Elon Musk has accused the Anti-Defamation League of “trying to kill” X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, threatening a lawsuit against the organization dedicated to combating anti-Semitism and hate speech.
Elon Musk Threatens ADL
In posts on the website Monday, Musk alleged that X's recent decline in advertisement sales were the result of an ADL report from May that found more than 5,000 examples of “virulent anti-Semitism” in just one month from accounts that were not removed, or in some cases, reinstated.
“Since the acquisition, The @ADL has been trying to kill this platform by falsely accusing it & me of being anti-Semitic,” Musk wrote, adding, “Our US advertising revenue is still down 60 percent, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL (that’s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X/Twitter!”
He added: “To clear our platform’s name on the matter of anti-Semitism, it looks like we have no choice but to file a defamation lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League ... oh the irony!”
Musk said that the lawsuit would hold the ADL accountable for supposedly “destroying half the value of the company,” which he valued at $22 billion.
While Musk claims that the ADL report "falsely accuses" himself and the platform of harboring anti-Semitism, the report from the ADL and the Center for Countering Digital Hate quantified that hate speech on X has increased drastically under Musk’s leadership.
The CCDH also found that the daily use of the n-word under Musk was triple the 2022 average, and the use of slurs against gay men and trans people was up 58 percent and 62 percent, respectively. The ADL noted this was due to “both an increase in anti-Semitic content on the platform and a decrease in the moderation of anti-Semitic posts.”
Musk sued the CCDH last month, accusing the nonprofit of deliberately trying to drive advertisers away.
In a statement responding to Musk's recent threats, a spokesperson for the ADL said that the organization "is unsurprised yet undeterred that anti-Semites, white supremacists, conspiracy theorists, and other trolls have launched a coordinated attack on our organization.”
“Such insidious efforts don’t daunt us,” they continued. “Instead, they drive us to be unflinching in our commitment to fight hate in all its forms and ensure the safety of Jewish communities and other marginalized groups.”
