Sept. 18 (UPI) — In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Elon Musk disclosed his intention to potentially charge all users of X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, a subscription fee.
Musk brought up the idea of X functioning entirely on a subscription basis during a live-streamed conversation on artificial intelligence.
Musk stated, “We’re moving towards implementing a small monthly payment for the use of the X platform,” as he revealed that the platform now boasts 550 million monthly users. Musk believes that charging a fee will help combat the presence of “vast armies of bots.”
While he did not provide any further details regarding the cost or timing, Musk’s plan follows the platform’s recent loss of $344 million in its last quarterly earnings report. Furthermore, it comes after the introduction of X Blue, previously known as Twitter Blue, which charges users $8 per month for features like verified check-mark status and prioritized rankings in search results.
In addition to being the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion last October and subsequently downsized the company by laying off nearly half of its workforce.
Netanyahu, in a post on X, wrote, “Great meeting with Elon Musk. We discussed ways to promote the field of artificial intelligence in Israel and globally—a critical field for the future of our country.”
Netanyahu commended Musk as “the current leader of the most dramatic development in the new age and perhaps in general.” During their meeting, held in California, Netanyahu stated that Musk “is, to a large degree, paving the way for changes that will impact humanity and also the State of Israel.”
Netanyahu, who is set to meet with world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, called on Musk to take action against antisemitism on X. He said, “I know you value free speech, but I also know you oppose antisemitism. You’ve spoken about it and tweeted about it. All I can say is that I hope, within the boundaries of the First Amendment, you find ways to combat—not only antisemitism—but any form of collective hatred towards people. I know you are committed to that, and I hope you succeed.”
Musk replied, “Obviously, I’m against antisemitism. I’m against anything that promotes hate and conflict. I’m in favor of anything that benefits society and leads us towards a better future for all of humanity.”
