Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk has openly criticized Disney CEO Bob Iger, accusing him of being complacent in advertising next to inappropriate content. Musk stated, “He should be fired immediately,” and went on to add, “Walt Disney is turning in his grave over what Bob has done to his company.”
Musk’s remarks were in response to a social media user’s question, “Why hasn’t Disney fired that guy yet?” This followed Musk’s initial post where he claimed, “Bob Eiger [sic] thinks it’s cool to advertise next to child exploitation material. Real stand up guy.”
The context of Musk’s criticism is a lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta by New Mexico, alleging that Meta’s platforms Facebook and Instagram expose children to explicit content and enable child predators. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has stated that these platforms are not safe spaces for children but rather hotspots for illicit activities.
In response to a news headline about his demand for Iger’s dismissal, Musk simply wrote: “truth.”
Musk also questioned the lack of an advertiser boycott against Meta, pointing out that Disney, an advertiser that recently withdrew from Twitter, is effectively endorsing such material by continuing to advertise on Meta’s platforms. He shared a CNBC headline that read, “Facebook and Instagram content enabled child sexual abuse, trafficking: New Mexico lawsuit.”
Last week, Musk expressed frustration towards advertisers pulling out from Twitter, accusing them of trying to “blackmail” him. During the New York Times’ DealBook Summit, he addressed these former advertisers bluntly, stating, “go fuck yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is,” and specifically mentioned Iger in his comments.
