X CEO says Apple and others ‘temporarily paused’ ads over ‘misleading and manipulated article’

Zac Hall | Nov 20 2023 - 9:30 am PT

X CEO shows her iPhone's Home Screen with her favorite apps – and X isn't there

The inept OpenAI board may have stolen the news cycle from X over the weekend, but Linda Yaccarino is here to remind everyone that X knows drama too. Apple and others pulled their advertising from X on Friday, and now the X CEO has responded with a memo to employees.

At the heart of the memo is Yaccarino’s assessment that Apple has only “temporarily paused investments because of a misleading and manipulated article” that she blames a “vocal minority” for propagating. The article in question comes from Media Matters and highlights antisemitic content being shown alongside ads from Apple and others.

Yaccarino may be correct in suggesting that Apple will continue advertising on X in the future. Apple briefly stopped paying for ads on X (then Twitter) around this time last year before ramping up its marketing energy on the platform.

The memo does not acknowledge the post from the owner of X, Elon Musk, that prompted a response from the White House for promoting “Antisemitic and racist hate.”

Meanwhile, Apple has issued no public or on-the-record response since it was reported that it would pause advertising on X.

Here’s the full memo, per The Hollywood Reporter:

Across every corner of this company, we’re working to create a platform for everyone. And there is no other platform that’s working as hard to protect free speech like X. Our work is critical, but it’s not always easy. What we’re doing matters, which means it naturally invites criticism from those who do not share our beliefs.

While some advertisers may have temporarily paused investments because of a misleading and manipulated article, the data will tell the real story. Because for all of us who work at X, we’ve been extremely clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination, as there’s no place for it anywhere in the world.

I want to encourage you to read and listen to all the feedback. On one side, there’s a vocal minority trying to use deceptive attacks to undermine our work. But on the other side, there are vocal supporters and courageous partners who believe in X and the meaningful work you are all doing. Hold on to that and keep pushing forward. No critic will ever deter us from our mission to protect free speech.

Let’s keep putting our values to work and lean on one another. I am extremely proud to be on the front line with you all — and I’ll see you all at the office tomorrow morning.