Audi, General Mills: These firms have paused Twitter ads following Musk takeover

Elon Musk – a self-described free speech absolutist – blamed the drop on pressure from activists for the slump down in ad spending on the platform.

Amid big shifts at Twitter ever since Elon Musk assumed charge, several weighty firms – the likes of Audi and General Mills – have decided to pause advertisements on the platform, expressing apprehension about his takeover for months. In his promise to restore “free speech” on the platform, the world's richest billionaire and owner of Tesla and SpaceX has been firing employees left, right and centre and changing the way of things at the Twitter office.

Twitter chief Elon Musk (Reuters)

Musk – a self-described free speech absolutist – had blamed the drop on pressure from activists for the slump down in ad spending on the platform. He claimed that by taking certain adverse steps, he will prevent Twitter from becoming a “free-for-all hellscape”.

However, major advertisers are not impressed yet as they also fear that under Musk's leadership, misinformation and hate speech would be allowed to proliferate on the platform.

Here are a list of firms that have paused advertisements on Twitter so far:

Automobile

General Motors Co and Audi joined carmakers like Volkswagen, Lamborghini, Bentley, Porsche to pause ads on Twitter amid complete uncertainty on how the social media platforms will function under Elon Musk, news agency Reuters has reported.

Food and Beverages

General Mills Inc – the maker of Cheerios, Annie's macaroni and cheese, Betty Crocker, Haagen-Dazs; Oreo maker Mondelez International Inc; and brewing company Carlsberg Group are among the big firms that have temporarily halted Twitter advertisements.

Others

Leading advertising agency Interpublic Group paused its advertisements on Twitter, citing the current “unpredictable and chaotic” situation. “At this moment, we cannot confidently state that Twitter is a safe place for brands,” they said in an email reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Pharmaceutical major Pfizer Inc., outdoor gear and apparel retailer REI also joined the list.

A spokesperson at REI said it would also pause posts in addition to advertising spending “given the uncertain future of Twitter's ability to moderate harmful content and guarantee brand safety for advertisers.”