The billionaire also mentions the platform boasts 550 million monthly users, with up to 200 million daily posts.
Elon Musk has hinted that X, previously known as Twitter, is contemplating implementing fees for all users to access the platform.
The owner of X expressed that instituting a paywall could serve as a deterrent against the nuisance of bots, which has been a concern for Musk.
During a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, the Tesla CEO and the world’s wealthiest individual suggested that X might start charging its user base. Presently, Twitter only levies charges on users for its subscription service, X Premium, which provides benefits like a verified account badge and costs $11 per month in the US for iPhones and £11 in the UK.
Stating that setting up bots costs “a fraction of a penny,” Musk remarked that increasing the account cost to “a few dollars or something” could deter software operators. He also mentioned, “Moreover, each time a bot creator wished to create another bot, they would require a new payment method.”
Musk, known for his spontaneous remarks, did not confirm whether X would indeed proceed with a charging policy. Further inquiries have been made to X for additional clarification.
Musk also disclosed that X had 550 million monthly users who were generating up to 200 million daily posts. Previously, the platform assessed its user base differently using monetizable daily active users, which numbered 238 million before Musk’s acquisition of the company in October 2022.
Musk has raised the possibility of implementing a paywall as the platform grapples with a persistent decline in advertising, which has been its primary revenue source. Musk has indicated that a 60% drop in ad revenue resulted from an advertiser boycott, driven by concerns regarding his platform leadership and its handling of inappropriate or hateful content.
Although Musk’s conversation with Netanyahu was initially framed as a discussion on technology and artificial intelligence, it swiftly shifted towards topics related to free speech and antisemitism. This change came amidst accusations that X was not taking sufficient measures to address racist speech on the platform.
Netanyahu expressed his hope that Musk would find ways, within the boundaries of the First Amendment, to address antisemitism and other forms of hatred on X.
