Elon Musk hints he may charge all users for using X, Twitter Blue or not
Musk has contemplated the idea of turning X into a paid service in internal discussions. (Photo: Getty Images)
Elon Musk is considering transforming X, formerly known as Twitter, into a subscription-based platform. He discussed the idea of charging all X (users during a conversation about AI with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating that it's the solution to combat bots.
During their in-person meeting in California on Monday, Netanyahu expressed concerns to Musk about the rising spread of antisemitism on Musk's social media platform, X.
What
- Elon Musk is contemplating putting all of Twitter/X behind a paywall.
- Musk defended himself against accusations of antisemitism during a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, emphasizing his commitment to countering hate and conflict on X, the social media platform he owns.
Wannabe dictator Bibi @netanyahu says to the richest Nazi in history “I know your opposition to antisemitism.”
— Jim Stewartson, Anti-disinfo activist 🇺🇸🇺🇦💙 (@jimstewartson) September 18, 2023
Musk: “I’m sort of against attacking any group.”
The fact is he blamed the ADL for destroying Twitter, constantly promotes “anti-white racism” & signals to Nazis.
The… https://t.co/eU8GfVqflG pic.twitter.com/RQaxhayYG9
- Musk has been embroiled in a dispute with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a Jewish civil rights group, over X's advertising revenue.
- The ADL, along with other civil rights organisations, has voiced concerns about the increase in extremist content on the platform since Musk took over and implemented significant staff changes last year.
- Musk even threatened to sue the ADL and endorsed X posts with a "BanTheADL" hashtag.
Elon Musk revisiting an idea apparently floated privately in the past -- charging *everyone* to use Twitter. A lower tier than premium. "We’ve moving to a small monthly payment for use of the X system," he just told Benjamin Netanyahu, saying it's only way to stamp out bots.
— Dave Lee (@DaveLeeBBG) September 18, 2023
Previously on Twitter
- Elon Musk has contemplated the idea of turning Twitter into a paid service in internal discussions.
- Musk, also the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, mentioned that X's ad revenue had plummeted by about 60% since he acquired the company, resulting in negative cash flow and substantial debt.
- Currently, X offers a subscription program called X Blue (formerly Twitter Blue after Musk's rebranding), starting at $8 (Rs 666) per month.
- It provides perks like verified checkmark status, although subscribers now have the option to hide this checkmark from public view.
Perks of X Blue
- Ability to edit a post within an hour
- A 50% reduction in ads
- Prioritized post rankings in conversations and search
- Allowing the writing of posts up to 25,000 characters (compared to the usual 280-character limit)
- The option to upload longer videos (up to 3 hours or 8 gigabytes in size).
Subscribers to Blue can also earn a share of advertising revenue, primarily from ads displayed in response to their posts.
In October 2022, Elon Musk, somewhat reluctantly, completed a $44 billion deal to acquire Twitter, which was burdened with debt.
After the deal, he removed Twitter's senior management team and assumed the role of CEO himself. Under his leadership, Twitter underwent significant downsizing, with approximately 80% of the company's employees being let go.
Given Musk's history of pursuing unpopular or questionable actions, this change could have significant implications if implemented.