End of free Twitter? Elon Musk hints he may charge commercial, govt users

Twitter will always remain free for ‘casual users’, Elon Musk tweeted as he floated the idea of a ‘maybe a slight cost’ for government and commercial users.

Published on: May 4, 2022, 06:16:10 IST

By HT News Desk | Written by Poulomi Ghosh

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Elon Musk has dropped a major hint of what Twitter will be like under him as he revealed his plans of making Twitter something like a paywall social media platform. However, he clarified that for "casual users", Twitter will always be free, but a slight cost may be imposed on commercial and government users. "Ultimately, the downfall of the Freemasons was giving away their stonecutting services for nothing," Musk tweeted making premises for introducing a fee for Twitter.

Does Elon Musk want to make Twitter a subscription-based platform?  (AFP)

Twitter will not be absolutely new to the idea of fee-based subscription and Twitter Blue is a similar concept, which gives Twitter's most loyal customers exclusive access to premium features and app customisation for a small monthly subscription fee. Twitter Blue is available on Twitter for iOS, Android and the web in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

While Twitter Blue offers exclusive features to its paying customers, what Musk hints at is to make the use of the basic platform fee-based for commercial and government users. As he has added a ‘maybe’, it is clear that Musk himself has kept the idea at a state of probability and his tweet is to test the water.

Following Elon Musk's deal to buy Twitter for $44 billion, the social media giant's future is clouded in uncertainty. Some reports have indicated that Elon Musk plans to take Twitter to the public again after three years.

On one hand, Musk seems to be wanting to end free Twitter, but on the other, he wants to expand the reach of Twitter beyond the 'niche' audience. On one hand, Musk seems to be wanting to end free Twitter, but on the other, he wants to expand the reach of Twitter beyond the 'niche' audience. "Right now it's sort of niche. I want a much bigger percentage of the country to be on it, engaging in dialogue," Musk told reported at the annual Met Gala in New York. Musk said he wants Twitter to be "as broadly inclusive as possible, where ideally most of America is on it and talking," and as trusted as possible.

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HT News Desk
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