IBM Pulls Adverts From Elon Musk's X Following Antisemitic Content Allegations

In the wake of revelations that its advertisements were placed alongside antisemitic content, IBM Corp. IBM has decided to suspend its advertising on the social media platform X.

What Happened: IBM’s decision came in response to a Media Matters for America disclosure. The media watchdog group exposed on Wednesday that IBM’s ads were appearing next to posts promoting Hitler and the Nazi Party on X, reported CNBC.

Other companies including Apple Inc. AAPL, Bravo, Oracle Corp. ORCL, and Xfinity also had their ads displayed adjacent to hateful content on the platform, which was formerly known as Twitter.

An IBM spokesperson confirmed the company’s stand against hate speech and discrimination and announced the immediate suspension of all advertising on X while the situation is being investigated.

X CEO Linda Yaccarino has been striving to win back advertisers who pulled their campaigns following the platform’s acquisition by Elon Musk. Despite X’s denial, advocacy groups claim that the platform has seen a surge in controversial content.

An X spokesperson assured that the antisemitic content would not be monetized and would be flagged as not safe for work. They also clarified that X’s advertising system did not intentionally place brands next to such content.

Following a controversial post by Musk, a group of Jewish leaders called X Out Hate urged large companies like Disney, Apple, and Amazon to stop advertising on X. They also called for X’s removal from the Apple and Google app stores.

See Also: Beware Of Sophisticated iPhone Scams: UK Shopper Orders iPhone 15 Pro Max From Apple Only To Receive An Android Clone

Why It Matters: This development follows a recent controversy involving Musk endorsing an antisemitic post on X, which he referred to as the "actual truth." This led to calls for his resignation from his role as CEO of Tesla.

This incident, reported by Benzinga, sparked a significant backlash, including Tesla investor Ross Gerber announcing his decision to switch his Model Y for a Rivian. The controversy has amplified concerns about the spread of hateful content on X and its potential impact on associated brands.

Photo by kovop on Shutterstock

Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.

Read Next: Steve Jobs’ Sharp Reply To A Customer With A Wet MacBook Pro Shows His No-Nonsense Style