Linda Yaccarino Slammed for Lawsuit Against Advertisers

Linda YaccarinoThe CEO of X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, posted a video Tuesday announcing that the company was filing a lawsuit against several advertisers and groups she accused of organizing an “illegal boycott.” Her video was met with a wave of scorn and ridicule, with critics comparing it to a hostage video and expressing a high degree of skepticism about her claims.

In the video, Yaccarino, wearing a simple black shirt and two gold necklaces with the words “MOM” and “FREEDOM OF SPEECH,” began by saying, “Hey everyone.”

She explained that she was “shocked” to hear from the majority-GOP House Judiciary Committee that “a group of companies have organized a systematic illegal boycott of X,” complaining that it’s “just plain wrong,” so X is filing an antitrust lawsuit. Yaccarino went on to argue that the boycott has put what she called the “global town square” of users at “long-term risk,” and said X is “the only place where you can freely and openly express yourself” — a claim that simply isn’t true.

In fact, X has terms of service and other moderation restrictions that limit what users can post, and Musk himself backed away from his promises to create a “free speech” zone even before the purchase was finalized. X has also previously banned multiple accounts — including journalists — for posting links to other platforms and removed accounts belonging to left-wing critics, among other actions to restrict content or remove users from X.

Additionally, below is an incomplete list of other online platforms that currently exist (as of August 6, 2024) and on which people can express themselves (subject to terms and moderation policies similar to X): Facebook, Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, YouTube, TikTok, Substack, Medium Discord, Snapchat, Telegram, Mastadon, and Tumblr.

Other social media users responded not only to Yaccarino’s tone but also to her arguments, ridiculing and criticizing them, with many questioning her claim that X has the right to force companies to do business with her — especially in light of the fact that the company is owned by Elon Musk the infamous “Go. Fuck. Yourself!” comment aimed at advertisers who disapproved of his handling of hate speech on the platform or his own posting of anti-Semitic and conspiratorial content.

Below is an example reaction:

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