--- title: "Furious Former Twitter Advertisers Tell Elon Musk They’ve Had Enough of His Tantrums" description: "Former Twitter advertisers singled out by Elon Musk in a lawsuit are ready to hit back and are asking a judge to dismiss the suit." date: "2025-05-15" modified: "2025-05-15" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/former-twitter-advertisers-elon-musk" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "advertising" - "elon musk" - "the digest" - "twitter" --- # Furious Former Twitter Advertisers Tell Elon Musk They’ve Had Enough of His Tantrums ![Former Twitter advertisers singled out by Elon Musk in a lawsuit are ready to hit back and are asking a judge to dismiss the suit.]() *\Image: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images\* ## Media Empire Fights Back Elon Musk's social media company X-formerly-Twitter [sued]() several major advertising brands last year, accusing them of conspiring to "collectively withhold billions of dollars in advertising." It's an easily debunked claim that flatly ignores the extremely hostile environment the mercurial CEO has created on the platform, with [hate speech]() and [disinformation]() running rampant. Now, advertisers singled out by Musk are ready to hit back and are asking a judge to dismiss Musk's lawsuit. As [*Business Insider* reports](), the companies accused the richest man in the world in a joint motion of trying to "win back the business X lost in the free market when it disrupted its own business and alienated many of its customers." ## Irresponsible Media Advertisers started running for the hills after Musk took over the platform in late 2022, bringing with him a groundswell of [hate speech](), [misinformation](), and [racist rhetoric](). The exodus, which [has continued for years](), left a major hole in the company's financials that were already in freefall following Musk's acquisition. Instead of acknowledging the sheer amount of damage he has done, Musk is accusing advertisers of colluding against him in the lawsuit, which he [filed in August]() of last year. The prolonged legal fight turned ugly when the Global Alliance of Responsible Media (GARM), a World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) initiative, [dissolved]() after Musk filed the complaint. The initiative was set up in 2019 to protect advertisers from exactly the kind of hurtful content that has flourished on X-formerly-Twitter, including child sex-abuse material, and displays of violence. But now, GARM members and non-GARM members alike have joined forces to reject Musk's accusations of a conspiracy, pointing out that they each had individually determined X was far too toxic to advertise on. The group also refuted the findings of a [Republican-led investigation]() by the House Judiciary Committee that claimed its members colluded against the conservative-leaning media. In their latest finding, the WFA pointed out that advertisers' decision to stay clear of Musk's toxic platform fell under their First Amendment rights. "Antitrust law protects competition," the filing reads. "It does not protect X from competition." **More on Twitter:** *[Grok AI Claims Elon Musk Told It to Go on Lunatic Rants About "White Genocide"]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()