X-formerly-Twitter is in deep trouble — and owner Elon Musk is on his knees, yet again, begging advertisers to return.

Cross-post from https://lemmy.world/post/16743494

While the New York Times reported last week that executives at the beleaguered platform had assured employees that 65 percent of advertisers had returned, documents obtained by Bloomberg show that revenue has overall cratered since owner Elon Musk took over in late 2022.

Now, Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino are back in damage control mode, trying to scrounge up some much-needed funds at this year’s Cannes Lions festival in southern France. The mercurial billionaire reportedly met with executives from the likes of the NFL, L’Oreal, Qualcomm, and Target, according to new reporting by the NYT.

But whether these measures will help Musk’s hate speech-ridden echo chamber from bleeding hundreds of millions of dollars per quarter remains to be seen.

After all, who could forget that Musk quite literally told advertisers to go fuck themselves in November — fighting words that likely didn’t sit well with the execs he’s now pleading to return to X.

  • thechadwick@lemmy.world
    77·
    5 months ago

    “I don’t want them to advertise,” Musk said. “If someone is going to blackmail me with advertising or money go f*** yourself. Go. F***. Yourself,” he said. “Is that clear? Hey Bob [Iger, CEO of Disney], if you’re in the audience, that’s how I feel."

    • the guy who bought the website for 40+ billion dollars.

  • foggy@lemmy.world
    75·
    5 months ago

    “Go fuck yourselves 😈”

    -Elon Musk to advertisers, Nov 2023

    “Wait no plz so sry 😢 come back”

    -Elon Musk to advertisers, Jun 2024.

    • cmbabul@lemmy.world
      6·
      5 months ago

      The NFL is as far from a benevolent organization as I am from Henry Cavill in the looks department, but it’s funny as hell to me that Elon thought he could strong arm the National Football League and the egotistical billionaires that own all the teams

  • ieatpwns@lemmy.world
    16·
    5 months ago

    This is like that episode of family guy where Peter curses everyone out, burns down a cabin, everyone leaves, then, they all come back and save him. Sometimes you just gotta let the idiots deal with the consequences of their actions. Or sometimes they get REALLY lucky.

  • Allonzee@lemmy.world
    820·
    5 months ago

    I wish stories about X would stop calling it Twitter.

    Call it X. People still have nostalgia for earlier Twitter, though I’ve no idea why, and nostalgia unfortunately still makes some believe something that no longer has any value somehow still does.

    No one gives a shit if X goes under. Call it X, that’s what Elon wanted anyway, right?