Elon Musk has hinted that all X formerly Twitter, users may have to pay for access to the platform.
In an interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the billionaire stated that the only way to combat bots was through a payment system.
“We’re moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the system,” Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk remarked.
It’s unclear whether this was an off-the-cuff remark or a foreshadowing of more serious intentions that have yet to be published.
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Elon Musk has long stated that charging for verification is his approach to getting rid of bots and false accounts on the social media network.
Since assuming control of Twitter last year, he has sought to entice users to pay for an improved service, currently known as X Premium.
This has been accomplished by providing premium users with additional benefits such as longer articles and increased visibility on the network.
Users can, however, continue to use X for free for the time being.
Although there is a clear financial incentive for the corporation to charge consumers, Mr Musk stressed that charging users is intended to combat bots.
“A bot costs a fraction of a penny” to build, he claims. “But if somebody even has to pay a few dollars or something, some minor amount, the effective cost to bots is very high“.
In the United States, X Premium costs $8 (£6.50) a month. The cost varies based on the nation of residence of the subscriber.
The world’s richest individual stated that he is currently looking into more affordable solutions for users.
“We’re going to come up with a lower tier pricing.” So we just want it to be a minimal sum of money,” he explained.
“This is a longer discussion, but in my view, this is the only defense against vast armies of bots,” Elon Musk said.
However, there is a risk that by putting X behind a paywall, it may lose a significant portion of its users. As a result, advertising revenue, which presently accounts for the vast bulk of the company’s income, could fall.
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Elon Musk’s conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also touched on antisemitism on X.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) advocacy group has accused the platform of not doing enough to combat antisemitic content.
According to the group, Elon Musk is “engaging with and elevating” antisemites.
He stated earlier this month that the corporation would sue the ADL to “clear our platform’s name.”
Elon Musk stated that he was “against antisemitism” during his conversation with Mr Netanyahu.
Mr. Netanyahu acknowledged that striking a balance between free expression and content restriction would be difficult, but he urged Elon Musk to do so.
- “I hope you find within the confines of the First Amendment, the ability to stop not only antisemitism… but any collective hatred of people that antisemitism represents,” he went on to say.
