X May Soon Start Charging Users A Monthly Fee, Elon Musk Hints

Elon Musk in a livestreamed conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday shed light on his strategic vision for X (née Twitter). Among the key points discussed was the consideration of a modest monthly fee for using X, aimed at countering the proliferation of automated bot accounts. While specific pricing details for the new subscription plan were not disclosed during the discussion, Musk refrained from elaborating on the complete feature set included in the entry-level payment tier.

As reported by CNBC, Musk also unveiled recent usage statistics for X, indicating a substantial user base of 550 million on a monthly basis, generating a notable 100 to 200 million posts daily.

However, Musk chose not to disclose the proportion of authentic users versus bots within the monthly user count. He also refrained from making a direct comparison with usage metrics previously reported by Twitter. Notably, in May 2022, prior to Musk’s acquisition, Twitter reported an “average monetisable daily active usage” of 229 million.

The primary focus of the livestreamed conversation with Netanyahu was to explore potential risks associated with artificial intelligence technology and discuss potential regulatory measures. Nevertheless, Musk also utilised the platform to refute allegations of tolerating hate speech and antisemitism within his social network.

This discussion comes amidst mounting criticism of Musk by civil rights organisations concerning the amplification of discriminatory content on his social network, including antisemitic accounts and conspiracies.

In recent weeks, Musk has taken legal stances against the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a Jewish-led organisation, alleging that their actions were detrimental to his social network. Despite these claims, no formal lawsuit against the ADL has been filed by Musk or X Corp. at this time.

Preceding his meeting with Netanyahu, Musk made additional controversial remarks, accusing George Soros’ foundation of seeking to undermine Western civilisation. Soros, a Hungarian-American Jewish philanthropist, is the founder of Open Society Foundations and has been the target of antisemitic conspiracy theories.

On Musk’s social media platform, he has frequently disparaged various groups, including transgender individuals, federal regulators, politicians, journalists, whistleblowers, critics of his ventures, and short sellers. In contrast, during the conversation with Netanyahu, Musk conveyed a stance against attacking any particular group, emphasising the need for unity in the pursuit of humanity becoming a “spacefaring civilisation.”

Following the acquisition of Twitter for approximately $44 billion in late October, Musk initiated substantial organisational changes and reforms within the platform. Serving as the largest shareholder, chief technical officer, and executive chairman, Musk continues to helm the company, also maintaining leadership roles in Tesla and SpaceX.

Among the sweeping modifications, Musk granted “amnesty” to previously suspended accounts, a move critiqued by online safety and hate speech experts. Additionally, he reinstated the account of former President Donald Trump, who had been banned by Twitter for inciting the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. The restoration also extended to the personal accounts of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Andrew Anglin, founder of a neo-Nazi website.

Furthermore, Musk eliminated Twitter’s “blue check” verification system, which previously aided users in identifying authentic accounts linked to public figures. In its place, a system has been introduced where paying subscribers can showcase a blue subscriber badge and have their posts prioritised in users’ feeds. Users who opt not to pay face reduced amplification and engagement on the platform. Musk justified this shift, reiterating his belief that the move toward paid subscriptions would deter bot deployment on the platform.

X is actively pursuing licenses to function as a money transmitter across the United States, having already secured permission to do so in eight states, according to public records.