Is free Twitter coming to an end?
Elon Musk has hinted that commercial and government customers may be charged.
Companies and government accounts on Twitter may have to pay a small charge in the future to be on the social media network, but “casual users” will always be free, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted on Tuesday evening. Musk’s $44 billion bid for Twitter was accepted last week.
The tweet came in response to a mysterious message he issued earlier in the day, in which he stated that “the Freemasons’ downfall was giving away their stonecutting talents for free.”
Twitter will always be free for casual users, but maybe a slight cost for commercial/government users
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 3, 2022
According to Reuters, Musk offered a range of ideas to banks last week in order to gain help with his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, including monetizing certain viral tweets and lowering board compensation.
Last year, Twitter launched Twitter Blue, a premium subscription service for $2.99 per month, although Musk hinted in a since-deleted tweet last month that he intends to lower the price.
While Musk has stated that his main goal for owning Twitter is to make it less censorious, he has also stated that his main motivation for purchasing the social media site is to make it less censorious.
In an SEC filing, Musk stated, “I invested in Twitter because I believe it has the potential to be the global platform for free speech, and I believe free speech is a societal requirement for a functioning democracy.”
Before Musk’s buyout of Twitter to go through, shareholders and regulators must approve it.
