The London Marathon will be across the capital and on TV this Sunday but one way you will not be able to follow the action is on Twitter.
Race chief executive Hugh Brasher said: “There are some social media channels that are particularly vitriolic and are descending into a gutter. And as a result of that, London Marathon events have actually come off one of those channels.”
Mr Brasher confirmed that he was talking about Twitter, which was taken over by Mr Musk in October 2022, since when a large number of users and organisations have quit the site.
“I think it’s abhorrent the abuse that she’s had,” Mr Brasher said during a press conference. “How she has held herself and responded to that is exemplary.”
“It’s as a result of where we believe that channel has descended to,” Mr Brasher added. “Of just looking at how that channel, the vitriol, the level of it … it was ceasing to be a rational conversation.”
The fallout came as Mr Musk began using his own account to wholeheartedly and enthusiastically support Donald Trump in the run-up to last year’s US presidential election.
Mr Musk has also peddled conspiracy theories, fired numerous Twitter staff, reinstated accounts previously banned and stopped any press communication. All emails to its communications hub are met with a bounceback message of a poo emoji.
Its statement read: “This is something we have been considering for a while given the often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism. The US presidential election campaign served only to underline what we have considered for a long time: that X is a toxic media platform and that its owner, Elon Musk, has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse.”
Which brands have quit X/Twitter?
From luxury fashion house Balenciaga to American retailer Best Buy, companies across industries are rethinking their association with the site. Several have echoed similar concerns over brand safety, content moderation and the platform’s increasingly polarising environment.
- 3M
- Balenciaga
- Berlin Film Festival
- Best Buy
- Devon County Council
- Eli Lilly
- European Federation of Journalists
- The Guardian
- London Marathon
- North Wales Police
- NPR (National Public Radio in the US)
- Playbill (US theatre magazine)
- Royal National orthopaedic hospital
- UnitedHealth Group
- Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, Victoria, Australia
One of the most prominent departures, and the one that arguably made other media brands sit up and take notice was NPR.
In April 2023, the US public broadcaster declared it was leaving the platform due to concerns over X’s new “state-affiliated media” label, which it argued misrepresented its independence and credibility.
X later removed the tags following an outcry from several news organisations, ranging from the BBC to Canada’s CBC.
It also dropped the “China state-affiliated media” tag on the accounts of Xinhua News as well as of journalists associated with government-backed publications, despite those predating Musk.
Government and law enforcement
Alongside media brands, a number of government departments and law enforcement agencies have also chosen to walk away from X.
Here in the UK, organisations that have ditched the site include Devon County Council, which hasn’t posted on the site since January 2024, citing daily abuse, disinformation and high costs
Last October, North Wales Police announced it had quit the platform, saying it was “no longer consistent” with its values.
In Australia, Victoria’s Department of Families, Fairness and Housing quit X in March 2024, stating that it was no longer safe and productive for community engagement.
In the US, a number of Minnesota-based companies have stopped using X. They include Best Buy, Target, 3M, UnitedHealth Group and Magers & Quinn Booksellers, among others.
In the fashion industry, Balenciaga became one of the first major brands to leave X following Musk’s acquisition of the platform. Unlike some other brands that kept their X accounts but went silent, Balenciaga has completely deleted its presence.
Adding to the pressure on X and its billionaire owner, multiple companies previously halted their advertising on the platform amid concerns over antisemitism and hate speech.
Brands such as Disney, Apple, Paramount and Comcast and IBM paused their ads in December 2023 after they were found running alongside extremist content, including pro-Nazi posts.
However, they resumed ad spend last year. AdWeek reported in November 2024 that between January and September 2024 they spent less than $3.3 million on the site, 98 per cent less than the $170 million they spent during the same period.
As a result, X’s advertising revenue plummeted. NPR reported in November 2022 that at least 50 of the top 100 US advertisers had halted their ad spending on the platform.
However, analysts in March predicted X would generate ad sales of $1.3 billion in the US this year, 17.5 per cent more than in 2024.
