X hinted at possible deal trouble in talks with ad giant to increase spending

A lawyer at advertising conglomerate Interpublic Group fielded a phone call in December from a lawyer at X. The message was clear, according to multiple people with knowledge of the conversation: Get your clients to spend more on Elon Musk's social-media platform, or else.

- Suzanne Vranica

X CEO Linda Yaccarino has made comments that seemed like similar warnings in conversations with Interpublic executives, according to people with knowledge of those talks.

Interpublic leaders interpreted the communications from X as reminders that the recently announced $13 billion deal to merge Interpublic with rival Omnicom Group could be torpedoed, or at least slowed down, by the Trump administration, given Musk's powerful role in the federal government, some of the people said. They also had a front-row seat to Musk's continued criticism of advertisers that ditched X since he bought it in 2022, when it was known as Twitter.

Interpublic has recently signed a new annual deal with X for potential client spending, people familiar with the agreement said.

"We do not make spending commitments on behalf of clients to any partner or platform, and decision-making authority always rests with the client," an Interpublic spokesman said.

Yaccarino and representatives from X didn't respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

Days after the Interpublic-Omnicom merger was unveiled, Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, launched a probe and said the tie-up raised anticompetitive concerns.

Interpublic and Omnicom work with an ad trade group that the committee investigated last summer, and which the committee determined in a July report might have violated antitrust laws by withholding ad spending from social-media platforms and conservative media outlets.