'Anti-Semitism Controversy' Causes Advertiser Exodus... Musk Rushes to Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Expected to Meet
Hamas Hostage Families Also Scheduled for Talks

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, is reported to be visiting Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This visit appears to be related to Musk recently endorsing posts on his X (formerly Twitter) account that promote anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.

Musk Likely to Meet Families of Hostages Held by Hamas

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to major foreign media including the UK’s The Guardian on the 27th (local time), Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported that Musk is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Netanyahu on the same day. Musk’s visit coincides with the last day of a three-day ceasefire agreed upon by Israel and Hamas.

However, Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to this report. Foreign media also requested comments through Musk’s X and Tesla accounts but received no reply.

In September this year, Netanyahu met Musk during a visit to the United States for the United Nations General Assembly and urged him to "find ways to limit anti-Semitism and hatred." It was also reported that they discussed measures to curb anti-Semitism on X.

During his visit to Israel, Musk will also meet with President Yitzhak Herzog and families of hostages held by Hamas.

The Israeli President’s office stated, "President Herzog will meet with Musk to emphasize the need for action to combat the growing anti-Semitism online."

Musk’s Defense of Anti-Semitism Triggers Ripple Effect... X Loses Advertisers, Resulting in $98 Million Revenue Loss

Earlier, on the 15th, Musk publicly agreed with a post by an X user who claimed that Jewish people were deliberately inciting hatred against white people, replying, "You spoke the literal truth."

This sparked fierce backlash across the Jewish community and American civil society. Even the White House issued a statement condemning the remarks as "unacceptable." As public opinion worsened, American semiconductor company IBM immediately halted all advertising on X.

Additionally, several American companies including Walt Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery protested by also suspending their advertisements on X.

In response, Musk explained the anti-Semitism controversy by stating, "The media articles claiming I am anti-Semitic are far from the truth, and I only wish the best for humanity’s prosperity and a bright future for all."

Meanwhile, the U.S. daily The New York Times (NYT) reported, citing recently obtained internal X documents, that the platform’s revenue loss due to advertiser departures could reach up to $75 million (approximately 98 billion KRW).

According to the documents, over 200 companies and organizations including Airbnb, Amazon, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and Netflix have either stopped advertising on X recently or are considering doing so.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.