ALBAWABA – American Billionaire Elon Musk could start charging all X users, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported Tuesday, sparking outrage among fans of the social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, which he bought last October.
In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Musk said that introducing a small monthly payment for X would combat the "armies of bots" on the site, according to AFP.
Introducing a monthly subscription to X would be the biggest shake-up since he took over, including rebranding the platform and the waves of layoffs and other incidents and decisions.
The announcement that Musk could start charging all X users is the biggest event in Twitter's lifetime, including the rebranding as X - Shutterstock
Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion. But the platform has since lost a lot of its value after he gutted its workforce and allowed controversial figures back on the site, sending advertisers fleeing.
However, should Musk go forward with charging users on X, fans warned it could be what finally puts an end to platform, as reported by AFP.
A move such as this will not only alienate and slash the website’s user base, but it will make it even less appealing to advertisers.
Musk said in July the platform had lost roughly half its advertising revenue, though he has also claimed that almost all advertisers had returned, according to AFP
Musk could start charging all X users – to kill bots
Bots – accounts run by computer programs rather than humans - are common on X.
Netanyahu asked Musk about anti-Semitism, and how X could "prevent the use of bots - armies of bots – to replicate and amplify it". To that, Musk said the company was "moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the X system".
"It's the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots," he said, explaining that even a small fee would make it expensive to run bots.
Musk could start charging all X users now that the platform is struggling after he bought it for $44 billion back in October last year - Shutterstock
Yet, his announcement sparked thousands of critical messages and memes on Tuesday.
"RIP X/Twitter! It's been REAL and it's been FUN but since you took over, it ain't been REAL FUN," a user called Jesi T wrote on X.
At the risk of disrupting the network effect, Musk could start charging all X users
James Cooper, director of the Business of Apps agency, said introducing a blanket paywall would crush the "network effect" of having millions of people interacting on the site. Notably, this is one of its biggest appeals for both advertisers and users.
"Universal charging for the service would decimate the user base and therefore destroy the value in the network and the reason to take part in the platform as a contributor," he told AFP.
Alleged Antisemitism: Bots are the problem, that’s why Musk could start charging all X users
The conversation, which was broadcast on X, comes at a time when the Tesla tycoon is battling claims with the Anti-Defamation League, a US-based Jewish organization.
Musk could start charging all X users in an effort to kill bots, which he blames for the claims that antisemitism is rampant on the platform - Shutterstock
Musk has threatened to sue the ADL for making unfounded accusations of anti-Semitism, which he claims have scared away advertisers and hurt his company's revenue. But Musk has long been accused of promoting anti-Semitic tropes.
On Sunday, one day ahead of the meeting, Musk responded to a post on immigration in Europe by blaming Jewish billionaire George Soros for encouraging immigration He said that “the Soros organization appears to want nothing less than the destruction of Western civilization."
