is dialing up the pressure on his own company## even more after cursing advertisers who# paused ads on th The advertising freeze from major# companies like Disney and Apple## came after Musk endorsed an antisemitic# conspiracy theory on X earlier this mon In an interview at The New York# Times DealBook Summit yesterday,## he denied the accusation of antisemitism# and told companies not to advertis even called out the CEO of Disney,# Bob Iger, who was at the event.

QUESTION: You don't want them to advertise?

ELON MUSK (Owner, X): No.

ELON MUSK: If somebody's going to# try to blackmail me with advertising,## blackmail me with money, go# (EXPLETIVE DELET QUESTION: But... ELON MUSK: Go (EXPLETIVE DELETED) yourself.

(LAUGHTER) GEOFF BENNETT: NPR tech reporter# Bobby Allyn joins us now.

So, Bobby, there is no possible business# benefit, at least not one I can th to Elon Musk sitting on stage, cursing# out the advertisers whom he needs to## buy ads on X to keep that company# afloat.

It raises the question,## what does Elon Musk want with X right now?

Is# he intentionally trying to tank this company?

BOBBY ALLYN, Business and Technology# Reporter, NPR: It sure does seem like it.

I mean, this was advertisers.

Since Elon Musk made waves by# endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory,## there has been an exodus of# major corporations away from X. Linda Yaccarino, who was brought in as X's new# CEO, has been trying to court some of those## fleeing advertisers back to the platform.# But now we have the world's richest man,## who runs X, literally telling the brands# to go eff themselves, cursing them out.

I can't imagine this does anything but# make the problem much worse.

And Musk## even said himself from that very stage that# advertisers are going to kill the company.

He## seems even to be saying what many outside# observers have been saying for a while,## which is, it sure does seem like# bankruptcy is a fait accompli,## that it's just a matter of not -- it's not a# matter of if, but when X files for bank GEOFF BENNETT: Well, The New York# Times reported that X could lose as## much as $75 million in advertising# revenu as all of these advertisers# walk away from the company.

You mentioned Linda Yaccarino, who was# brought on to bring to X after Elon Musk took it over in# 2022.

What does this mean for her and## the job that she was hired to do?

Elon# Musk is not making her job any easier.

BOBBY ALLYN: Not at all.

Li remember, her main job has been to try to# bring some of these skittish advertisers## back to the platform.

And she issued a# statement today saying that X is at the## sort of unique and amazing intersection# of Main Street and free speech, right?

She's trying to spin her boss' comments in the# most positive way possible.

But think about it.## If you are someone whose job it is to bring# corporations to this platform and to try to## place ads on this platform, and the person who# leads it is basically cursing you out and saying## he has absolutely no respect for your concerns,# that's going to be a really hard business case.

It's going to be really hard to be a# salesperson in the wake of these comments,## where Elon Musk does seem to be trying# to drive his company directly into the## ground.

I can't imagine any other outcome# but that.

I mean, like I said, he said in## no uncertain terms that this advertiser boycott# will likely decline the company into bankruptcy.

GEOFF BENNETT: Big picture, Bobby, the U.S.# government can't seem to quit Elon Musk, even if## it wanted to.

The Pentagon needs his satellites.# NASA needs his rockets.

The Biden White House## needs his electric vehicles as a key component of# this green economy that they're trying to promote.

How is the government contending with the fact## that so many of his companies are# wo culture and are so sort of inextricably# linked to national security interests?

BOBBY ALLYN: That's completely right.

"The New Yorke an unelected official, right?

He# has a tremendous amount of power,## whether it's with his Starlink satellites# in Ukraine, which are on the front lines## of the war with Russia, whether it's the# E.V.

charging stations across the country.

Remember, Elon Musk's company, right,# Tesla, controls 60 percent of the E.V.## charging stations around the country.

So# the Biden administration, as you mentioned,## can't push its green energy policies without# working with Elon Musk.

We can't send astrona from American soil to the International# Space Station unless we work with SpaceX.

So the government has no choice but to play nice# and to do business with this very mercurial,## erratic business leader who is becoming# increasingly unhinged by the day.

And## some U.S. government officials say it's just too# late.

We wish we could have done something sooner,## but this entrepreneur just has so many deep# inroads into the federal government at this point.

GEOFF BENNETT: NPR tech reporter Bobby Allyn.

Bobby, thanks again.

Good to se BOBBY ALLYN: Thank you.