Generally this is true because normally the internal working of a company isn’t public and doesn’t affect its image. With Elon’s takeover of Twitter, nothing could be further from the truth.
> they are clearly afraid of the possibility of being accused later of not having pulled out before anything happened. But accused by whom, and according to which principle?
It’s not unfair to suppose they they are afraid of being associated with something that happens in the future. Brand advertising is generally conservative that way. The whole point of it is to be associated with things that are cool and well liked. The chaos of musk’s takeover has obviously already undermined that sentiment and there is certainly risk that bad things may happen.
However the idea that they are afraid of being accused of something, is just a fiction. There’s nothing to support this view.
They just want to be associated with something cool, and Twitter isn’t cool. Their spending is on pause because Elon has introduced uncertainty, and if Twitter returns to stability or even starts on a reliable upward trajectory, they will be falling over themselves to be associated with it again.
Elon has done severe damage to Twitter’s brand, and frankly his own. Can he recover? It seems possible, but not obvious he knows how or that it matters to him. He’s not a victim. Who cares what people think of him? He’s the richest man in the world for now, and that gives him the freedom not to be concerned about that.