Elon Musk introduces payment system for new users at X

Elon Musk introduces payment system for new users at X

San Francisco - Elon Musk plans to charge new users on his social media platform X in the first few months to enable the publication of posts. Musk mentioned that this was necessary to limit automated bot accounts. This is a temporary measure that will require newcomers to X to pay a “tiny amount” before being allowed to post for free after three months.

Elon Musk has long been a critic of Twitter and, before its takeover in October 2022, complained about the high number of automated bot profiles on the platform. Musk promised to remedy the situation and now emphasized that traditional tests for identifying bot accounts can be overcome by current AI programs.

Since last fall, X has been testing a new measure that requires new users in countries such as New Zealand and the Philippines to pay an annual fee of one US dollar to actively publish posts and share other posts. However, users can still consume content, read posts and follow other users free of charge.

Since Musk's takeover and rebranding to X, declining sales have affected the service. Musk emphasized that advertising revenue, which used to be Twitter's main source of income, has since almost halved. Many companies are hesitant to run ads or reduce their presence on the platform due to concerns about the negative brand environment on X.