ADL calls for Twitter advertising 'pause' 1 month after its CEO lauded Elon Musk
Less than one month after CEO Jonathan Greenblatt lauded Tesla CEO Elon Musk as "an amazing entrepreneur and an extraordinary innovator" and heralded the tech billionaire's then-pending purchase of Twitter, the Anti-Defamation League on Friday launched a widespread effort to convince advertisers to "pause" their spending on the site, following a surge in racism and harassment on the site since Musk's takeover.
In a statement shared on the "Stop Hate for Profit" website, boycott organizers say they met with Musk earlier in the week to express their concerns over the proliferation of hate speech on the site. A disclaimer on the site lists Stop Hate For Profit as "a trademark of the Anti-Defamation League." Greenblatt on Thursday told CNBC's Squawk Box that he'd been "encouraged" by what he'd heard from Musk during those meetings.
However, in the group's statement Friday, organizers write that "at this point in time, we are calling on advertisers to pause their spend globally until it becomes clear whether Twitter remains committed to being a safe place for advertisers as well as society overall."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Greenblatt courted controversy in early October when he praised Musk's plans to buy the social media behemoth, calling him an "amazing entrepreneur and an extraordinary innovator. He's the Henry Ford of our time," in an interview with Squawk Box. That comparison of Musk to Ford, a noted antisemite, drew intense criticism, prompting Greenblatt to backtrack, calling the Henry Ford analogy "wrong."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
8 restaurants that are exactly what you need this winterThe Week Recommends Old standards and exciting newcomers alike
-
‘This is a structural weakening of elder protections’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
4 tips to safeguard your accounts against data breachesThe Explainer Even once you have been victimized, there are steps you can take to minimize the damage
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
