Perhaps the biggest auto headlines recently didn’t directly involve cars, but rather Elon Musk’s shocking takeover of Twitter. Musk is now the “Chief of Twit” following the completion of the acquisition on October 27. The Tesla CEO immediately fired top Twitter executives including CEO Parag Agrawal following the acquisition.
Since Twitter is one of the social media platforms where auto companies advertise, the backlash from Tesla’s competitors came after the company’s move.
General Motors was the first to pull the trigger, CNBC report.
According to the report, the Detroit automaker has announced that it is temporarily suspending its paid advertising on Twitter. It is currently evaluating the direction of Twitter under new management, GM told CNBC. However, the company’s interactions with its customers will continue.
Just like the rest of the world, GM has started its push for electrification, with Tesla standing out as a fierce rival in the segment.
Meanwhile, Ford, another Tesla rival, told CNBC that the company didn’t advertise on Twitter even before Musk took over. Fisker, another Tesla rival, left the platform in April, saying he didn’t want his “freedom of speech to be actively managed or controlled by competitors.”
Following the takeover, Musk released a statement addressed to Twitter advertisers to clarify the speculation behind the move.
I didn’t do it because it would be easy. I don’t do it to make more money. I did it to try to help humanity, which I love. And I do so humbly, acknowledging that failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility.
Musk has announced that the social media platform will have a “content moderation board with very diverse viewpoints.” Musk confirmed that he had not made any changes to the platform’s content moderation policy as of this writing.
