Yesterday, Elon Musk’s social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), has dropped Unilever from its ongoing antitrust lawsuit, which accused several companies of conspiring with an advertising industry group to boycott X, causing significant revenue losses. In a recent filing in Wichita Falls, Texas, X dismissed its claims against Unilever, citing an agreement between the two parties.
Unilever, the UK-based consumer goods giant known for brands like Dove and Hellmann’s, confirmed it had reached a settlement with X. Unilever said that X had committed to upholding the company’s standards for brand safety and performance on the platform. While neither X nor Unilever disclosed the specifics of the agreement, both expressed satisfaction in continuing their partnership.
Despite this settlement, X stated it would continue pursuing its antitrust claims against the other defendants, including the World Federation of Advertisers, Mars, CVS Health, and Orsted. These companies are accused of withholding billions in advertising revenue from X following Musk’s acquisition of the platform in October 2022. This alleged boycott, rooted in concerns about harmful content appearing alongside ads, was part of an initiative launched by the advertising group in 2019 to combat the spread of harmful or illegal material on digital platforms.
The case highlights the challenges X has faced under Musk’s ownership, as ad revenues fell in the months following his takeover, with many advertisers wary of the platform’s content moderation practices.
