Apple is as soon as once more operating adverts on the social media platform X, after the corporate beforehand stopped all promoting on the web site because of the presence of objectionable content material on it.
The iPhone maker hasn’t marketed its services and products on X, previously often called Twitter, since November 2023, however all of that seemingly modified on Tuesday. New ads have appeared on the web site, following a January 2025 report that indicated the corporate was seeking to resume its advertising and marketing efforts on X, which turned out to be true.
One of many adverts just lately posted by Apple promotes the privateness options of the Safari internet browser, emphasizing that it helps shield customers towards on-line trackers. “A browser that is truly non-public,” the commercial reads.
Apple’s preliminary determination to pause X promoting was made resulting from considerations concerning a number of the statements and feedback made by the platform’s CEO, Elon Musk, significantly as a result of he promoted and interacted with an arguably hateful submit directed in the direction of the Jewish neighborhood in america.
Naturally, there was fast pushback from the platform’s customers, who rapidly turned to alternative websites and apps akin to Bluesky, Threads, and Mastodon. It is also why choose tech firms, together with Apple, ceased all promoting on X. In each situations, the worry was that their content material would seem alongside posts with discriminatory, racist, homophobic, or in any other case objectionable content material from self-proclaimed Neo-Nazis or alt-right accounts.
Musk’s obvious want for “free speech” meant that the social media platform skilled a rise in right-wing and even discriminatory content material ever since he took control. Underneath Musk’s management, customers are sometimes capable of submit overtly sexist, racist, and extremist content material, even expressing admiration for figures akin to Hitler in some situations resulting from restricted moderation.
The CEO himself has repeatedly made claims of alleged racism in the direction of white folks and believes that hordes of unlawful immigrants are ruining america, amongst different issues, making him a controversial determine on the very least.
In 2023, Apple was capable of distance itself from Musk’s feedback by promptly shutting down all promoting on X. The state of affairs has since modified dramatically, nonetheless, as Musk is now in control of the so-called “Division of Authorities Effectivity,” which operates exterior of the federal authorities however nonetheless experiences to President Trump.
Which means that Musk in the end has rather more affect, being greater than the CEO of a social media platform, though he isn’t an elected official.
Given Musk’s obvious function beneath the Trump administration, it is sensible that Apple would try to reconcile in a roundabout way. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has attended dinners with President Trump, and even donated $1 million of his personal cash to the inauguration.
Musk was reportedly current throughout a few of these interactions, so it is doable that there have been discussions of resuming promoting on X.

Apple is probably going introducing X adverts to appease Elon Musk due to his newfound political significance.
Tim Prepare dinner already has an established strategy for coping with Donald Trump, the place conversations sometimes deal with a singular challenge that affects Apple. Evidently Apple now has to seek out methods of appeasing Elon Musk as properly, presumably resulting from his newfound significance.
That is probably the one logical rationalization as to why Tim Prepare dinner, an brazenly homosexual man, would select to work together with somebody like Musk, who has repeatedly shared anti-LGBT content material on his platform.
Promoting on X, with the related implications and penalties, is probably going vital sufficient for Apple and Tim Prepare dinner to miss a few of Musk’s arguably questionable antics. It is presumably all half of a bigger transfer to realize the favor of the Trump administration, its allies, and Republican lawmakers.
The iPhone maker just lately renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in Apple Maps, following an govt order signed by President Trump on January 20, 2025.
It is not fully clear if Apple’s made a real dedication, although, or if the corporate is merely experimenting with X adverts. The corporate’s promoting posts have comparatively low engagement ranges, with the Safari advert solely reaching round 129 thousand views — a minuscule quantity in comparison with the tens of millions of Apple customers worldwide.
Although Apple maintains a presence on X through its official accounts, and thru the accounts of its executives, it stays to be seen whether or not or not the iPhone maker will enhance or lower its promoting efforts on the platform, or if it’s going to revert to its earlier place. Exterior influences appear to be enjoying an element past merely wanting to point out adverts to customers.
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