Elon Musk’s X has filed an antitrust lawsuit against an industry group representing numerous global brands, including the social network’s own advertisers, accusing it of being part of a coordinated effort to undermine the platform. The lawsuit accuses GARM of orchestrating an “illegal boycott” by persuading brands to pull their ads from the platform, which has been plagued by accusations of right-wing propaganda and misinformation.
“We tried peace for 2 years, now it is war,” Musk declared on X, underscoring the severity of the situation.
Filed in a Texas federal court, the suit targets GARM and its members—including major global advertisers like CVS Health, Mars, Orsted, and Unilever. According to the complaint, these companies have been influenced by GARM to limit or eliminate their advertising on X, contributing to a severe drop in the platform’s ad revenue.
The lawsuit claims that GARM’s actions, driven by a coordinated effort to undermine X, were detrimental to the advertisers’ own interests.
“These actions were all against the unilateral self-interest of the advertisers; they made economic sense only in furtherance of a conspiracy performed in the confidence that competing advertisers were doing the same,” the lawsuit alleges.
X’s CEO Lina Yaccarino criticized GARM in a post on the platform, accusing the group of attempting to block access to X’s “Global Town Square” and causing the company to lose billions. Yaccarino asserted, “To put it simply, people are hurt when the marketplace of ideas is undermined and some viewpoints are not funded over others as part of an illegal boycott.”
This legal battle comes as X faces declining revenues, with GARM representing brands that account for over 90 percent of global ad spending. The coalition’s influence is significant, and its actions have been scrutinized in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. A report issued by the Judiciary Committee accuses GARM of engaging in practices that violate federal antitrust laws by demonetizing certain viewpoints, thus restricting consumer choice.
X, under Musk’s leadership, has shown it is willing to engage in legal disputes, as evidenced by its previous lawsuit against Media Matters for America over defamation claims related to antisemitic and extremist content on the platform.
