[candu]

I'm not sure I would call losing 30-60% of your US + Europe ad revenue year-over-year [1] the same as "to no real consequence". Not that I'm a fan of ad-supported social media platforms, mind you, but that sort of drop would be an existential threat to many companies.

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/05/technology/twitter-ad-sal...

[xhkkffbf]

Is that really connected to the loss of staff? I get the impression that many of the advertisers dropped Twitter for political reasons not because some API wasn't as rock solid as it used to be.

[disgruntledphd2]

Yeah that was definitely part of it. However, when you fire account managers, you're gonna lose accounts.

[gadders]

I don't think that was due to firing workers, though. That was more driven by left wing pressure groups like the ADL.

[cptskippy]

I love these conspiracy theory level claims that groups like the ADL are massive power brokers with far reaching influence that can just dictate the advertising spend of multi-billion dollar companies without warrant. The ADL is only just a 100 million dollar non-profit with 26 regional offices and 501 employees.

At best function as a canary in a coal mine but realistically are more like the "shit's on fire, yo" meme in stating facts that should be obvious to anyone paying attention.

If things have gotten so bad that the ADL say you're toxic, you're likely a Superfund site.

[FiniteField]

> I love these conspiracy theory level claims that groups like the ADL are massive power brokers with far reaching influence that can just dictate the advertising spend of multi-billion dollar companies without warrant.

The country of Iceland dropped plans to ban male circumcision after the ADL not-so-subtly threatened to, ironically, defame the country and tank its tourism industry https://grapevine.is/news/2018/03/22/american-anti-defamatio...

[cptskippy]

The bill was presented as an appeal to body autonomy in children and protecting their interest, however it was pointed out that Iceland allowed for operations on intersex babies without consent and would deport children back to countries where they were not protected.

It was a bill proposed by a progressive party member without consulting religious groups in the country. National polls never had more than 50% support, and it was challenged by both Muslim and Jewish communities in Iceland. There was a concern that it would set a precedent in Europe for religious discrimination. There was never a vote and it was withdrawn after international outcry.

So to frame it as though the ADL waved it's hand and made the government change it's mind is misleading and dishonest.

[gadders]

I'm old enough to remember when Al Sharpton used to do similar. "Your company has been accused of racism. I'll have 200 protestors outside your head office for 6 weeks unless you donate $2m to my charity to make this go away."

The ADL just does it all electronically now.

[nvm0n2]

It's not exactly a conspiracy theory. ADL have very openly attacked Twitter, Musk says the ADL have been pressuring advertisers, and many different kinds of groups have complained about left wing pressure groups trying to cancel them by attacking advertisers. This isn't just an issue for Twitter but basically any conservative website or news channel, for example.

It'd actually be more surprising if the ADL wasn't trying to destroy Musk right now. That's just how those groups roll.

> If things have gotten so bad that the ADL say you're toxic, you're likely a Superfund site.

ADL define criticism of the ADL as anti-semitism, so it really means nothing.

[cptskippy]

> It's not exactly a conspiracy theory.

The anti-Semitic conspiracy theory is that Jews are perceived as power brokers controlling global financial markets and having massive sway. And that the ADL is some powerful lobbying group with the ability snap it's fingers and get multi-billion dollar corporations to do it's bidding.

No one is denying that the ADL is pressuring groups to boycott platforms and organization that are supporting anti-Semitic messages. The disconnect is that "Conservatives" think it is completely unfounded because they are incapable of self reflection. "Conservatives" feel that their entire ideology is being unfairly attacked by global Jewish power brokers while ignoring the blatant racist white nationalist venom spitting maggots infesting their ranks.

I say "Conservatives" because they aren't true conservatives and haven't held or are sacrificing most of those ideals for decades to "own the libs". Politics in America are no longer a divide between about progressive vs conservative ideals, but rather between a divide between those that would embrace people who are different and those that would rather hurt them.

Modern "Conservatives" are so blinded by hate that they are willing to forgo Individual Freedom, Limited Government, Fiscal Responsibility, and Human Dignity to hurt others. They cry foul when anyone attempts to uphold the Rule of Law, demonstrate Peace through Strength, or leverage the Free Markets against them. They are no longer conservatives but rather hate mongers who want to win at all costs.

[MockObject]

> "Conservatives" feel that their entire ideology is being unfairly attacked by global Jewish power brokers

The Wall Street Journal, Mark Levin, and Mitch McConnell fret over these Jewish power brokers, do they?

Or did you mean the ultra-MAGA wing, where DeSantis flies to Israel to cheerfully sign a bill against anti-Semitic hate speech? Or Donald Trump himself, the most popular American president among Israelis?

[cptskippy]

I feel like you're trying to make a point but you're presuming context and is absent.

[gorbachev]

The actual reason for advertisers fleeing Twitter was because they kept seeing their ads next to actual Nazis posting on Twitter. The reason they were seeing that was because Twitter fired most people weeding hate speech from Twitter.

[gadders]

Well and the ADL calling major advertisers pre-emptively to tell them to pull their ad spend.

You'd think, though, in these days of AI there would be a way for someone to post what they like but be segregated from adverts.

[EdwardDiego]

Ooh no, it's the ADL! Seriously, if hate speech wasn't resurgent on Xitter, do you think the ADL would have had any sway?

[gadders]

Yes. I think they would broaden the definition of hate speech until they found some, and then ask for donations to make the problem go away.