GM suspends advertising on Twitter so it can ‘understand’ the service’s direction under new owner Elon Musk

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General Motors is temporarily suspending advertising on Twitter after the social media platform was acquired by Elon Musk, the head of rival automaker Tesla.

The Detroit automaker, which is racing to catch up with Tesla in electric vehicle development, said Friday it’s talking with Twitter to discuss how the platform will change and will stop advertising until it has a better understanding of what will happen to it with Musk now at the helm.

“We are engaging with Twitter to understand the direction of the platform under their new ownership,” spokesman David Barnas said in a statement. “As is normal course of business with a significant change in a media platform, we have temporarily paused our paid advertising. Our customer care interactions on Twitter will continue.”

Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis NV, which owns the Jeep and Ram brands, did not immediately reply to a request for comment. GM’s decision was first reported by CNBC. 

Since completing his acquisition Thursday, Musk has said he will convene a content council to make decisions about standards for users and their tweets. Among the considerations will be whether public figures who have been suspended, such as former President Donald Trump, will be allowed back on the platform.

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