Musk Considers Charging for X

The social media platform X could begin charging users what owner Elon Musk described as a small monthly payment for access. The billionaire claims that the move would be an effective way of fighting bots.

During a conversation with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu streamed on Musk’s X platform, he argued a payment for usage of the system would drive up costs for those deploying bots and require them to navigate tougher barriers. “The single most important reason that we’re moving to have a small monthly payment for use of the X system is it’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots,” Musk said, noting bots cost a fraction of a penny to deploy.

He indicated if users had to pay a few dollars or something, the knock-on impact on bots would be a higher cost with the added inconvenience of finding new payment methods for everyone. The company already operates a subscription tier, with Musk noting in the future it was going to have a lower-priced option. “This is a longer discussion but in my view, this is actually the only defense against vast armies of bots.”