Elon Musk railed against “bogus” media reports accusing him of antisemitism, issuing his strongest response yet after endorsing antisemitic content in a post on X that provoked outrage and alienated advertisers like Apple.

The backlash erupted last week after the billionaire Tesla chief and X owner agreed with a post that said Jewish people hold a “dialectical hatred” of white people. That message has since drawn criticism from the White House as well as several Tesla investors. Walt Disney Co was among the big corporate names that have distanced themselves from the platform formerly known as Twitter.

On Sunday, the entrepreneur tweeted that he wished “only the best for humanity”. Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman was among those who’ve leapt to Musk’s defence.

Read: Elon Musk calls antisemitic post on X the ‘actual truth’

Musk has a track record of promoting hate speech. His latest post prompted criticism from both politicians and some of the world’s biggest companies, who have long urged the billionaire to better control content on his platform. — Edwin Chan, with Dana Hull, (c) 2023 Reuters