Elon Musk, the CEO of X (formerly known as Twitter), has suggested that users may soon be required to pay for access to the platform. Musk mentioned this during a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
The billionaire stated that the company is considering implementing a “small monthly payment” for the usage of X. This change is deemed necessary to address the issue of bots on the platform.
Musk explained, “We’re moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the system. It’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots. Because a bot costs a fraction of a penny, call it a tenth of a penny, but even if it has to pay a few dollars or something, the effective cost of bots is very high.”
He further mentioned that the company intends to introduce a lower-tier pricing, aiming for a nominal amount of money to access the platform. According to Musk, this payment model is seen as a defense against the significant challenges posed by large numbers of bots.
However, Musk did not provide a specific timeline for when this subscription plan might be implemented.
He noted that X currently has 550 million monthly users generating 100 to 200 million posts daily. Since Musk took over the micro-blogging platform, various features have been introduced to enhance the user experience.
In a recent announcement, Musk revealed that an audio and video call feature will soon be integrated into X, compatible with Android, iOS, PC, and Mac. This feature will enable audio and video calls without requiring a phone number.
In 2022, the company introduced a subscription package for verified accounts with a blue tick. Additionally, in April 2023, Musk introduced a feature allowing media publishers to charge users per article. This move was part of Twitter’s broader effort to enable users to monetize their content, including long-form text and extended videos.