Musk says X, Twitter, is moving to monthly subscription fees

In a recent live-streamed conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Elon Musk unveiled his ambitious plans for Twitter.

The rebranded social media site now “X” is set to undergo further changes.

Among the major changes Musk discussed was the introduction of a monthly subscription fee on the X platform.

In conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Elon Musk unveiled his ambitious plans for Twitter. Source: The Times of Israel

Musk proposes subscription

This move is aimed at addressing the ongoing issue of “vast armies of bots” plaguing social networks.

Musk refrained from disclosing the exact pricing details for this new subscription plan or specifying what additional features it might offer at the entry-level tier.

During the livestream, Musk also shared some intriguing statistics about X and its user base.

He went on to reveal that the platform now boasts an impressive 550 million monthly users.

These users collectively generate between 100 million to 200 million posts on a daily basis.

Musk addresses bots

However, Musk didn’t delve into the composition of these monthly users, leaving a question mark.

Consequently, the question is, how many of them are genuine users versus automated bots?

Additionally, he refrained from making direct comparisons with the metrics Twitter reported in the past.

Notably, in May 2022, prior to Musk’s acquisition, Twitter stated it had an “average monetizable daily active usage” of 229 million.

However, the primary purpose of the conversation with Netanyahu was to discuss the theoretical risks associated with artificial intelligence.

Musk refrained from making direct comparisons with the metrics Twitter reported in the past.

Critics on X(Twitter)

Nevertheless, Musk took the opportunity to address criticisms about his social network. He vehemently denied claims that X tolerates hate speech and antisemitism.

The main concern was that antisemitism was far more tolerated coming from civil rights groups who’ve criticized Musk for amplifying bigotry on the platform, including antisemitic content and conspiracies.

Musk’s track record on his own social media platform has been marked by disparaging remarks targeting various groups.

An example of these groups includes transgender individuals, federal regulators, politicians, journalists, whistleblowers, and critics of his companies.

Despite this history, Musk told Netanyahu that he is “sort of against attacking any group,”

Furthermore, he emphasized that humanity’s goal should be to become “a spacefaring civilization” while avoiding internal strife, hatred, and negativity.

Musk's track record on his own social media platform has been marked by disparaging remarks targeting various groups. — Musk’s track record on his own social media platform has been marked by disparaging remarks targeting various groups.

Musk restructuring

After acquiring Twitter for approximately $44 billion in late October 2022.

His purchase came with implementing significant staff reductions and introducing sweeping changes to the platform.

He currently maintains control of the company as its largest shareholder, chief technical officer, and executive chairman, and simultaneously serves as the CEO of automaker Tesla and aerospace company SpaceX.

Also read: Elon Musk: There are fears X (Twitter) owner could be assassinated

Under the current X system, users who subscribe can display a blue subscriber badge next to their names and have their posts prioritized.

Those who choose not to subscribe experience lower levels of engagement or reduced visibility for their posts.

Musk reiterated his belief that converting users into paid subscribers would deter the rampant deployment of bots on the platform.