Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Elon Musk Deletes Fact-Check Added To His Tweet Blaming Ad Revenue Loss On 'Activists'

Elon Musk Deletes Fact-Check Added To His Tweet Blaming Ad Revenue Loss On 'Activists'
Lambert/ullstein bild via Getty Images

Twitter users took umbrage with Musk's claim that the platform saw a 'massive drop in revenue' after advertisers pulled ads due to pressure from 'activist groups.'

Billionaire Elon Musk erroneously blamed "activist groups" for a "massive drop" in Twitter's ad revenue after multiple companies stopped advertising on the platform after he officially purchased it for $44 billion.

Fresh off acquiring the platform—which he'd repeatedly claimed needs to go private if it wants to become a platform for free speech—Musk claimed that the aforementioned "activist groups" successfully pressured advertisers "even though nothing has changed with content moderation and we did everything we could to appease" them.


Calling the whole situation "Extremely messed up," Musk accused this nameless group of "trying to destroy free speech in America."

You can see Musk's tweet below.

Shortly after Musk posted his tweet, Twitter added a fact-check disclaimer and posted links to multiple news stories explaining that the advertising exodus has happened amid concerns about Musk's vision for the platform "especially as related to content moderation."

The disclaimer was meant to provide additional "context" to Musk's claim but Musk ultimately deleted it, suggesting that his concerns about content moderation don't apply to his own misleading tweets.

Nimble Twitter users managed to post screenshots of the fact-check disclaimer before it disappeared.

Several high-profile companies, including General Mills and Volkswagen, confirmed to CNN that they would be pausing advertisements on Twitter due to concerns about Musk's ownership of the platform. Others, like Toyota and Interpublic Group, the parent company of Coca-Cola, also recommended that their clients pause advertising on Twitter.

Criticisms about Musk's leadership style have been magnified in light of his decision to layoff roughly half the workforce, including employees who were on work visas. There was no advance warning for who would or would not be subject to the cuts, and at least one Twitter employee told reporters that they were booted from company systems in the middle of a meeting.

His tantrum—and hypocrisy over content moderation—have only fueled his detractors.





This is the second time in just over a week that Musk has been called out for spreading false information on Twitter.

In the aftermath of the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul Pelosi, who survived after being repeatedly struck with a hammer during a home invasion, Musk shared an article from the far-right Santa Monica Observer claiming that Pelosi was attacked by a lover he met at a bar in the middle of the night.

There is no truth to that allegation, and local authorities confirmed that Pelosi and his attacker—who has been charged with attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, and burglary—did not know each other.

More from People

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less