GM suspends Twitter advertising after Musk takeover

General Motors Co. confirmed Friday it has "temporarily" halted advertising on Twitter following Elon Musk's takeover of the platform.

"We are engaging with Twitter to understand the direction of the platform under their new ownership," Patrick Morrissey, a spokesperson for the Detroit automaker, 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."

Musk, who owns GM rival Tesla Inc., purchased Twitter for $44 billion on Thursday and told advertisers he wants the social media site to be "the most respected advertising platform," Reuters reported.

After Musk's takeover, Stellantis NV's French brand Citroën tweeted Friday: "Hello to the social media platform owned by one of our competitors."

Asked about Ford Motor Co.'s plans, company spokesman Said Deep responded in a statement: "We are not currently advertising on Twitter.  We will continue to evaluate the direction of the platform under the new ownership. Meanwhile, we continue to engage with our consumers on the platform."

CNBC reported GM's advertising suspension earlier Friday.

The Wall Street Journal reported that one advertising group has been asked by about a dozen clients with well-known consumer brands to pause their Twitter ads if Musk reinstates former President Donald Trump's Twitter. The platform suspended Trump after his comments were linked to the Jan. 6 insurrection.

In the hours after Musk took control of Twitter, reaction on the platform ranged from triumph to despair.

While no immediate policy changes had been announced by Friday afternoon, that didn’t stop users from cheering — or criticizing — what they expected to be a quick embrace of Musk’s pledges to cut back on moderation in what he has said is an effort to promote free speech.

In a Tweet posted on Friday afternoon, Musk said Twitter will be forming a “content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints," and “no major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes."

Associated Press contributed.

khall@detroitnews.com