GM suspends paid advertising on Twitter after Elon Musk takeover

The vehicle maker said it is in talks to discuss how the social media platform will change under new leadership

Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, California. GM has responded to Tesla founder Elon Musk's acquisition of the social media network by suspending its paid advertising. AFP

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

Detroit, Michigan-based GM, which is racing with Tesla in electric vehicle development, said on Friday it is 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 Mr Musk in control.

“We are engaging with Twitter to understand the direction of the platform under their new ownership,” spokesman David Barnas said.

“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.”

GM’s decision was reported by CNBC.

Since completing his Twitter acquisition on Thursday, Mr Musk 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 US President Donald Trump, will be allowed back on the platform.