Apple Is Halting Its Ad Campaign on X

Apple is one of the largest ad partners on Twitter. Since Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, several advertisers have left the space; however, Apple keeps paying for the ad spots. In March 2023, Musk acknowledged and thanked Apple for its support. He referred to Apple as the biggest advertiser on X. As reported by Axios, the Cupertino-based tech company Apple is stopping its advertising activities on X, formerly known as Twitter. This move by the company is a response to the anti-Semitic remarks made by Musk last week.

Last year, in November, the company paused ads on X temporarily. Such a move made Musk furious and questioned whether Apple detested “free speech.” Musk said that if Twitter was eventually taken down from the App Store, he would “make an alternative phone” in response to Apple’s warning. Later in 2022, the CEOs of both companies met and resolved the issue. After this meeting, Musk mentioned that Apple never threatened that Twitter would be removed from the App Store. He referred to it as a misunderstanding.

He referred to the meeting as a “good conversation.” From that point on, the company began advertising on the social media platform. Some reports from last year suggest that per year, Apple is spending more than $100 million on Twitter ads. It’s doubtful that Apple will be persuaded to start advertising again in the future in light of Musk’s most recent remarks and the proof that X is displaying Apple advertisements next to pro-Hitler content. In September, Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, stated that the company is “continuously” considering whether to purchase advertisements on the social media platform.

Besides Apple, IBM and the European Union asserted that they are no longer interested in advertising on X. The comments made by Musk were also condemned by the White House. Employees of X informed The New York Times that the company has been receiving calls from other businesses that are dissatisfied with Musk.