Screenshot via Twitter.
Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X, the Platform Formerly Known as Twitter, posted a video on Tuesday announcing the company was filing a lawsuit against several advertisers and groups that she accused of organizing an “illegal boycott.” Her video was met with a tidal wave of disdain and mockery, with critics comparing it to a hostage video and voicing a high degree of skepticism about her claims.
In the video clip, Yaccarino, wearing a plain black shirt with two gold necklaces that say “MAMA” and “FREE SPEECH,” began by saying “Hey everybody.”
A Message to X Users pic.twitter.com/6bZOYPhWVa
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) August 6, 2024
She explained that she was “shocked” by information from the GOP-majority House Judiciary Committee that “a group of companies organized a systematic illegal boycott against X,” complaining it was “just wrong” so X was filing an antitrust lawsuit. Yaccarino further argued that this boycott put what she called users’ “global town square” at “long term risk,” and claimed X was “the one place that you can express yourself freely and openly” — a claim that is simply not true.
As a factual note, X does have Terms of Service and other moderation restrictions that limit what users can post and Musk himself backed off his promises to create a “free speech” zone before his purchase was even completed. X also previously locked numerous accounts — including journalists — for posting links to other platforms, and purged accounts belonging to left-wing critics, among other actions taken to restrict content or remove users from X.
Additionally, here is an incomplete list of other online platforms that currently exist as of August 6, 2024 where people can express themselves (subject to terms and moderation rules not dissimilar from X): Facebook, Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, YouTube, TikTok, Substack, Medium Discord, Snapchat, Telegram, Mastadon, and Tumblr.
Other social media users reacted to not just Yaccarino’s tone of voice, but to mock and criticize her arguments, with many questioning her assertion that X had a legal right to force companies to do business with it — especially in light of company owner Elon Musk’s infamous “Go. f*ck. Yourself!” comment to advertisers who didn’t approve of his handling of hate speech on the platform or his own posting of antisemitic and conspiratorial content.
A sampling of reactions below:
This is weird. The synthetic anger, the tone, the announcement that they're suing their customers for not buying their product, and the suggestion that the richest man in the world is a victim. At first glance I thought it was a deepfake. https://t.co/cQTRktMXmh
— Arieh Kovler (@ariehkovler) August 6, 2024
I’ve never been in sales, but Twitter had the best sales team I’ve ever seen. Cut to telling advertisers to go f*ck themselves, creating a toxic cesspool and calling for civil war and then suing advertisers who use their free will not to spend. Sounds like a winning strategy. https://t.co/ipAlJmSbWx
— Lara Cohen 💅🏼 (@Larakate) August 6, 2024
They’re not that into you. Curious, did you watch this before posting it? Because it’s giving hostage video vibes…
— Rachel Vindman 🌻 (@natsechobbyist) August 6, 2024
Ridiculous. You can’t force people to advertise on this cesspool of a platform.
— Peter Hense 🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@peterhense) August 6, 2024
You’re going to lose pic.twitter.com/B3ByK2Y0Gl
— evan loves worf (@esjesjesj) August 6, 2024
Lol
Advertisers don’t want to be here because your algorithm is boosting abusive fascists and russian troll factory bots
Have you considered dealing with those, instead of whining about advertisers?
Just a thought 🤷
— Jaanus K 🌻🇪🇪🇪🇺🇺🇦🇬🇪 (@jaanus) August 6, 2024
As a daily Twitter power user I find your claim absurd, very much hope you lose and that Twitter is eventually destroyed.
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) August 6, 2024
Here's @elonmusk telling boycotting advertisers, "don't advertise" and "go f*ck yourself".
And now you're gonna sue them for not advertising?
Good luck with that. https://t.co/w7wVzW0O6d pic.twitter.com/qqfkiHwGur— N O S ⋊ Ɔ I ᴚ ᴚ Ǝ ᗡ ⊥ ⊥ O Ɔ S (@scottderrickson) August 6, 2024
This is insane.
Message: don’t advertise on X or we’ll sue you if you quit.
The snowflakery is out of control in the @elonmusk world https://t.co/DKGvYXHpuV
— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@AdamKinzinger) August 6, 2024
LOL @lindayaX look at your serious face here! I'm so proud to have told you to your face that you are a disingenuous person and that all the advertisers know that you are disingenuous, too.
Forcing advertisers to be on X is laughably opposite free speech https://t.co/oC0yW30vKt https://t.co/WpcToOFKRV
— Claire Atkin (@catthekin) August 6, 2024
Elon and Linda went forum-shopping, filing this case in Wichita Falls Division so that Judge Reed O'Connor was guaranteed to be assigned the case. Here's the complaint: https://t.co/Zu1XVYFMWf pic.twitter.com/nJPnXEsbzC
— Chris “Law Dork” Geidner (@chrisgeidner) August 6, 2024
Complaints about other firms conspiring against X might land better if your owner wasn't pushing an assortment of right-wing conspiracy theories, disinformation & deep fakes. A responsibly-run social media company would have much more support than one run by an alt-right troll. https://t.co/0nDXtnS9Qt
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) August 6, 2024
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