In a surprising move, Elon Musk, the billionaire Tesla CEO, has restored the X account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, triggering concerns among advertisers and raising questions about hate speech on the social media platform. Jones, the host of Infowars, had been permanently banned from X in 2018 due to his abusive behavior and his repeated claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax.

Musk's decision to reinstate Jones' account came after he conducted a poll on Saturday, asking X users if the controversial figure should be allowed back on the platform. The results showed that 70% of respondents were in favor of reinstatement. Early Sunday, Musk tweeted, "The people have spoken and so it shall be." Shortly after, Jones' posts became visible again, and he even retweeted a post about his video game.

This move has caused uncertainty among advertisers who have been concerned about their ads appearing alongside hate speech on X. Many advertisers had previously fled the platform due to such concerns. Musk's decision to reinstate a divisive public personality like Jones raises questions about the platform's commitment to addressing hate speech and ensuring a safe environment for advertisers.

Musk, who has described himself as a free speech absolutist, defended his decision by stating that it was about protecting the rights of individuals to express their opinions. Responding to a user who claimed that permanent account bans were antithetical to free speech, Musk wrote, "I find it hard to disagree with this point." He also mentioned that Community Notes, X's crowd-sourced fact-checking service, would respond promptly to any of Jones' posts that required correction.

This reversal of stance by Musk is significant, considering his previous refusal to let Jones back on the platform despite repeated calls to do so. Last year, Musk cited the death of his first-born child and tweeted, "I have no mercy for anyone who would use the deaths of children for gain, politics, or fame." Jones' repeated claims that the Sandy Hook shooting was a staged event, causing immense pain to the families of the victims, resulted in multiple lawsuits against him. These lawsuits led to judgments totaling nearly $1.5 billion against Jones. However, in October, a judge ruled that Jones could not use bankruptcy protection to avoid paying more than $1.1 billion of that debt. Jones is currently appealing these judgments, asserting that his speech is protected by the First Amendment.

The restoration of Jones' account comes at a time when Musk has been facing backlash from major brands, such as Disney and IBM, who have halted advertising on X. This action followed a report by liberal advocacy group Media Matters that revealed ads appearing alongside pro-Nazi content and white nationalist posts on the platform. Musk himself added to the concerns when he endorsed an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory on X. He later apologized and visited Israel, where he met with top Israeli leaders and toured a kibbutz attacked by Hamas militants.

Despite the concerns raised by advertisers, Musk has been dismissive, accusing them of engaging in “blackmail” and essentially telling them not to advertise on X. In a recent interview at The New York Times DealBook Summit, he defiantly stated, "Don't advertise."

It is worth noting that Musk has been granting “amnesty” for suspended accounts since acquiring Twitter last year. He has already reinstated former President Donald Trump, rapper Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) after two suspensions over antisemitic posts, and far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was removed from the platform for sharing COVID-19 misinformation. Trump, who was banned for his role in encouraging the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021, has since launched his own social media site, Truth Social, and has only tweeted once since being allowed back on X.