Topline
Elon Musk announced Tuesday his social media platform X will donate revenue from “advertising & subscriptions associated with the war in Gaza” to hospitals in Israel and aid groups in Gaza—a decision that comes as Musk and the platform formerly known as Twitter have faced criticism for antisemitic content.
Elon Musk announced Tuesday that X will donate to aid groups in Gaza and Israel after the platform … [+]
Key Facts
Musk didn’t provide any details on how X will donate the funds, or how much it will donate, but said in a follow-up post the company will track how funds are spent through the Red Cross and Red Crescent to ensure it doesn’t end up with Hamas.
He added that “better ideas are welcome” on the best way to donate, and said: “We should care about the innocent regardless of race, creed, religion or anything else.”
Tangent
Earlier on Tuesday, a group of more than two dozen Democratic lawmakers sent Musk and Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino a letter arguing the platform was profiting off pro-Hamas propaganda by allowing gruesome videos on X following Hamas’ attack on Israel last month. The lawmakers asked Musk and Yaccarino to answer questions including how the posts and accounts remained active “for days after their policy violations had been publicized,” what X plans to do about Hamas-related content and what changes X will make.
Key Background
The decision to donate comes after X faced days of criticism for the presence of antisemitic posts on the social media site, and after advertisers announcing paused campaigns on the platform over claims that their ads were placed near antisemitic content. Left-leaning media watchdog Media Matters for America put out a report last week alleging major companies’ ads were being placed next to hateful content, but X filed a defamation lawsuit against the group Monday, arguing it created a “false impression” about how the ads were displayed. Musk has also drawn scrutiny for engaging with antisemitic tweets himself, after he endorsed a claim by an X user that Jewish communities that reject antisemitism show “hatred against whites.” Musk has been criticized since he bought X last year for hate speech on the platform, leading many major companies to stop advertising on it. In April, after claiming most advertisers had returned, Musk said they were open to hearing advertisers’ concerns about the platform, but said that “freedom of speech is paramount,” and largely denied any uptick in hateful content.
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Musk’s net worth at $246.1 billion, making him the wealthiest person on earth, largely due to his stakes in Tesla and SpaceX.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/11/21/x-will-donate-ad-revenue-to-gaza-aid-groups-and-israeli-hospitals-elon-musk-says/