The Twitter logo displayed on a phone screen and Elon Musk’s Twitter account displayed on a screen are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on October 30, 2022.
Jakub Pozhicki | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, is considering putting the entire platform behind a paywall, according to a report from Platformer.
The platformer said it was unclear how serious the plans might be and said such a move, if implemented, “doesn’t seem imminent.” But it shows how Musk is exploring ways to generate new revenue from the platform he acquired for $44 billion. He recently said that Twitter has already seen a “huge” drop in revenue as some advertisers freeze spending.
The platform-wide paywall marks Musk’s latest musings on how to monetize Twitter.
Musk also floated a series of ideas for a new user verification process for Twitter through its Twitter Blue subscription service, leading to confusion over changes to the platform’s policy and spending breaks by some advertisers.
A Twitter spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
IN thread of tweets, Musk said he would give “power to the people” by offering verification through Twitter Blue for $8 a month. He said participants will be prioritized for mentions, replies and searches, receive half as many ads and be able to tweet long videos and audio.
Twitter began rolling out changes to its platform for some users on Saturday in preparation for the launch of its revamped Twitter Blue service, but reportedly plans to delay the launch until Tuesday’s midterm elections.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO acquired Twitter last month for $44 billion, and the impact was felt immediately. He fired CEO Parag Agrawal, as well as Twitter’s chief financial officer and its head of legal affairs, public policy, trust and safety in the takeover of the company. Days later, Twitter laid off roughly half of its employees.