Elon Musk’s stern message to advertisers: ‘X prioritizes free speech over profit’

Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), said that free speech trumps profits. as he spoke about ads on his social media platform at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Speaking about brand safety, Elon Musk said: “Advertisers have the right to appear alongside content that they find… consistent with their brands. It’s absolutely fine.

He added: “What’s not cool is insisting that there can’t be any content they don’t agree with on the platform. »

Elon Musk said the company has made progress toward becoming a safer place for brands at a time when some major advertisers have abandoned the app due to concerns about the type of content allowed on the platform.

Speaking about his own posts on X, he said: “I shoot myself in the foot every now and then. If you are constantly passing through a filter, you are no longer real. It’s better to be real.

Reaffirming that freedom of choice is paramount, he said: “We don’t want to take money to censor. I think that would be a mistake.

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Elon Musk and X CEO Linda Yaccarino have tried to boost the social platform’s advertising business with new video partnerships. Elon Musk also tried to diversify the company’s business outside of advertising, including starting to sell a revamped subscription service after taking office. It also announced plans to make X a “multi-purpose app” with payment services.