Speaking on Wednesday during The New York Times Dealbook Summit 2023 at New York City’s Lincoln Center, X owner and Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk did not just tell advertisers boycotting X to “f*** off,” though he did that and called out the Disney CEO. He also slammed those who care more about appearance than doing good.
Speaking on the matter, Musk argued that there are many out there who are only interested in looking good for the sake of appearances while what they do is evil and said that he could not stand such people, particularly in light of all Tesla has done and the continual attacks on it.
In regards to Tesla, Musk noted that it has been far more successful at its stated goal of producing electric vehicles, which he and proponents of them argue are environmentally friendly, than all the other companies in the space combined.
“Tesla’s gotten to where it’s gotten with no advertising at all… sells twice as much in terms of electric vehicles, more than all the carmakers in the United States combined. Tesla’s done more to help the environment than all other companies combined,” he said.
Continuing, he argued that since he is the one who leads the company, that means he is one of those doing the most to help the environment. As he put it: “It would be fair to say that as the leader of the company, I’ve done more for the environment than any single human on earth.”
Then, when interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin asked him “How do you feel about that?” Musk responded by asking, “How do I feel about that?” Sorkin then clarified, asking, “No, I’m asking you personally how you feel about that, because we are talking about power and influence —”
Musk then got to his point about those who care about appearance rather than result, saying, “I’m saying what I care about is the reality of goodness, not the perception of it. And what I see all over the place is people who care about looking good while doing evil. F*** them.”
Watch Musk here:
In his comment to the advertisers boycotting him at the same event, Musk said, “I hope they stop. Don’t advertise. If somebody is going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself. Go fuck yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is.”
X CEO Linda Yaccarinno, commenting on the advertising situation, said, “Today @elonmusk gave a wide ranging and candid interview at @dealbook 2023. He also offered an apology, an explanation and an explicit point of view about our position. X is enabling an information independence that’s uncomfortable for some people. We’re a platform that allows people to make their own decisions. And here’s my perspective when it comes to advertising: X is standing at a unique and amazing intersection of Free Speech and Main Street — and the X community is powerful and is here to welcome you. To our partners who believe in our meaningful work — Thank You.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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