Elon Musk Mocks Right-Wing Critics Who Complain He's Demonetizing Them On X

Tech billionaire Elon Musk taunted his MAGA critics who complained about "free speech" restrictions after he revoked their monetization abilities on his platform X (formerly Twitter).

Musk allegedly censored accounts that were critical of his stance on labor and immigration and for his support of H-1B visas, which allow US employers to employ immigrant workers. As a result, they were blocked from receiving ad revenue.

The far-right X accounts that had their verification badges removed on December 26, 2024, included president-elect Donald Trump supporters like Laura Loomer, Gavin Mario Wax, ConservativePAC, and Owen Shroyer.

Loomer complained:

"…@elonmusk called me a troll today, my account verification was taken away, my subscriptions were deactivated and I was banned from being able to buy premium even though I was already paying for premium. Clearly retaliation."

ConservativePac's X account wrote:

"All of our influencers have now lost verification status, as well as our own page. Our brand did nothing."

"We spoke out against HB1 visas and it appears that @elonmusk intentionally shut us down?"

"Is this the new status quo from America’s 'most free' social media platform?"

Conservative influencer Gavin Mario Wax wrote on X:

"Insane that blue checks are being removed from accounts that have been vocal in their criticism of the H1B racket. Horrible look."

"I’ve supported Elon and X. Anyone who was at the @NYYRC gala can attest that I dedicated a large portion of my speech to praising Elon. Sad!"

In response to the additional barrage of complaints, Musk said:

"The first amendment is protection for ‘free speech’, not ‘paid speech’ ffs."

His December 31, 2024, tweet was in response to an X user who said:

"People getting demonetized for their inexcusable behavior then complaining about free speech is hilarious to me."

"You can say whatever you want. You just can’t get paid for it. Hope this helps."

People got a kick out of the response from the self-described "free speech absolutist."

The move for demonetizing select conservative accounts came after Musk and his fellow DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy debated with conservatives over which demographic would qualify as better SpaceX employees: Asian immigrants on H-1B work visas or Americans.

Ramaswamy wrote as part of a lengthy rant:

"A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers."

"A culture that venerates Cory from ‘Boy Meets World,’ or Zach & Slater over Screech in ‘Saved by the Bell,’ or ‘Stefan’ over Steve Urkel in ‘Family Matters,’ will not produce the best engineers.”

Musk echoed the sentiment, arguing with fellow Trump supporters that “the number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low."

People continued sharing thoughts on free speech as it applied to Musk.

Musk, a South African native who once held an H-1B visa himself, previously stated that Silicon Valley turns to hiring immigrant employees due to a lack of engineers who are born in the US.