Taylor Lorenz on Threads:
At the Dealbook summit, with X CEO Linda Yaccarino sitting in the room, Elon Musk just told advertisers — including Disney CEO Bob Iger — to go fuck themselves.
"Don't advertise... If somebody did try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself. Go. Fuck. Yourself. Is that clear?" Musk said.
Musk then called out Disney CEO Bob Iger in the audience, saying "Hi Bob!"
As @sorkinsays tries to move on, Elon spells it out: "G. F. Y."
Musk's conduct at the Dealbook summit was not only petulant and immature, it also displayed a profound misunderstanding of the free-market principles that Musk claims to champion. By aggressively telling advertisers, including Disney's Bob Iger, to "Go fuck yourself" in retaliation for their market-driven decisions, Musk conflated the concept of an advertiser/market choice with personal manipulation.
His reaction to advertisers pulling out of X - due in large part to his own controversial posts –is delusional and childish. Categorising the exercise of their market freedom as a form of blackmail is a gross misinterpretation of how free markets operate. Musk’s behavior undermines the ethos of business leadership, demonstrating a lack of maturity and an inability to accept the natural consequences of a marketplace where businesses and consumers have the autonomy to make value-based decisions.
