More trouble for X: Potential advertiser exodus, global affairs lead quits

Just when it seems Elon Musk’s social media empire is navigating the storm, another wave crashes. This time, X is feeling the heat from a potential advertiser exodus and a major departure from its leadership team. It’s a tale that keeps getting more dramatic, and Musk is playing the lead role in this ongoing saga of social media survival.

Nick Pickles, the long-serving global affairs lead for X, dropped his goodbye note after more than a decade with the company. In a nostalgic post on X, Pickles shared the news of his departure, marking the end of a journey that started back in 2014. And while it seems Pickles is taking time off before his next adventure, his exit couldn’t come at a more chaotic time for X.

Pickles wrote, “After more than ten years, tomorrow will be my last day at X. It’s been an incredible journey,” before adding a shout-out to CEO Linda Yaccarino — for who he had become her right-hand man — for helping with his transition out of the company. Sounds like Nick has decided that after years of navigating global issues for X, he’s ready to kick back for a bit — and honestly, who could blame him?

If Pickles leaving wasn’t enough of a headache, X is also on the verge of losing something else: advertisers. According to a global survey by market research firm Kantar, a record number of firms are pulling their ad dollars from X, with many marketers citing concerns about “brand safety.” Translation: they’re worried their ads could end up next to some seriously dodgy content.

The survey found that a net 26% of marketers plan to decrease their spending on X in 2025. That’s a far cry from the golden days of Twitter, when brands were flocking to the platform. Now, with only 4% of marketers feeling their ads are safe on X, Musk’s charm offensive — including an apology tour — hasn’t seemed to do much to ease their fears.

And honestly, who could forget Musk’s not-so-charming message last year when he told advertisers to “go f**k yourself”? While he may have walked that back at Cannes Lions with more conciliatory remarks, this survey suggests his attempts to patch things up clearly haven’t stuck.

As if Musk didn’t already have enough on his plate, Brazil recently blocked X after Musk refused to appoint a new legal representative in the country. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, clearly unimpressed, added his own thoughts, saying the world isn’t obligated to deal with Musk’s “far-right anything goes” agenda.

This battle with Brazil’s Supreme Court is just the latest chapter in Musk’s long-running feud over free speech versus misinformation. The clash? Over who gets to decide where the line is drawn, with Musk sticking to his guns on allowing more controversial content — and Brazil saying, “no thanks.”

Brazil has 20M X users, so losing such a huge market to rivals would have hurt Musk. This makes it hard to imagine where X goes from here. Musk’s $44 billion purchase of the platform may have made headlines, but it’s been nothing short of a rollercoaster since. While X’s spokesperson insists that brand safety has improved — backed by figures from DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science — it’s clear that many advertisers still don’t feel comfortable.

Despite all-time-high levels of usage (which may be because the ads are scarce, according to Kantar), X remains unpredictable. For brands, this unpredictability is becoming too risky, even as consumers seem to be enjoying the slightly quieter ad space. But fewer ads also mean less revenue for X, and that’s a problem Musk can’t just meme away.

Musk, always one to keep people guessing, could have a trick up his sleeve. But as it stands, between leadership exits, brand trust issues, lawsuits with advertisers, and entire countries hitting the block button, it feels like X is stuck in a never-ending game of Whack-A-Mole.

As Musk himself often says, “It’s not easy being a billionaire with a social media company.” Okay, he hasn’t actually said that — but one can imagine it’s crossed his mind at least once.