Mr. Musk later responded to one Twitter user’s comment saying, “Adams’ comments are not nice. But there is an element of truth to this… It’s complicated.
“Exactly,” Mr. Musk replied.
Jonathan A. Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, said Monday that Mr. Musk said he was “deeply disturbed” by the comments. “As a prominent leader of a social media platform,” he said, “Musk’s words have great influence, and he should be condemning bigotry, not defending it.”
Mr. Twitter has faced an exodus of advertisers since Musk announced early in his tenure that he would loosen its content review rules. Some brands cut their spending sharply: According to the latest estimates from research firm Sensor Tower, more than half of Twitter’s top 100 advertisers last year will spend nothing on the platform by 2023.
First, Mr. Musk tried to reach out to some critics.
He met with leaders of several civil rights groups, including the NAACP and the Anti-Defamation League, in early November, and some of the participants included Mr. Musk described himself as accepting their views. He spoke with ad executives to address concerns that their brands would start appearing with toxic ingredients on the platform.
Color of Change says Mr. Musk has promised to form a council that includes leaders of civil rights groups to advise Twitter on how to handle tricky content issues. Robinson said. Months passed, and the council did not function.
Twitter has laid off thousands of employees, including at least 200 over the weekend, Mr. Musk has been publicly expressing his views on a number of controversial topics through his tweets. His focus ranges from pop culture to technological innovation to, occasionally, whatever he happens to be watching on TV.
Will Ferrell and John C. Mr. Reilly on Sunday evening about slapstick comedy. Musk wrote.
