Elon Musk creates so much controversy that sometimes it’s hard to keep up with everything. However, the last one makes a little more noise than usual. Once again, the billionaire who is as admired as he is hated has pushed the boundaries of etiquette by challenging a select number of companies (actually just over 200) to be kind. “go fuck yourself”.
Words that certainly did not go unnoticed, especially since they were said during an interview that was filmed and widely shared on social networks, and were widely condemned by Internet users. But of course, Elon Musk can count on his most loyal fans who fully understand his words. Today, many announced that they are deleting their Disney+ accounts in support of their idols.
Why are Elon Musk fans starting to boycott Disney+?
To fully understand how we got here, we need to go back a few days. Last November 15 Elon Musk tweeted anti-Semite. In response to a user who stated that the Jewish people were responsible “Hate against white people”The billionaire responded: “You told the truth”. Reactions do not last long after the platform boss’s repeated mistakes.
You told the real truth
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 15 November 2023
Following this statement, many advertisers announced that they would withdraw all their ads on the social network. In total, not just any company, but nearly 200 companies are taking a stand against Elon Musk. We find lots of Apple, Ubisoft, IBM… and therefore Disney. According to the New York Times, the cost of this protest movement, which serves to protect the brand image of these companies rather than condemning Elon Musk’s comments, may be high. $75 million It rose to X in the fourth quarter of its fiscal year.
Therefore, it is a slightly embarrassed Elon Musk who appears before the New York Times cameras during the American newspaper’s Dealbook summit. The billionaire, who interviewed journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin, whom he confused with one of his colleagues, later realized: A great exit from the track. When asked about the boycott of major brands that X is currently experiencing, Elon Musk decides to address this issue directly.
“If anyone tries to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money… To hell with you.” he exclaims in front of a stunned audience before repeating the last phrase. He directly attacks Disney CEO Bob Iger: “Hey Bob, if you’re in this audience, I think you should stop running your ads.”[sur X]”.
Videopic.twitter.com/cPWVO1MQCD
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) 29 November 2023
While these comments did not fail to shock many X users, they also convinced others. boycott entertainment giant. Disney+, which has already been widely criticized by Elon Musk supporters who feel the platform is too “woke”, will now face a wave of subscription cancellations. Enough to shake up the service? In short, no. We tend to forget this because they are so present on the internet, but Elon Musk fans are only a (very) vocal minority.
The same cannot be said for what used to be Twitter. Elon Musk admits this during the interview: “If the advertising boycott continues, the company will cease to exist.” As usual, the boss argues that this would be an attack on freedom of expression. But it’s not impossible to imagine that after countless mistakes, advertisers will one day refuse to return to the platform.