According to an upcoming biography, Elon Musk disregarded warnings from confidantes about his behavior driving away advertisers. David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros Discovery Inc, and Musk’s own brother were among those who advised him against his erratic actions that spooked advertisers during his takeover of X, formerly known as Twitter. Zaslav recommended that Musk focus on improving video and creating better ads. The board of Tesla Inc, chairman Robyn Denholm, and his brother Kimbal Musk also expressed concerns about the controversies at X affecting the car company’s brand.
Musk, however, did not believe his behavior was an issue and chose to ignore the advice. He disregarded former Intel Corp CEO Bob Swan’s guidance on financing the Twitter deal and consistently dismissed the perspectives of lawyer Alex Spiro and wealth manager Jared Birchall, as detailed in the book.
Musk’s $44 billion takeover of Twitter has faced criticism from various groups, including users who claim the platform’s experience has declined and advertisers and interest groups who allege hate speech is allowed to proliferate. Under Musk’s leadership, Twitter has implemented changes such as laying off trust and safety employees, reinstating accounts that were previously banned for policy violations, and removing verification labels from high-profile accounts that have not paid for them. These changes have not only driven away advertisers but also alienated many users. Musk revealed on X in July that Twitter’s advertising revenue had declined by 50%. In response, Twitter has stated that it is actively addressing harmful content in multiple ways.
During the same period, at the advice of Oracle Corp co-founder Larry Ellison, Musk chose not to engage in a dispute with Apple Inc. Musk had criticized Apple for temporarily halting advertising on Twitter. Ellison cautioned Musk against jeopardizing the relationship with Apple, given their prominence as a marketer and the importance of X’s presence on the iPhone’s App Store. Musk subsequently reached out to Apple CEO Tim Cook to reconcile.
Other influential advisors to Musk include venture capitalists David Sacks and Marc Andreessen. Isaacson’s book portrays Musk as a largely impulsive decision-maker who oscillates between heeding their advice and disregarding it. Musk seemed to take pleasure at times in going against their recommendations. The consistent theme throughout was that when Musk had made up his mind, not even those closest to him could change it. – Bloomberg
Credit: The Star : Tech Feed
