Elon Musk recently revealed that Twitter, now known as X, is considering implementing a paywall for all users. Musk, the owner of X, stated that this move is aimed at deterring bots, or automated accounts, which have become a significant concern for him. During a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, Musk, who is also the CEO of Tesla and the world’s richest person, hinted at X’s plans to charge its user base.
Currently, Twitter only charges users for its subscription service, X Premium, which grants additional perks like a verified account checkmark, costing $11 per month for iPhones in the US and £11 in the UK. Musk indicated a shift towards a small monthly fee for using the platform, suggesting that raising the cost of an account to a few dollars could discourage bot operators. He explained that requiring a new payment method for each new bot creation would further deter this activity.
Musk shared that X currently boasts 550 million monthly users, who generate approximately 200 million posts per day. It is important to note that this user count is measured differently from the previous method of monetizable daily active users, which stood at 238 million before Musk acquired the platform in October 2022.
The introduction of a paywall comes as X faces a decline in advertising, its primary source of revenue. Musk attributes this decline to an advertiser boycott fueled by concerns over his leadership and the platform’s handling of inappropriate or hateful content, which has caused ad revenue to drop by 60%.
During the conversation with Netanyahu, which was initially focused on technology and artificial intelligence, the discussion shifted to free speech and combating racism, specifically antisemitism, on X. Netanyahu expressed his hope that Musk would find a balance within the confines of the first amendment to address these issues.
Musk has shared his stance on the matter, stating that he is “pro-free speech but against antisemitism of any kind” on his X account.
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– Terminology:
– Bots: Automated accounts
– Paywall: A system that restricts access to content unless a fee is paid
– X Premium: Twitter’s subscription service offering additional perks
– Monetizable daily active users: A metric that measures the number of daily active users who can be monetized through advertising
– First amendment: Part of the United States Constitution that protects freedom of speech
– Antisemitism: Prejudice, discrimination, or hostility directed against Jews