Current Events > Musk suggests move towards finally killing off X/Twitter

(+) Yeah! (+)

Elon Musk has suggested that all users of X, formerly called Twitter, may have to pay for access to the platform.

In a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the billionaire said a payment system was the only way to counter bots.

"We're moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the system," the Tesla and SpaceX boss said.

The BBC approached X for further details but has not yet received a statement from the company.

It is unclear whether this was just an off-the-cuff comment, or a signal of firmer plans that have yet to be announced.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-66850821

He just wants to kill it at this point doesn't he? He's lost his mind, his connection to reality is severed, now he wants to burn it all to the ground.

Really?

I thought he said this when he first bought it.

People would pay though. People addicted to that social media shit like crack

LeoRavus posted...

I thought he said this when he first bought it.

People would pay though. People addicted to that social media shit like crack

While it's not wise to underestimate the stupid, there are a large number of people unwilling to pay who will just flock to the many free options.

I doubt majority of people will pay for Twitter. Even ones that are stupid with their money.

LeoRavus posted...

People would pay though. People addicted to that social media shit like crack

No they wouldn't. Sure a small quantity of social media addicts and Musk cultists would, but the majority of Twitter users? Hell no. I'd be surprised if even 5% signed up to this.

Like micro-transactions, DLC, loot boxes, streaming service price hikes, people are gonna bitch and moan like crazy about this but they're going to pay anyway. These corporations have people by the FOMO balls, Twitter-obsessed maniacs who make social media their entire life aren't going to risk being out of the latest social loop and there's really zero alternatives to Twitter (besides Threads that was popular for like one day).

So he wants us to pay, for a service that was free, that he ran into the dirt? Oh Muskrat, I'm laughing AT YOU, not with you. And I can say with certainty I ain't the only one.

i love free speech, in fact i love it so much, im gonna make you pay for it.

I would miss using my couple of Xwixxer accounts, but I ain't paying for that shit, so no big loss if I wouldn't be able to use it anymore.

Do it you coward.
Kill it for good.

Lillymon posted...

No they wouldn't. Sure a small quantity of social media addicts and Musk cultists would, but the majority of Twitter users? Hell no. I'd be surprised if even 5% signed up to this.

Desktop-only users might be hard to court, but it feels so trivial to spend money in the app store it wouldn't be hard for people to think "ah, what's 2-5 more dollars a month?" click subscribe and then never think about it again.

Granted this isn't fool-proof or guaranteed, but I could see a lot of people going for it.

Twitter users: there needs to be a viable alternative to Twitter before I leave it. It's just too useful.

Also Twitter users: if Musk starts charging to use it, fuck that, I'll quit.

Conclusion: something that isn't even worth a couple of dollars a month is not essential, nor does it need replacing.

No more excuses. Cut the cord.

Apparently he was talking about a lower-tier pricing model for Premium.
Not a flat rate for everyone but who fucking knows. There's a lot of takes flying around.

Crap I better save the videos from Alaskan Malamute daily or I might lose them for good

LeoRavus posted...

I thought he said this when he first bought it.

People would pay though. People addicted to that social media shit like crack

If he makes it pay only, it loses the greatest piece of intrinsic value it has which is thoughtless installation by the general public without anything to motivate them to adopt a better platform.

It's on Twitter... that's where they get the views because it's easy and free for anyone to access. It's one thing to charge content makers for verification and other privileges, but to make the general public pay?

It may not kill Twixler outright, but it may be the thing that finally makes another platform more appealing.

Musk did all of this to funnel users into using Truth social. He did his buddies a favor.

I guess he just wants to kill off the foreign audience.

Fuck Elon for destroying such a useful site.

I never used Twitter anyway but its a shame to see the company get destroyed and people lose their jobs

If it's a small fee, why would that stop bots from being made?

chaos_knight posted...

If it's a small fee, why would that stop bots from being made?

It would stop most as its another potential avenue for the owner to be identified (following the money)

I think so.

I think he secretly hated freedom of speech the whole time and amplified Republicans voice and racism and violent rhetoric to prove his point, cost him over $44 billion but still

Kloe_Rinz posted...

It would stop most as its another potential avenue for the owner to be identified (following the money)

Cypto?

chaos_knight posted...

If it's a small fee, why would that stop bots from being made?

people use massive fleets of bots to influence public opinion, bolster credibility for scam operations, etc.

charging per account makes it far more expensive to run these kinds of operations.

this isn't to say there aren't more thoughtful and less destructive solutions (e.g., probablistic analysis), but it seems to be the "simplest" option.

He will only help Zuck if he does that.

Lillymon posted...

He just wants to kill it at this point doesn't he?

People have literally been saying this non stop since he he officially took charge.

UnfairRepresent posted...

Cypto?

Can you pay for Twitter with crypto?

Kloe_Rinz posted...

Can you pay for Twitter with crypto?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzKKjJuujSs

The only people who would stay are his thralls, and then hed say See? Everybody was chuds all along, all the liberals were bots!

just lmao at paying for an echo-chamber.

Lillymon posted...

He just wants to kill it at this point doesn't he?

i doubt it. he LOVES the power, control and influence it gives him over the public discourse of the entire world.

I cant wait for twitter for burn up in a dumpster fire. This shit is taking too long

This sucks. I just joined Twitter like a year or two before he bought it, and was really enjoying my time with it. It's plummeted so much.

Giant_Aspirin posted...

i doubt it. he LOVES the power, control and influence it gives him over the public discourse of the entire world.

He tried that with starlink but the feds didn't seem to feel that.

Im only still on it for the porn. Theres nothing better atm (after it essentially replaced Tumblr).

Evol posted...

Im only still on it for the porn. Theres nothing better atm (after it essentially replaced Tumblr).

I dunno m8, you tried google?

Giant_Aspirin posted...

i doubt it. he LOVES the power, control and influence it gives him over the public discourse of the entire world.

Yeah, I think this is accurate.

Why kill it? He bought it, he gets to be in charge of a massive platform. If Twixler dies, it's because of incompetence and hubris, not an intentional plan.

A lot people would pay, but enough to make them profitable? Never. Also how much would this be? Im assuming a few dollars at most? Its not so much the money, but the principle of it and the precedent it would create. Fuck Elon.

That feeling when you gotta pay for Elon's version of free speech.

Torgo posted...

Yeah, I think this is accurate.

Why kill it? He bought it, he gets to be in charge of a massive platform. If Twixler dies, it's because of incompetence and hubris, not an intentional plan.

His decisions are so dumb that you almost want to believe it is part of some The Producers style short, but alas you are right. He couldn't have a short position of the magnitude required hidden. It really does seem to be over the top hubris that is the problem

TheMikh posted...

charging per account makes it far more expensive to run these kinds of operations.

Maybe, but if it costs $10 per month per account, and each bot brings in $200 per month, the bots will stay.

Now, decreasing the size of twitter's user base would decrease the amount of bots.

JuanCarlos1 posted...

A lot people would pay, but enough to make them profitable? Never. Also how much would this be? Im assuming a few dollars at most? Its not so much the money, but the principle of it and the precedent it would create. Fuck Elon.

The issue would be how many people would leave if it became paywalled.

I imagine it would still be free to browse, but only those who paid could post... meanwhile Musk would probably offer free subscriptions to the Proud Boys and other white supremacist groups.

50-60 a year maybe?

It's all a huge tax write-off.
Either Elon has been planning it the whole time, or he's the richest idiot ever.

It's already a quasi-echo chamber, what with the blue checkmarks getting their posts prioritized. This change would make it literally an echo chamber.

The irony is the the number of blue checkmarks would go down, since the people using it as a marketing tool for their business would see now reason to stay on Twitter.