Elon Musk loses big in court; X boycott perfectly legal

March 27, 2026

TL;DR

Elon Musk's lawsuit against advertisers for an ad boycott on X was dismissed by US District Judge Jane Boyle.
The judge ruled that Musk failed to state an antitrust claim because no consumer harm was pleaded, deeming the ad boycott legal.
Musk had argued that advertisers conspired to harm Twitter's revenue, allegedly to censor conservative voices, and sought criminal prosecution.
The lawsuit was connected to another ongoing suit against Media Matters for America.
Advertisers, including Shell, Nestle, Colgate, and Mars, were targeted, along with the World Federation of Advertisers.
Advertisers defended their actions by citing their collective efforts through initiatives like the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) to ensure brand safety standards.
The judge noted Musk did not show evidence of advertisers working together to boycott, finding they made independent business decisions.
The judge also criticized Musk's lawsuit for being a "fishing expedition" seeking broad discovery.
X's revenue reportedly dropped significantly during the boycott, with one period seeing a 59 percent decrease.

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