Leaving X can be a tricky decision for brands

The changing tone of X and the controversy surrounding its owner have spurred some firms to leave the platform and others have pulled their advertising as well.

At the end of 2023 firms including Apple, IBM and Disney paused advertisement on the platform.

Others brands including Unilever and Mars were sued by Mr Musk, who accused them of unlawfully agreeing to boycott the site.

"It's broadly fair to say Twitter is becoming less relevant across the world," Mr Wilson says in the Pitch office in central London, with posters of clients ranging from charities, telecommunications, and sports leagues.

"It's been a very long time since clients came to us and say: 'Twitter's fun and exciting. We want to be in that space'.

"Unless you are targeting specific audiences, maybe certain political audiences or sports - football is still big on Twitter - it's hard to see the value in it."

There's no definitive way to know how many brands are choosing to leave or reduce their posts on the platform.

When approached, X did not respond to the points raised in this article. But last year Mr Musk claimed X had 600 million monthly active users, and said the platform maintains its "purpose is to serve the public conversation".

Mr Musk "has been clear that X is willing to make trade-offs to adopt a more open, less moderated approach compared to Twitter", says Goran Calic, visiting scholar at Harvard Business School.