Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, hinted during a live-streamed conversation with Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that users of X, formerly called Twitter, may have to pay a small monthly fee to access the social media platform in the future. Musk believes that implementing a paywall is necessary to tackle the issue of bots, which can be created at a low cost and have been a long-standing problem on the platform.
Although he didn’t provide further details on how the payment system would work, Musk has previously mentioned that charging for account verification could be a way to counter bots and fake accounts. Currently, users can already pay for additional features through an X Premium subscription, which includes benefits such as a blue checkmark on their account, the ability to share longer posts, and edit posts.
Musk emphasized that the price for accessing X would not be high, as he wants it to be affordable for users. He believes that implementing a paywall is the only defense against the vast armies of bots that have plagued the platform. The issue of automated accounts has been a longstanding struggle for Twitter, and Musk himself had expressed concerns about the prevalence of bot accounts before he acquired the platform.
Twitter’s advertising revenue challenges have been widely reported, and Musk has been exploring various ideas to boost cashflow. Earlier this month, he criticized the Anti-Defamation League, accusing them of causing a significant decrease in US ad revenue at X, although he provided no evidence to support his claim. Musk reiterated during the conversation with Netanyahu that X would not promote hate speech and expressed his commitment to combatting hate and conflict.
In conclusion, Elon Musk’s suggestion of implementing a paywall for Twitter users aims to combat the issue of bots on the platform. By charging a small monthly fee, Musk believes it will significantly increase the cost for bots and help address the problem. The details of how this payment system would work are yet to be disclosed, but Twitter already offers additional features through its X Premium subscription. Musk’s focus is on finding a balance between affordability for users and effectively dealing with bots on the platform.
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