Musk uses expletive to tell audience he doesn't care about advertisers that fled X over hate speech

NEW YORK (AP) — Billionaire Elon Musk said Wednesday that advertisers who have halted spending on his social media platform X in response to antisemitic and other hateful material are engaging in “blackmail” and, using profanity, essentially told them to go away.  

He appeared to specifically call out Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger, saying, “Hey Bob, if you're in the audience ... that's how I feel."  

In an on-stage interview at The New York Times DealBook Summit, Musk also apologized for endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory in response to a post on X that helped fuel an advertiser exodus.