General Motors (GM) has pulled its advertising from Twitter, following Elon Musk’s takeover.
GM, which is a competitor to electric automaker Tesla, said that it is “pausing” its advertising on the social media platform as it evaluates Twitter’s new direction. However, GM has said that it will continue to use the platform to interact with customers but will not pay for advertising.
“We are engaging with Twitter to understand the direction of the platform under their new ownership. As is normal course of business with a significant change in a media platform, we have temporarily paused our paid advertising. Our customer care interactions on Twitter will continue,” the company said in an emailed statement to CNBC.
GM was one of the first automakers to bump its advertising spend to better compete against Tesla.
Ford, meanwhile, told CNBC that it is not currently advertising on Twitter and had not been advertising on the platform since before Musk’s takeover. The Blue Oval said “We will continue to evaluate the direction of the platform under the new ownership.”
The companies’ mixed feelings around Twitter largely stem from Musk’s assertion that he is a “free-speech absolutist” and would restore the account of former US President Donald Trump. The former president was banned following his tweets during the 6 January Capitol insurrection.
On Friday, Musk said that he is planning a “content moderation council” and will not reinstate any accounts until it is convened. He also stated last week that he will not let Twitter become a “free-for-all hellscape” and would be welcoming to advertisers.
Musk wrote on Twitter:
“Advertising, when done right, can delight, entertain and inform you; it can show you a service or product or medical treatment that you never knew existed but is right for you. For this to be true, it is essential to show Twitter users advertising that is as relevant as possible to their needs. Low relevancy ads are spam, but highly relevant ads are actually content!”
He also tweeted “Comedy is now legal on Twitter,” on Saturday.
