Elon Musk suggests implementing a subscription fee for X to combat bots

Elon Musk hinted at the possibility of implementing a subscription fee for X during a live-streamed conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Musk suggested that a "small monthly payment" might be introduced to combat the issue of bots on the platform. He explained that it is not costly to create and operate bots, so charging a small fee would discourage their use. However, he did not specify the exact amount of the subscription fee.

Musk shared new metrics for X, revealing that the platform now has 550 million monthly users who generate 100 to 200 million daily posts. It remained unclear whether these figures included automated accounts, such as news feeds or spammers, in the user count.

While Musk did not provide a timeline for the introduction of the subscription fee, X has been promoting its paid subscription product, X Premium (formerly Twitter Blue), which offers features like post editing and reduced ads for $8 per month or $84 per year. Musk's idea of charging for X is not new, as previous reports had suggested he was considering putting the entire platform behind a paywall.

The conversation with Netanyahu primarily centered on AI technology and its regulation, with some discussion about combating hate speech on X. Musk expressed his opposition to antisemitism and anything promoting hate and conflict.