Elon Musk defends himself on X after antisemitic furor deepens

World+Biz

Bloomberg
20 November, 2023, 09:55 am
Last modified: 20 November, 2023, 10:21 am
This past week, there were hundreds of bogus media stories claiming that I am antisemitic. Nothing could be further from the truth. I wish only the best for humanity and a prosperous and exciting future for all. — Elon Musk

Elon Musk railed against "bogus" media reports accusing him of antisemitism, issuing his strongest response yet after endorsing antisemitic content in a post on X that provoked outrage and alienated advertisers like Apple Inc.

The backlash erupted last week after the billionaire Tesla Inc. chief and X-owner agreed with a post that said Jewish people hold a "dialectical hatred" of white people. That message has since drawn criticism from the White House as well as several Tesla investors. Walt Disney Co. was among the big corporate names that've distanced themselves from the platform formerly known as Twitter. 

This past week, there were hundreds of bogus media stories claiming that I am antisemitic. Nothing could be further from the truth. I wish only the best for humanity and a prosperous and exciting future for all.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 19, 2023

On Sunday, the entrepreneur tweeted that he wished "only the best for humanity." Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman was among those who've leapt to Musk's defense.

Musk has a track record of promoting hate speech. His latest post prompted criticism from both politicians and some of the world's biggest companies, who've long urged the billionaire to better control content on his platform.

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