New Delhi: Elon Musk’s infamous “Go f*** yourself” remark has returned to public discussion as scrutiny around his businesses and leadership style continues to grow. However, the comment itself is not new: Musk made the statement in November 2023, when he was responding to advertisers that had stopped spending on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Speaking at The New York Times DealBook Summit, Musk was asked about the growing advertiser boycott following his endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory on X. Major companies including Disney, Apple and IBM had paused advertising on the platform.
Musk initially apologised for the controversial post, calling it one of the most foolish things he had done on the platform. But when the discussion moved to advertisers, his tone changed sharply.
He told companies that did not want to advertise on X not to do so and accused them of trying to “blackmail” him with advertising money. He then used the now-famous profanity, directly addressing Disney CEO Bob Iger, who was among the executives connected with the advertising pullback.
At the time, Musk also warned that the advertising boycott could eventually “kill” X and said advertisers would be blamed if that happened. The comments immediately became one of the most widely discussed moments of his ownership of the platform.
The quote is relevant again because Musk’s business empire is now much larger and faces more public scrutiny. SpaceX, Starlink, X and xAI are increasingly connected through Musk’s broader technology strategy. His decisions at one company can therefore attract attention to the others.
It is important, however, not to confuse the 2023 advertising dispute with a new SpaceX controversy. The “Go f*** yourself” statement was made in relation to X advertisers, not SpaceX investors, regulators or customers.
SpaceX itself has recently been under intense attention because of its rapid expansion and huge investment plans. The company’s Starlink business is growing quickly, while the development of next-generation satellites and Starship requires major spending.
