorship, even at the cost of losing money. [c951ff0f]