Loyal his comment on stage “sincere” and “deep.”
“He shared an unparalleled and completely unvarnished perspective and vision for the future,” Yaccarino told the social media site’s workforce in the memo titled “Proud to be on X with you!”
He encouraged staff to watch the 90-minute interview at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit on Wednesday to “take the time to absorb the magnitude and importance of what we are all a part of,” according to CNBC.
Yaccarino went on to address advertisers saying that X’s “principles are priceless and will not be compromised, ever.”
“And no matter how hard they try, we will not be distracted by critics who don’t understand our mission,” he added, according to CNBC.
Thursday’s memo to staff was Yaccarino’s second attempt at damage control after addressing the public in a tweet endorsing his billionaire boss.
He described Musk’s performance as a “broad and candid interview” during which he “offered an apology, an explanation and an explicit point of view about our position.”
“X is allowing an independence of information that is uncomfortable for some people,” Yaccarino said. “We are a platform that allows people to make their own decisions.”
“And here’s my perspective when it comes to advertising: X sits at a unique and amazing intersection between Free Speech and Main Street, and the X community is powerful and here to welcome you,” he added.
Yaccarino, former head of publicity at media giant NBCUniversal, acted quickly after Andrew Sorkin’s interview with the Tesla and SpaceX boss, which devolved into a foul-mouthed tirade when Musk was asked about Walt Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and other companies. first line. ‘ decisions to stop advertising on X.
“I hope they stop. Don’t advertise,” Musk told a perplexed Sorkin. “If someone is going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, fuck you. Fuck off. Is it clear? I hope it is.”
“Hey Bob, if you’re in the audience,” Musk added, referring to Disney CEO Bob Iger, whose company was among those taking advertising money.
As Musk doubled down on his bold stance, Sorkin noted that Yaccarino, who was present, was primarily hired as CEO of X to repair the company’s fractured relationships and sell ads.
Musk did not address Yaccarino and instead admitted that a long-term advertising boycott “was going to kill the company.”
Musk, who bought Twitter for $44 billion last year, surprised attendees with the attack, especially after previously apologizing for posting the same tweet that prompted the advertisers’ exit.
The post, in which Musk endorsed an anti-Semitic tweet claiming that Jewish communities promote “anti-white hate,” sparked a wave of backlash and even drew condemnation from the White House for his “abhorrent promotion” of a “ “terrible lie” that claimed that Jews supported “hordes of minorities” who emigrated to the United States.
Just weeks after publication, Musk visited Israel to accompany Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a tour of Kfar Aza, where dozens of Israelis were murdered and many others kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
Sorkin on Wednesday pressed Musk to respond to public perception that his recent trip to Israel was part of an “apology tour.”
Musk reiterated that he is not anti-Semitic and insisted that the trip to Israel was planned before his “silly” position in X.
Representatives for Yaccarino at X did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment.
Here’s Yaccarino’s full memo to X staff following Musk’s interview at the DealBook Summit, according to CNBC:
Proud to be in X with you!
Hello everyone,
I posted this yesterday on DealBook and the X community has been pretty lit today on the same topic. Elon’s interview was sincere and insightful. He shared an unparalleled and completely unvarnished perspective and vision of the future. If you haven’t seen it, take the time to absorb the magnitude and importance of what we are all a part of. Because that’s exactly what I wanted to focus on with you today.
We are in one of the most dissident companies in the world and we can do things that have never been done before. X is part of a unique constellation of companies that are changing the world: from helping to preserve the planet through Tesla electric vehicles to the exploration of new planets with Spacex, the perfect global connectivity of Starlink and the potential to transform lives with Neuralink, to responsibly reinventing the benefits of AGI through xAI.
You’re at X because you have the courage and conviction to build and operate the most important platform there is. It’s a pretty enviable position.
Our mission at X is bold: to be an open platform without censorship of thought, one that gives people information and the freedom to make their own decisions. Our principles are priceless and will not be compromised, ever. And no matter how hard we try, we will not be distracted by critics who do not understand our mission.
I am immensely proud to lead this company, with the passionate people and partners of the X community and, fortunately, with all of YOU.
As always, if you need me, I’m here.
Beautiful
