ELON Musk has suggested that Twitter/X is preparing to charge all users to access the platform.
The Tesla CEO and world’s richest person said erecting a paywall around the business could ward off bots and automated accounts.
Speaking in a meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Musk (below) suggested the platform was going to charge its user base.
At present, Twitter/X only charges users for its subscription service X Premium, which offers a verified account checkmark and costs £11 a month in the UK.
“We’re going to have a small monthly payment for use of the system," Musk said.
He added that bots cost “a fraction of a penny” to set up and that raising the cost of an account to “a few dollars or something” could help put operators off the software.
He added: “Plus, every time a bot creator wanted to make another bot, they would need another new payment method.”
He also said that the platform had 550 million monthly users generating up to 200m posts per day.
Musk’s conversation with Netanyahu was billed as a discussion about technology and AI, but it quickly turned to free speech and antisemitism amid accusations Twitter/X was not doing enough to tackle racist speech on the platform.
The Israeli PM said he hoped Musk would find ways within the confines of the first amendment to clamp down on antisemitism and other forms of hatred.
Netanyahu said: “I encourage you and urge you to find the balance. It’s a tough one.”
