(Washington Examiner) SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk, who owns the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, said he will be charging people a “small monthly payment” to use the platform.
Musk, who has owned the social media site since last October, said he was moving toward charging X users a small fee to remain on the platform during a livestreamed event on X with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. The comment comes as Musk struggles with advertisers, claiming the site’s revenue was down 60%.
Elon Musk, CEO of X, formerly known as Twitter, tightens his tie as he arrives for a closed-door gathering of leading tech CEOs to discuss the priorities and risks surrounding AI on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Netanyahu mentioned the challenge of preventing large armies of bots that promote hate speech, such as antisemitism. But Musk claimed that charging a small fee and requiring the use of only one credit or debit card per account was the only way to reduce the bots.
“The single most important reason we’re moving to having 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.
It is not clear what the monthly price would be, but Musk said the platform will come out with a “lower-tier pricing” than it charges premium subscribers, which is approximately $8 a month.
The Israeli prime minister also asked the Tesla CEO about moderating antisemitism on X and how he plans to cut back on the antisemitic posts on the platform without violating the First Amendment.
“I know your commitment to free speech, and I know you’re opposed to antisemitism,” Netanyahu told Musk. “I hope you find within the confines of the First Amendment a way to try to roll it back. … I encourage you to find the balance. It’s a tough one.”
“Obviously, I’m against antisemitism,” Musk responded. “Free speech does mean, at times, someone is saying something you don’t like. That doesn’t mean negativity should be pushed on people. Our overarching goal is to maximize unregretted user time. We can’t police [antisemitism] ahead of time. We’re not going to promote hate speech.”
