Elon Musk lashed out at large advertisers and Media Matters, a media watchdog group, on Friday after several major brands decided to pause spending on X, the social media platform he owns and runs as CTO.
Musk wrote late Friday night, “The split second court opens on Monday, X Corp will be filing a thermonuclear lawsuit against Media Matters and ALL those who colluded in this fraudulent attack on our company.” He added, “Their board, their donors, their network of dark money, all of them…” and “the discovery and depositions will be glorious to behold,” in subsequent tweets.
Media Matters for America (MMFA) published a report last week showing ads for mainstream brands on X, formerly Twitter, were running alongside user posts espousing pro-Nazi views. The report came after Musk personally posted a spate of tweets that the White House called an “abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate.”
Musk hawked a paid, ad-free subscription version of X in a tweet after news of suspended campaigns surfaced. He wrote, “Premium+ also has no ads in your timeline. Many of the largest advertisers are the greatest oppressors of your right to free speech.” He did not specify which large advertisers he believes are “oppressors.”
A spokesperson for X, Joe Benarroch, emailed a company blog post to CNBC that alleges Media Matters has “completely misrepresented the real user experience” of the social network.
He also said in the email: “Media Matterscreated an alternate X account and deliberately followed sensitive accounts to curate posts and get advertising to appear on the account’s timeline to then misinform advertisers about the placement of their posts. These contrived experiences could be created on any social media platform.”
Other social networks like Facebook, Reddit and TikTok, grapple with brand safety and moderation of hateful and false content on their platforms, too. However, Musk himself has drawn ire for personally boosting bigoted viewpoints in his own tweets, including in recent weeks, to his more than 163 million listed followers there.
In late October, an X user complained that a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee was melted down in Charlottesville, Virgina. The bronze was slated for use in new public art that would not glorify the losers of the Civil War. The user, who claimed to be a relative of the general lamented, “my kind is hated and many seek our extinction.” Musk then replied in agreement: “They absolutely want your extinction.”
Last week, Musk agreed with a post falsely claiming that the Jewish people have been pushing “dialectical hatred” against white people. Musk called the antisemitic post “the actual truth,” prompting a backlash from brands, critics and even the White House.
The morning of Nov. 17, the White House admonished Musk saying he had engaged in an “abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate” which “runs against our core values as Americans.”
Later on Friday, Musk declared a new policy for his social network: “As I said earlier this week, ‘decolonization,’ ‘from the river to the sea’ and similar euphemisms necessarily imply genocide. Clear calls for extreme violence are against our terms of service and will result in suspension.”
The ADL’s CEO Jonathan Greenblatt has praised Musk’s promise to suspend accounts engaging in what he views as genocidal speech. Musk has been unwaveringly critical of the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish-led organization that fights hate speech and discrimination. He also previously threatened to sue, but has not yet sued, the ADL.
It is not clear whether or when X Corp. will actually file a suit against Media Matters, or in which jurisdiction. X is based in San Francisco while the media watchdog is based in Washington, D.C.
Media Matters president Angelo Carusone said in a statement e-mailed to CNBC on Saturday:
“Far from the free speech advocate he claims to be, Musk is a bully who threatens meritless lawsuits in an attempt to silence reporting that he even confirmed is accurate. Musk admitted the ads at issue ran alongside the pro-Nazi content we identified. If he does sue us, we will win.”
Photo illustration of the YouTube TV logo displayed on a smartphone, with the YouTube logo in the background.
Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Content from The Walt Disney Company, including channels like ABC and ESPN, was removed from Google‘s YouTube TV on Thursday after the two companies failed to renew a streaming contract.
“Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to reach a fair deal, and starting today, Disney programming will not be available on YouTube TV,” the platform said in a statement Thursday.
More than 20 channels, including ABC and ESPN, and Disney content recordings would be removed from YouTube TV, the company said.
The two sides had been engaged in negotiations but were unable to reach a new distribution agreement before their existing contract expired Oct. 30 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.
Disney did not immediately respond to a request for further comment. The mass media and entertainment conglomerate was the first to warn about the potential content removal last week.
In a Thursday statement on its official blog, YouTube argued Disney had “used the threat of a blackout on YouTube TV as a negotiating tactic to force deal terms that would raise prices on our customers,” and that Disney was now following through on that threat.
“We will not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney’s own live TV products,” YouTube TV said in a post on its help center webpage. Disney’s live TV offerings include Hulu + Live TV and Fubo.
“We know how disruptive it is to lose channels you enjoy, and we’re committed to continuing to work with Disney to reach an agreement,” YouTube said in its statement, adding that if the content is unavailable for an extended period of time, the company will offer members a $20 credit.
YouTube TV pays broadcasters to stream their channels and has been engaged in several tense negotiations over contract renewals in recent months.
Last month, content was nearly removed from YouTube TV before the companies reached an agreement after a temporary extension, preventing shows like “Sunday Night Football” and “America’s Got Talent” from being pulled.
The recent clash between Disney and YouTube has an added twist, after YouTube hired former Disney distribution executive Justin Connolly earlier this year, prompting Disney to file a breach-of-contract lawsuit.
Connolly has recused himself from the discussions, CNBC previously reported, according to the people familiar with the process.
YouTube is the top U.S. media distributor by audience engagement, capturing over 13% of TV watch-time in July, according to Nielsen. It is also on track to be the biggest media company by revenue in 2025, beating Disney, analysts at MoffettNathanson told CNBC.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC. Versant would become the new parent company of CNBC upon Comcast’s planned spinoff of Versant.
Talk about a monster quarter. Apple delivered a great September quarter Thursday evening, even as iPhone supply was constrained by strong demand. The stock really got going after the company’s strong forecast for the holiday quarter. Revenue in Apple’s fiscal 2025 fourth quarter, which ended Sept. 27, rose 8% year over year to $102.47 billion, outpacing the $102.26 billion consensus estimate compiled by LSEG. Earnings per share of $1.85 increased 91% (or 13% when excluding a one-time charge in the year-ago period), exceeding the $1.77 consensus estimate, according to LSEG. AAPL YTD mountain Apple YTD Shares of Apple jumped as much as 5% in after-hours trading to around $285 before cooling off to around $278. The stock, which got off to a horrible start in 2025, has jumped roughly 30% in the past three months, as of Thursday’s close. For the year, it has gained more than 8% — and earlier this week, it joined the $4 trillion market cap club. Bottom line In addition to reporting a September quarter record for sales earnings and operating cash flow, the higher margin services segment set an all-time revenue record across all geographic regions. Overall, Apple set September quarter records in all regions – the Americas, Europe, Japan, and the rest of Asia-Pacific – except Greater China. While Greater China sales were down in the quarter, much of that was due to iPhone supply constraints. On the post-earnings conference call, CEO Tim Cook stated that he expects to see the region return to growth in the current quarter. Apple’s consolidated gross profit margin also exceeded the high end of management’s prior guidance, expanding by 70 basis points sequentially and nearly 100 basis points, or 1 percentage point, year over year, thanks to a favorable sales mix that came despite a $1.1 billion tariff-related cost headwind. Why we own it Apple’s dominant hardware and growing services businesses provide a deep competitive moat and plenty of bundling opportunities. Management’s net cash-neutral strategy provides confidence that free cash flow will continue to fund dividends and buybacks. Competitors: Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, Dell , and HP Inc. Most recent buy : April 8, 2014 Initiation : Dec. 2, 2013 While iPhone sales grew 6% to $49.03 billion, they did come up short of expectations. However, Cook noted that it was due to a lack of supply for several iPhone 16 models and newer iPhone 17 models, as demand is very strong. Perhaps most importantly, management guided current quarter (fiscal 2026 first quarter) revenue to be well above expectations, with Cook saying on the post-earnings conference call that December quarter revenue will “be the best ever for the company and the best ever for iPhone.” It’s clear the iPhone 17 is seeing a ton of demand – and the massive installed base of active devices, which did indeed hit a new all-time high, is driving continued growth in services. Given the iPhone momentum and management reaffirming that a new, smarter artificial intelligence Siri will debut in 2026, we continue to think that the best thing members can do with shares of Apple is “own them, not trade them.” We are, therefore, increasing our price target to $300 from $240. We are, however, maintaining our 2 rating, as we wait for a better price level to upgrade shares back to our buy-equivalent 1 rating. Products highlights Products revenue achieved a September quarter record, driven by growth in iPhones and Macs. While growing more than 5% to $73.72 billion, Product sales did miss expectations. Apple’s installed base of active devices reached yet another all-time high. It was a September quarter record for the iPhone despite supply constraints, as the device achieved September quarter records in Latin America, the Middle East, and South Asia. In India, iPhone sales reached all-time highs. It was an all-time high for the iPhone’s active installed base and a September quarter record for upgraders. Mac sales, driven by strength in MacBook Air, were up in all geographic segments, with CFO Kevan Parekh calling out strong double-digit growth in emerging markets. The installed base for Mac also reached a new all-time high, with nearly half of all buyers being new to the product line. Mac sales increased 12.7% to $8.73 billion in the quarter. iPad installed base also reached a new all-time high. September quarter record for upgraders, with over half of buyers being new to the product. Sales for the iPad were flat at $6.95 billion. Sales in the Wearables, Home & Accessories segment dipped slightly to $9.01 billion but beat estimates. They were driven by growth in the Apple Watch and AirPods, both of which saw their installed bases reach all-time highs. Apple Watch upgraders also set a new September quarter record. Services highlights All-time revenue record for the Services segment – up 15% in the September quarter to $28.75 billion. All-time revenue records were realized in advertising, App Store, cloud services, music, payment services, and video. All-time highs were realized for both transacting and paid accounts. Outlook Apple doesn’t provide formal guidance. However, we did get some exciting commentary about the current quarter. As Parekh noted on the call, this outlook assumed no change in global tariff rates or policies and no change in the macroeconomic outlook, which has been worsening. December quarter revenue is expected to increase 10% to 12% versus the year-ago period, a whole heck of a lot better than the 6% the Street was anticipating, according to LSEG. If realized, it would mark a record quarter for the company. iPhone revenue is expected to grow at a double-digit rate year over year, which would also amount to Apple putting up its best quarterly iPhone results ever. Mac sales are seen up against a difficult year-over-year comparison, given the launch of the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, and iMac in the year-ago period. Services revenue is expected to grow at a year-over-year rate similar to what Apple reported for all of fiscal year 2025, which was about 13.5%, ahead of the roughly 12% the Street was looking for, according to FactSet. Gross margin for the December quarter is expected to be between 47% and 48%, exceeding expectations at the midpoint, despite an estimated $1.4 billion tariff-related cost headwind. Operating expenses are expected to be between $18.1 billion and $18.5 billion, higher than expected; however, acceptable in our view as Apple is ramping up investments in artificial intelligence. Capital allocation Apple ended the September quarter with $132 billion in cash and marketable securities. Excluding debt, net cash was $34 billion. During the quarter, Apple returned $24 billion to shareholders, including $3.9 billion in dividends and equivalents and another $20 billion via share repurchases. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long AAPL. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
SpaceX’s Starship rocket 38 launches during the 11th test flight on October 13, 2025 as seen from South Padre Island in Texas.
Gabriel V. Cardenas | Afp | Getty Images
SpaceX said it has pitched NASA a “simplified mission” to put astronauts back on the moon following criticisms over delays by Sean Duffy, the space agency’s acting administrator.
In a company blog post out Thursday, Elon Musk’s aerospace and defense contractor said: “We’ve shared and are formally assessing a simplified mission architecture and concept of operations that we believe will result in a faster return to the Moon while simultaneously improving crew safety.”
Earlier this month, Duffy said in an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, that SpaceX was behind schedule on building its lunar landing system for NASA’s Artemis III mission and that the agency would reopen the landing contract for that mission to competitors such as Jeff Bezos‘ rocket maker Blue Origin.
A NASA spokesperson in an email to CNBC said that the agency “has received and is evaluating plans from both SpaceX and Blue Origin for acceleration of HLS production.”
“Following the shutdown, the agency will issue an RFI to the broader aerospace industry for their proposals,” the spokesperson said. “A committee of NASA subject matter experts is being assembled to evaluate each proposal and determine the best path forward to win the second space race given the urgency of adversarial threats to peace and transparency on the Moon.”
NASA had previously said that SpaceX and Blue Origin would have until Oct. 29th to propose new ways to speed up the project.
Musk initially responded to Duffy by posting to his social network X, “Sean Dummy is trying to kill NASA!” In another post, Musk wrote: “The person responsible for America’s space program can’t have a 2 digit IQ.”
SpaceX’s massive Starship has flown 11 test flights so far, uncrewed. The last two flights were deemed successful, but the company has not yet shown all the in-orbit refueling capabilities it requires before embarking on the Artemis III, manned lunar mission.
Blue Origin has been developing a lunar lander for NASA and has received about $835 million from the space agency since their contract began in 2023. The company plans to launch a smaller scale version of their lander, known as Blue Moon Mark 1.
Meanwhile, China is aiming to land its astronauts on the moon by the end of the decade.
In September, in an all-hands meetings with NASA employees, Duffy told his staff that he was irked by “shade thrown” on the space agency at a Senate hearing in which some attendees doubted that the U.S. could put astronauts back on the Moon before China could land its astronauts there.
Besides its lunar mission, China also announced it is sending a new crew to its orbiting lab, the Tiangong space station, this week. China built this space station after it was excluded from access to the International Space Station due to U.S. national security concerns.
SpaceX is paid when it achieves different milestones under its NASA contract for the HLS (human landing system integrated lander).
According to USA Spending, which tracks federal contracts, NASA has already paid approximately $2.7 billion to SpaceX for the “design, development, manufacture, test, launch, demonstration and engineering support” of the HLS. The agency is obligated to pay around another $300 million for milestones SpaceX achieved, and Musk’s company stands to earn a total of $4.5 billion (or another $1.5 billion) from the HLS contract if they achieve all milestones.
SpaceX today said, in their company blog post, that they “self-funded” 90% or more of the program, which would imply they have spent over $30 billion already.
As CNBC previously reported, some NASA employees have been required to work without pay for the space agency during the federal government shutdown if their jobs support Artemis missions.
SpaceX and Blue Origin did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.
