New York (AP) Elon Musk, the entrepreneur, accused advertisers who had stopped spending on his social networking platform X because to antisemitic content of "blackmail" and warned them to leave.
He seemed to address Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger directly, saying, "Hey Bob, if you're in the audience... that's how I feel."
Musk also apologised on stage at The New York Times DealBook Summit for supporting an antisemitic conspiracy theory in response to a post on X that sparked an advertising exodus.
Musk's words follow his visit to Israel, where he witnessed a Hamas militant attack on a kibbutz and visited with top leaders.
Since purchasing the site last year, the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish civil rights organisation, and others have accused Musk of allowing antisemitic statements.
Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began in October, the content on X, formerly Twitter, has come under intense scrutiny.
A number of large corporations, including Disney and IBM, stopped advertising on the platform earlier this month when liberal advocacy group Media Matters
X has already sued Media Matters, alleging that the Washington-based organisation manufactured the piece in order to "drive advertisers away from the platform and destroy X Corp."