--- title: "Elon Musk’s Brilliant New Idea: Charge an Annual “Fee” to Post on Twitter" description: "Shut Up and Pay In an effort to ostensibly combat bot spam on X, formerly Twitter, Elon Musk has shared his next genius scheme to revitalize the platform: charging new users a fee to post on the website — or really, to do anything at all. The impending change, which has no official date of […]" date: "2024-04-16" modified: "2024-04-16" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-charge-fee-use-twitter" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "the digest" - "twitter" - "X" --- # Elon Musk’s Brilliant New Idea: Charge an Annual “Fee” to Post on Twitter ![In a supposed scheme to combat bot spam, Elon Musk has confirmed that he wants new users to pay a monthly fee to post on X, formerly Twitter.]() *\Image: Steve Granitz / FilmMagic via Getty / Futurism\* ## Shut Up and Pay In an ostensible effort to combat bot spam on X — which he renamed after buying — Elon Musk has shared his next genius scheme to revitalize the platform: charging new users a fee to post on the website — or really, to do anything at all. The impending change, which has no official date for being implemented, was [first spotted by the X Updates Radar]() account. It noted that new text was added to the website describing a "small annual fee" that new accounts would be required to pay before they're able to post, like, bookmark, or reply — or essentially, every feature short of simply viewing content on the platform. Responding to [speculation about the text update](), Musk confirmed the plan. "Unfortunately, a small fee for new user write access is the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots," Musk [wrote](). "Current AI (and troll farms) can pass 'are you a bot' with ease." ## Temporary Troubles This would mark a significant shift for a social media platform that has historically been free to use. Musk says that he's pursuing the idea to cull bots, which no one can deny [are a huge problem](). But charging new users is surely an overreach, [receiving pushback]() even among Musk's core followers. Replying to some of that dissent, Musk later [clarified]() that new accounts would eventually be able to post for free after three months, presumably after they'd already paid for that period. It's unclear how much the fee will be. It also doesn't explain why the updated text describes an "annual fee" when Musk claims that it will only be required for several months. Perhaps he decided to walk back the plan on the spot, [as he's done in the past](). "This is only for new users," he reiterated. ## Squeezing Money Paying to use X is an idea that Musk [has been floating]() [for years now](). In October, it got a limited test in the Philippines and New Zealand, where X charged new users a $1 monthly fee to use the platform's main features. Most notoriously, in November 2022 Musk repurposed the site's verification program, which granted users the blue checkmark — which had previously indicated that someone really was who they were claiming to be — into a paid $8 monthly subscription for X Premium, then called Twitter Blue. With anyone willing to pay now able to flaunt a checkmark, it immediately led to [an influx of impersonators and misinformation](). Nevertheless, it seems that Musk's war on bots and spammers is about to turn a new corner, for better or worse. Given that the site has already been [hemorrhaging users]() and advertisers (though X claims otherwise), we'd guess it's for the worse. **More on Twitter:** *[Elon Musk's Burner Accounts Exposed in Court]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()