In this illustration, Elon Musk’s Twitter account is seen on the smartphone screen and the Twitter logo in the background.
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Elon Musk has said that businesses and governments may soon have to pay a “small cost” to use Twitter just weeks after the announcement, he plans to buy the social media platform for $44 billion.
Tech billionaire, and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, added in a post late Tuesday that the platform will continue to be free for “normal users”.
It’s not clear how much Musk wants to charge businesses and governments, or whether certain groups such as nonprofits and journalists will be exempt from any imposed fees.
Twitter declined to comment when contacted by CNBC.
Over the years, Twitter hasn’t been able to make as much money as other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Musk, who has 90.7 million Twitter followers, previously said he wanted to “make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features.”
Twitter is currently testing a paid subscription service called Twitter Blue in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, offering additional features.
The offer premium, which costs $2.99 a month in the US, gives users access to features like undo tweets and bookmark tweets. Last month, Musk said he wanted to discount Twitter Blue and make changes for the service including the introduction of an advertising ban.
In a separate development, Musk also said that all Twitter direct messages must be end-to-end encrypted so that no one can track or hack users’ messages.
At the annual Met Gala on Monday, Musk said Twitter also needs to get rid of the bots and scams and scams that exist on the platform.
“We don’t want people being scammed with their money and things like that,” he said.
IPO plan?
Twitter is currently listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York, but Musk hopes to make it private.
However, Musk has told investors he could choose to return Twitter to the public stock market in as little as three years, according to a report. report from The Wall Street Journal Second, cite people familiar with the matter.
Assuming the acquisition closes and Musk takes ownership of Twitter, the company will be controlled by the world’s richest man and someone who has been heavily critical of the platform while using it in controversial ways. legally, primarily through sensitive posts about Tesla.
Although Musk has indicated that his main interest in Twitter has to do with what he sees as the agency that censors the company’s free speech, critics of Musk fear that control The billionaire’s control of the platform will silence their voices and others he can silence. disagree, as he frequently blocks critics from his personal account.
At the TED2022 conference in Vancouver last month, Musk shared how he’d like to see the platform change in his possession.
“I think it’s very important to have a comprehensive arena for freedom of expression,” he said at the time, acknowledging that some content censorship is needed in response to the comments. explicitly call for violence and ensure the service complies with the laws of the country in which it operates.
He also said he often prefers “time outs” to permanent bans, which could suggest an avenue for former President Donald Trump to rejoin the platform under Musk’s control. Twitter bans Trump from the platform following his tweets surrounding the January 6 uprising at the US Capitol, citing “the risk of inciting further violence.”
– Additional reporting by CNBC’s Lauren Feiner.
