Elon Musk-owned X can lose up to $75 mn by the end of 2023 due to advertisers fleeing, says report

Elon Musk-owned social media company X could lose up to $75 million in advertising revenue as major brands pause their campaigns, following Musk's support of an antisemitic post on the platform.

Elon Musk-owned social media platform X faces potential losses of $75 million by the end of 2023 as major companies, including Apple and IBM, pause their advertisements. This follows reports that Musk backed an antisemitic post on the platform. (AFP)

The advertising woes for X (formerly Twitter) are growing by the day. Recently, the platform witnessed major companies pulling out of showing ads including Apple, IBM, and Comcast. Now, a new report claims that the Elon Musk-owned social media platform can lose as much as 75 million dollars by the end of 2023 due to the exodus of companies. 

It all started after some reports emerged claiming that Musk backed an antisemitic post on the platform last week. On X, Musk could be seen agreeing to a poster that said Jewish communities hate white communities. This has led several companies including Walt Disney and Warner Bros Discovery to pause their advertisements on the site formerly called Twitter.

X faces advertising woes

X has struck back and sued media watchdog group Media Matters, alleging the organization defamed the platform with a report that said ads for major brands including Apple and Oracle had appeared next to posts touting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party.

Internal documents viewed by The New York Times this week list more than 200 ad units of companies from the likes of Airbnb, Amazon, Coca-Cola and Microsoft, many of which have halted or are considering pausing their ads on the social network, the report said.

X said on Friday $11 million in revenue was at risk and the exact figure fluctuated as some advertisers returned to the platform and others increased spending, according to the report.

The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Advertisers have fled X since Musk bought it in October 2022 and reduced content moderation, resulting in a sharp rise in hate speech on the site, according to civil rights groups.

The platform's US ad revenue has declined at least 55 percent year-over-year each month since Musk's takeover, Reuters previously reported.

(With inputs from Reuters)