Elon Musk's bizarre Netflix boycott now includes Barack Obama
The world's richest man is once again swinging his social media power, calling for his 227 million followers on X to cancel their Netflix subscription. While there's been a recent boom in streaming services, Netflix still rules the roost over the likes of Disney+ and Amazon's Prime Video.
Despite recent controversies about an increased use of artificial intelligence, hiked subscription prices, and 'horrible' redesigns, Netflix has still recorded record profits in the aftermath of its clampdown on password sharing.
Still, when Elon Musk tells millions of people to pull the plug on their monthly subscription, we imagine the streaming service isn't too happy. Things all started with the death of Charlie Kirk and controversial comments from the creator of a Netflix series called Dead End: Paranormal Park. When UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer offered his condolences to Kirk's family, Hamish Steele wrote: "Why the f**k are you even commenting on this, d**khead. A random nazi gets shot, and it’s a public statement. You’re such a f**king evil sh*t.”
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Even though Dead End: Paranormal Park was cancelled back in January 2023, that hasn't stopped the divisive Libs of TikTok and Musk himself from aiming for Netflix.
The tech billionaire had continued his tirade, saying that Netflix is trying to push a "transgender woke agenda" and concluding: "Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids."
Musk has made no bones about his thoughts on the transgender community, infamously disowning Vivian Wilson and claiming that his daughter 'died' when she transitioned.
As the boycott continues, Musk has now put Barack and Michelle Obama in his sights.
Libs of TikTok shared a post claiming that Netflix 'hates' white people, including a clip from sci-fi thriller Leave the World Behind. Although Sam Esmail's movie came out in 2023, that hasn't stopped Musk from commenting on the post. After Libs of TikTok asked "Why does @Netflix hate white people??", Musk added "Good question."
Leave the World Behind was produced under Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground Productions banner. The pair served as executive producers on the film, while Barack included Rumaan Alam's 2020 novel on his 2021 summer reading list.
The real question is whether Musk's boycott will have any real effect on Netflix. We've seen these 'Go Woke, Go Broke' campaigns do little in the past, but according to Forbes, Netflix's shares are down for the second day in a row. The outlet explained how shares have dipped by 2.4% since Musk originally called for subscribers to turn their back on Netflix.
X has exploded with scandalous allegations, with others claiming the Obamas are profiting off Netflix as major shareholders.
Responding to Musk's post, one person said: "Well, it is a very simple answer they are Wokeflix, not Netflix..."
Another added: "Better question: Why do white people continue to give Netflix their money?"
A third concluded: "#CancelNetflix bankrupt them and then buy it and turn it into noflix or xflix hell you could call it redrocketflix and it would still be better."