The company claimed that members of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media coordinated to dissuade brands from advertising on X.

filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, a coalition of major advertisers, claiming that it had violated antitrust laws by coordinating with brands to dissuade them from spending money on the social media platform.

The suit, filed in federal court in Texas, claims that the coalition, known as GARM, “conspired” with leading brands, including CVS, Unilever, Mars and the Danish energy company Orsted, to “collectively withhold billions of dollars in advertising revenue” that were owed to X, then known as Twitter, in the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover of the social media company in 2022.

With the lawsuit, X effectively declared war on advertisers, which provide the bulk of the social media company’s revenue. Since Mr. Musk acquired the company and promised to usher in a new era of unfettered free speech, many advertisers have limited their spending on X, concerned by reports of rising hate speech and misinformation there. By pursuing legal action against GARM, Mr. Musk continued to break with the leaders of other social media companies, who have forged close relationships with advertisers and been responsive to their concerns about offensive online content.

  • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    He told them to fuck off, and is now but hurt that they took his advice.

    Musk is literally that kid whose mom made you include him even though nobody liked him.

    • Kalkaline @leminal.space
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      3 months ago

      Advertisers also don’t want their products displayed next to pro-Nazi content either. Can’t forget that part.

    • DandomRude@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Yes, since Musk fired his PR team in 2020, things have gone steadily downhill for him. That was probably one of his worst decisions, considering how successful his PR team was in falsly portraying him as a tech genius and progressive visionary. Well, now it is clear to everyone that this was never even remotely true.

      • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Considering how monumentally douchey musk is… that team was probably among the best in the world. Hope whoever picked them up on the bounce is good to them. Or just good. We don’t need another musk.

    • Mog_fanatic@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      What an absolutely fantastic example of “fuck around and find out.” Tell people to go fuck themselves, so they don’t want anything to do with you, and then you cry about it. It’s poetry.

  • OmnislashIsACloudApp@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    can’t wait for the clip we’re the lawyer says “Your Honor, exhibit A is a video clip of Mr Musk telling advertisers to, and I quote: ‘fuck off’”

  • echo@lemmings.world
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    3 months ago

    Guess what, Melon Husk… they aren’t required to associate with you and can quite publicly boycott you, if they like.

  • Phegan@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    They like the free market until it works against them. Capitalists are glories conmen.

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    3 months ago

    The only point of this is to elevate the Global Alliance for Responsible Media in the right-wing propaganda machine to try to get companies to distance themselves from it. Don’t take bullshit suits like this at face value

    Edit: Woke up this morning to multiple Republicans in Congress calling for “investigations” into GARM

  • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    The fact that this bizarre and insane “lawsuit” is being brought in Texas should be concerning. If he gets a conservative enough judge, neither the law nor the facts will matter at all.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Maybe, but regardless of the outcome of this case, how many advertisers are going to want to advertise on Twitter if they find out he’ll sue them for not advertising on Twitter anymore?

  • Dr. Moose@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Has Musk ever proceeded with one of his lawsuits till the end? Seems like he just sues people, gets the headlines and then drops out lol

  • iAvicenna@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    “I can do whatever the shit I want and you still have to advertise with me OK” sounds like how an extremely spoiled and self centred kid would behave with his/her parents.

  • Ellia Plissken@lemm.ee
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    3 months ago

    there are like 15 billionaires out there all conspiring together not to give me over a million dollars. I can sue them for trust activity right?

  • n3m37h@sh.itjust.works
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    3 months ago

    Why doesn’t anyone like me? I know, I’ll sue them I to liking me and then I will have all of the monies - Elon