THE HILL
While speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Elon Musk said his company X, formerly Twitter, is “moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the X system,” CNBC reports. He added that the move is intended to combat “vast armies of bots.”
Musk didn’t share any other details, like when this change could happen, what it entails, or what it would cost.
He also didn’t say how many bots may be present on X, either. He did, however, claim that X has garnered 550 million “monthly users.”
A paywall is something Musk has reportedly considered before. X does already have a subscription, X Premium (formerly known as Twitter Blue), that starts at $8 a month and gives members a blue checkmark previously reserved for those who met certain credibility requirements, the ability to edit posts, and other features.
Netanyahu kicked off a U.S. trip in California to talk to Musk about antisemitism on X — while Musk asked him to address his judicial overhaul in Israel. The two also discussed artificial intelligence in a sparsely attended livestream event Monday.
Netanyahu’s high-profile visit to the San Francisco Bay Area comes at a time when Musk is facing accusations of tolerating antisemitic messages on his social media platform, while Netanyahu is confronting political opposition at home and abroad.
