Elon Musk, during his recent interview with the New York Times DealBook Summit, offered an apology for what he termed as his “dumbest” social media post, addressing the antisemitic controversy earlier this month.
However, Musk strongly criticized advertisers abandoning his platform due to the growing antisemitism on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In response to the advertisers, Musk bluntly stated, “If someone is going to blackmail me with advertising or money, go fk yourself. Go. Fk. Yourself.”
He emphasized his sentiment, adding, “Is that clear? Hey Bob if you’re in the audience, that’s how I feel,” referring to Disney CEO Bob Iger.
During the interview, Musk, sporting a leather jacket and a necklace with a meaningful message, acknowledged that he is comfortable with being disliked.
He admitted to occasional missteps, acknowledging, “There’s a real weakness to wanting to be liked.”
The controversial tweet that sparked the advertising exodus featured an antisemitic conspiracy theory embraced by White supremacists.
Major brands like Disney, Paramount, NBCUniversal, Comcast, Lionsgate, and Warner Bros. Discovery paused their advertising on X in response.
Musk recognized the gravity of his tweet, stating, “It was foolish of me.
Of the 30,000 it might be literally the worst and dumbest post I’ve ever done.”
He defended himself, asserting that, despite accusations of antisemitism, he is, in fact, philosemitic.
In the midst of this controversy, Musk’s recent visit to Israel, marked by interactions with families affected by conflict and meetings with political figures, was not positioned as an apology tour, according to Musk.
The interview also touched on Musk’s views on AI, expressing concerns about its potential dangers.
Addressing the recent leadership shakeup at OpenAI, he speculated on the potential corrupting influence of power within the organization and criticized its shift away from the open-source model he initially envisioned.
The conversation with Musk delved into various topics, ranging from childhood trauma to aliens, with a notable portion of the audience leaving before its conclusion.
