Dear John,

“You have said the actual truth,” Elon Musk declared to his more than 200 million followers on X, reposting an alarming antisemitic post that claimed Jewish communities push “the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them.”

Musk praised the post’s claim that Jewish communities are bringing “hordes of minorities” into Western countries in order to destroy them. This dangerous lie, known as the “Great Replacement Theory,” is one of the more virulent antisemitic conspiracy theories finding fertile ground on X.

Musk released his antisemitic statement the same week progressive watchdog Media Matters issued a report showing how major companies’ advertising was showing up on pages alongside neo-Nazi hate speech. Many companies immediately left X, including Apple, Disney, IBM, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Fox Sports, Warner Brothers, and The Discovery Channel.

Musk’s response was to file a lawsuit against Media Matters, an irony for the mogul who calls himself a “free speech absolutist.” First Amendment attorney Ted Boutrous says the lawsuit is “a dream come true for the people at Media Matters,” as it could force X to divulge damaging information in the discovery process.

The incoming Trump administration will never hold Musk or X accountable for the massive and intentional spread of disinformation, so we must. And that starts by demanding corporate brands stop funding X through advertising money.

Let’s make our voices heard: It’s time for companies to stop advertising on X, starting with:

• The NFL

• The Washington Post, and

• Walmart

Demand that these companies still advertising on X leave now. Call for an end to corporate support for Musk’s platform of hate.

And we will not stop with them. Over the next year we will relentlessly target corporation after corporation to demand action.

Among the companies still advertising on X are:

• Media giants such as The New York Times and the Economist

• Insurance brokers such as State Farm and USAA

• Fast foods and snack makers such as Wendy’s and Nabisco

• And more, such as Office Depot and Formula 1 Racing

Since Musk took over Twitter and renamed it X, he has reinstated accounts that had been banned for harassment, ended the verification of authentic information, and increased the visibility of racist accounts via his paid “blue checkmark” system. Fanning conspiracy theories and attacking both George Soros and the Anti-Defamation League, Musk has especially singled out Jewish targets for his abuse.

Musk has turned X into a whirling cesspool of hate speech and lies. Companies that would never think of associating themselves with sites on the “dark web,” such as 4chan continue to advertise their alliance with this platform that fosters divisive and extremist racism.

We need to let these corporations know that we expect them to act with greater integrity. We won’t support brands that fund a social media site endorsing hate. This is the time for any business that values decency to stop spending their ad dollars on X. Join our demands that brands still advertising on X sever ties with Musk’s hateful megaphone.

Send a message to companies that we won’t tolerate their support of disinformation and conspiracy theories. Tell the corporations: Now is the time to stop advertising on X!

Thank you for insisting that corporations live up to values of decency and humanity.

Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action