Elon Musk recently discussed X fees for new users to combat bots on the social media platform.
On April 15, 2024, X Daily News speculated that the social media platform has been expanding its policies and charging new users for specific actions. It stated that new accounts would be charged a small fee to post, reply, bookmark, and like on X.
The new policy affects new users in New Zealand and the Philippines. In October 2023, the platform’s Support account announced that it would test a new “Not a Bot” program in New Zealand and the Philippines. It required new, unverified accounts to sign up for an annual subscription fee of $1 to post and interact with other posts.
Elon Musk confirmed the speculation and discussed the importance of the new policy.
“Unfortunately, a small fee for new user write access is the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots. Current AI (and troll farms) can pass ‘are you a bot’ with ease,” explained Musk.
Musk added that fake X accounts also use up namespace, so many good handles are taken. New X account holders can still scroll and read through posts for free. They will only be charged for the specific actions mentioned above.
Elon Musk has high hopes for X. Last year, a few analysts estimated that the social media platform could grow 20X from the $44 billion Musk paid for it. The billionaire believes a trillion-dollar market cap for X is possible.
If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via X @Writer_01001101.
