The Week in Tech: Musk under fire, YouTube and programmatic advertising
Marketing Week’s weekly round-up of the technology stories that impact the marketing sector: from AI to martech, regulation to public perceptions
On the agenda…
It’s been a remarkably confrontational few weeks for Elon Musk.
The Tesla and X (formerly Twitter) head honcho has gone to war with advertisers over what he believes is an illegal boycott of his social media platform – a move that has led to the WFA disbanding its GARM initiative. Inserted himself into the riots and unrest that spread across the UK by spreading misinformation in the form of a fake Daily Telegraph article. And picked a fight with the European Union which seems to have run out of patience for his antics. It’s enough to make anyone tired. So very, very tired.
All of this is to say, is there any wonder brands are considering X an unsafe platform to advertise against? Regardless of whether you think Elon Musk is a brave defender of free speech or someone who is causing unrest in society for seemingly little more than his own amusement, it’s the kind of controversy most brands will avoid with a two-foot barge pole.
With ex-Twitter vice-president for EMEA, Bruce Daisley, going so far as to say Musk should be arrested in an opinion piece for The Guardian and politicians from across the UK parliament condemning him for his actions: where does Musk go from here?
