Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty / Elon Musk
Elon Musk is not done making X (formerly known as Twitter) one of the worst social media experiences ever.
“I can’t believe this app is free” is starting to look like a phrase that has run its course on X.
Spotted on Variety, the Tesla Chief and current owner of X, Elon Musk, claims he wants to charge X/Twitter users a fee to use the platform.
His excuse is that it’s the only way to combat the bots plaguing the platform.
Per Variety:
Musk brought up the idea of charging all users of X/Twitter during a wide-ranging conversation focused on AI that featured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. “We’re moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the X system,” Musk told Netanyahu, claiming that “it’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots.” His comments were initially reported by Bloomberg’s Dave Lee.
As for the price, Musk did not share an exact dollar amount, noting that “a few dollars or something” would stop the creation of bot accounts. Musk also claims X has 550 million monthly active users, and they are sharing between 100-200 million posts daily on the social network, the website also reports.
X Is Still Bleeding Cash
According to Platformer, charging users to use X is not new, and he has been toying with it for some time. Before he begrudgingly bought it, Twitter was not a profitable business, and since his check cleared, ad sales, something the platform depended on tremendously, have plunged 50%.
We guess those Cheech and Chong gummy ads won’t be enough to keep X alive.
As you can imagine, X users are not feeling the news and are once again looking for another app where they take dating debates, sports hot takes, and any other forms of entertainment they came to X/Twitter exclusively for.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
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Photo: Anadolu Agency / Getty
1. Exactly
this has nothing to do with bots and everything to do with the advertisers running off on the plug and trying to find money ANYWHERE. this is very streaming platform coded and I don't like it https://t.co/HgfUls05TC
— Tatiana Kang The Conqueror (@TatianaKing) September 18, 2023
2. LOL
Elon Musk asking people to pay for Twitter pic.twitter.com/9hbxqMaHCB
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 19, 2023
3. Facts
It took the world’s richest moron just one year to utterly fuck Twitter. What a dick
— Not P’Wok
(@Not_PWok) September 19, 2023
4. Heard you
I will not paying one single penny to be on Twitter or X #ElonMusk I seen what you was up to at the start when you took over. limiting Dm's and who can see are Tweets or how much we can tweet. All those bot accounts. There is other accounts I can share my joy for free.
—
Angel
5.
If @elonmusk goes forward with this, my time on this platform will come to an end. https://t.co/xJavPsYX2p
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) September 19, 2023
6. Here’s a thought
If Elon Musk really wants to make money on Twitter, he should charge people to block him.
— Middle Age Riot (@middleageriot) September 19, 2023
7.
what kind of person, who happens to be the richest person in the world, changes people money to use a social media platform that he continues to run into the ground? #ElonMusk
— Peg Aloi (@themediawitch) September 19, 2023
8.
Bitch @elonmusk fix your dogshit site for the love of God your bumass can't do ANYTHING right and you're supposed to be one of the smartest people on Earth
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Frankie the Eccentric
9.
#ElonMusk is now going to make every acct pay a monthly fee to use the social media that we provide the content for. How disgusting can one man be?
— Savannah Bryant (@Humanbeingalso) September 19, 2023
10.
Hey Musky, I'm telling you right now. I'm not paying you a fu*king cent to use Twitter, or X, or whatever the fu"*k you call it next.
#ElonMusk https://t.co/0NcAKUzYqi
— Voice of Reason (@raggapegs) September 19, 2023
12.
“Can’t believe this app is free” did us in pic.twitter.com/pZ5FtGf2Wn
— The X-Files (@n_cog_negro) September 18, 2023
13.
"I done turned $44 billion into $4 billion. Now y'all have to pay for my foolishness."
— Slow and steady wins the race
14.
Just the motivation I need to finally let this app go.
— PurposeDr!ven»
(@BornTaLEAD) September 18, 2023
15.
I will go back to geocities do not fuck with me https://t.co/t2UFAapkQP
— Sam Sanders (@samsanders) September 18, 2023
16.
Me the last day before you have to start paying for twitter https://t.co/SVRCCFkATi pic.twitter.com/sK7Z59teD6
— BG (@JuggernautBG) September 18, 2023
17.
Fuck it let’s go I’m dying to quit this bitch https://t.co/sTDgPBCciK pic.twitter.com/YCNihGWICb
— Eric Haywood (@EricHaywood) September 18, 2023
18.
And that will be me leaving forever. I refuse to pay for this. https://t.co/DE01S948rN
— Valerie A. Fitzhugh, MD (@DrFNA) September 19, 2023
19.
it was so nice tweeting with y’all over the years https://t.co/H1PH5KhUwS pic.twitter.com/yYXfVGDWvd
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(@Hibzster) September 18, 2023