The leader of the social network X (or Twitter), Elon Musk, hinted in a conversation with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, that the platform may no longer be free.
In the conversation, transmitted over the Internet, Musk stated that the company intended "advance with a small monthly payment" for the use of X, justifying the measure with the need to combat the existence of 'bots' on the platform.
"It's the only way I can think of to combat the vast armies of 'bots'. Because a 'bot' costs a fraction of a cent – let's call it a tenth of a cent – but even if you have to pay… a few dollars or so, the real cost of 'bots' is very high", explained Musk according to the website TechCrunch.
BUT: Twitter (now X) already allows users to hide 'likes'
It is worth remembering that, shortly after arriving on the platform, Elon Musk decided to assign the verified account badge only to Twitter Blue subscribers – currently X Premium. Now, with ad revenue (allegedly) falling, it makes sense for Musk to look at other ways to monetize the platform.
The conversation with Netanyahu also allowed Musk to share some metrics about X, namely that the platform currently has 550 million monthly users, who generate between 100 and 200 million publications per day.
