Highlights
- Elon Musk X’s antitrust lawsuit targets major brands like CVS Health and Unilever for alleged illegal coordination in ad boycotts.
- GARM shuts down amid financial strain from X’s antitrust lawsuit, as evidence of alleged collusion emerges.
- EU and UAW confront Musk after Trump interview on X, citing content moderation and labor rights concerns.
Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, is pursuing an antitrust lawsuit against several major brands and an ad industry group. In a statement, the CEO Linda Yaccarino, a former advertising executive, said that the suit is to reveal and punish those behind what she calls “illegal coordinated efforts” against the platform.
Elon Musk X Pushes Antitrust Case
Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X (formerly known as Twitter) has recently stepped up efforts to bring drastic changes in the advertising sector in an Axios report. Yaccarino noted that while one of the defendants in the lawsuit has recently ceased operations, the company is determined to proceed with the antitrust suit against several large brands and an industry association.
The lawsuit, which has generated a lot of attention in the practices within the advertising sector, alleges that CVS Health, Mars, Orsted, and Unilever are using their market dominance to disadvantange X and other conservative media outlets.
X WILL CONTINUE TO PURSUE ANTITRUST LITIGATION AGAINST SEVERAL MAJOR BRANDS AND AN AD INDUSTRY GROUP- AXIOS
— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) August 13, 2024
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Linda Yaccarino, who has been associated with the advertising industry for more than a decade, expressed her concerns about the alleged orchestration by a few powerful advertisers. She emphasized the importance of decentralization and autonomy in the industry, arguing for a “systemic overhaul and a clean slate” to avoid having a small group of companies control the advertising process.
GARM Shuts Down Amid Legal Pressure
The Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), which is one of the major defendants in the lawsuit, suspended its activities last week, explaining the situation by the financial losses connected with the legal fight against Elon Musk platform. GARM, a body formed to combat challenges of illicit or negative content on digital media, was alleged by X to have orchestrated a systematic exclusion that deprived the platform of $4bn in adverts income.
According to Yaccarino, the decision to go to court was not a rash one but one that was backed by evidence from the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee. This evidence pointed toward unlawful coordination against Musk’s platform and other conservative media organisations. While GARM’s closure is a serious blow, it has not stop the platform from pursuing the cause of accountability and change in the advertising business.
Just like Musk did, Linda Yaccarino extended an invitation to Vice President Kamala Harris, offering her the opportunity to participate in a similar interview on X. She stated that the invitation remains “wide open” and that Harris would be allowed to choose whomever she wants to conduct the interview.
Musk and Trump Interview
The lawsuit’s momentum coincides with a controversial interview on X between Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump. According to a Coingape report, the interview received millions of views and hence, Yaccarino referred to the event as a “seminal” moment.
Despite this, the European Union (EU) has raised alarm over the possibility of the spread of ‘Harmful Content’ on the platform especially after the Musk-Trump Interview. In the letter addressed to Musk, the EU Commission highlighted X’s duties under the DSA and called on the platform to enhance the moderation of content, particularly at times of heightened sensitivity and potential polarization.
At the same time, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union has filed federal labor charges against Elon Musk and Donald Trump. The charges, filed with the National Labor Relations Board, state that the two leaders tried to coerce workers during their recent appearance on the platform.
The UAW says that Musk and Trump made statements that could be construed as threatening to workers who are exercising their rights, including the right to strike. UAW President Shawn Fain, an opponent of Musk and Trump, criticized their comments during the interview, saying that they were trying to weaken workers’ rights.
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