Elon Musk Blames Activists As Advertisers Abandon Twitter Amid Layoffs

Elon Musk, Twitter's new owner on Friday acknowledged that advertisement spending on the platform had slumped and blamed the drop on "pressure from activists".

Twitter's new owner, Elon Musk, admitted on Friday that ad spend on the platform had fallen and blamed the drop on "activist pressure".

Tiffany Hsu, a technology reporter who covers disinformation and disinformation, told The New York Times that advertisers are holding back amid massive layoffs at the company.

Advertisers are also afraid of allowing misinformation and hate speech to spread on the platform under the leadership of Elon Musk.

Civil rights groups including GLAAD and Anti-

The Defamation League held a conference call Friday urging other companies to abandon Twitter over mass layoffs that hit what they described as already lean content management staff, the New York Times reported.

The Volkswagen Group joined many other companies in recommending that its car brands, which include Audi, Lamborghini,

Bentley and Porsche have temporarily halted their Twitter spending over concerns that their ads will appear alongside problematic content.

Danish brewing company Carlsberg Group said it had advised its marketing teams to do the same.

Outdoor equipment and apparel retailer REI said it will also pause posts as well as ad spend "given the uncertain future of Twitter's ability to moderate harmful content and ensure brand integrity for advertisers."

Even Musk acknowledged the ad's decline,

He tweeted Friday morning that Twitter "has seen a massive drop in revenue," which he blamed on activist groups putting pressure on advertisers, the New York Times reported.

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