Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo faced sharp condemnation from Paramount after he published an Instagram Story linking the studio’s pending $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery to Oracle’s technological ties with the Israeli military.
Paramount Slams Mark Ruffalo Over Instagram Post Linking Merger to Oracle and Israel
In his social media post, Ruffalo criticized Paramount moguls David and Larry Ellison, targeting Larry Ellison as a “classic oligarch” and accusing the family of funding the Warner Bros. acquisition through Oracle. The actor shared a video clip of Safra Catz, executive vice chair of Oracle, discussing the technology the company provided to support the Israeli military following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks. Ruffalo wrote that Oracle’s technologies were used to power what he described as a genocide
and an apartheid system of oppression,
warning his followers that those same technologies could eventually be merged into a massive media conglomerate and used against the public.
Studio Accuses Actor of Invoking Antisemitic Tropes
In response to the social media statements, a spokesperson for Paramount issued a strong rebuke, stating that the company was troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute.
The studio spokesperson criticized the use of terms associated with the Middle East conflict in the context of a corporate transaction, noting that words like genocide
and apartheid
applied to the deal are not just wrong — they’re a bridge too far, and they cheapen the very real suffering those words are meant to describe.
Paramount added that the remarks do not deserve a response in kind and reiterated that the company does not tolerate prejudice against anyone.
Calling for a moment to lower the temperature, not raise it,
the studio asserted that Ruffalo’s rhetoric exposed the true motives behind some of the opposition to the merger. At the same time, Paramount emphasized that it would not blacklist creators who oppose the transaction, stating that its commitment to content is matched by a commitment to acceptance with no blacklists and no exceptions.
Merger Faces Antitrust Challenges and Job Cut Concerns
Ruffalo’s social media missive also touched on broader economic and legal objections to the pending Paramount Skydance transaction, which is currently being challenged by a dozen state attorneys general, including in California.
The actor and long-standing opponent of the merger argued that the corporate consolidation would harm workers and consumers. According to industry reports, the combination of the two historic studios is projected to result in the loss of nearly 4,500 direct filmmaking and television jobs in Los Angeles County, alongside approximately 10,000 ancillary positions. Ruffalo warned his followers that the deal would create a dominant media giant, hike cable costs, and flatten industry competition.
Despite the fierce public debate, Paramount stated that it expects the merger to be evaluated strictly on its legal merits rather than underlying bias, asking for good faith and understanding as the corporate future moves forward.
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