The social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, continues to lose prominence in Switzerland as a growing number of well-known figures and institutions distance themselves from the

service, now under the ownership of tech magnate Elon Musk.

On Friday, Swiss news portal Watson announced it would be closing its X accounts, citing the platform’s increasing shift towards “reality denial” encouraged by its ownership.

Several major research institutions have followed suit. The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) and the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research declared they were leaving X in favor of Bluesky, an emerging alternative. Similarly, the Sempach Ornithological Institute confirmed it is no longer active on the platform.

Swiss broadcasters and politicians depart

Swiss public broadcasters have also decided to withdraw from X, joining the exodus amid growing concerns about the platform’s direction. In politics, Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider has been an early adopter of Threads, the alternative messaging platform created by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. However, not all politicians have followed suit—Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter, who also holds the presidency this year, only recently created an account on X.

Widespread criticism of Musk

The discontent is not confined to Switzerland. In Germany, more than 60 universities and research institutions, including the Technical University of Dresden and Humboldt University in Berlin, issued a joint statement announcing their departure from X. Their statement emphasized that the platform no longer upholds values such as diversity, freedom, and scientific discourse.

Musk and X have faced mounting criticism over the past several months, with accusations that the platform allows the unchecked spread of hate speech and misinformation.

Musk has also drawn controversy by inserting himself into European political discourse. In Germany, he publicly endorsed the right-wing populist party AfD and engaged in direct exchanges with its leader, Alice Weidel. Moreover, Musk recently took on a new role as a special adviser to US President-elect Donald Trump, intensifying the scrutiny surrounding his activities. Photo by Heisenberg Media, Wikimedia commons.