Elon Musk announces new premium subscriptions for X

Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, now branded as “X,” has unveiled plans to introduce two new tiers of premium subscriptions. These new subscription options are set to reshape the user experience on the platform, with one being more affordable than the existing $8/month X Premium subscription, and the other coming at a higher cost but ensuring an ad-free experience for users.

“Two new tiers of X Premium subscriptions launching soon. One is lower cost with all features, but no reduction in ads, and the other is more expensive, but has no ads,” stated Musk in a tweet.

Two new tiers of X Premium subscriptions launching soon.

One is lower cost with all features, but no reduction in ads, and the other is more expensive, but has no ads.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 20, 2023

This move marks yet another transformation of the platform under Musk’s leadership. The billionaire entrepreneur, who took over the social media giant in October 2022, has been making substantial changes to the platform to reinvent it as an all-in-one “everything app.” Musk’s decisions included disbanding content moderation teams and significant layoffs, which led to a halt in ads on the platform. As a result, advertisers moved away, and revenue took a hit.

In response, Musk introduced the X Premium subscription service for $8 per month, aiming to attract advertisers back with various benefits, including a blue checkmark, early access to features, and an ad-reduction feature. This effort sought to bring back brands that had been distancing themselves from the platform.

While the pricing for the new premium subscription tiers is yet to be disclosed, the move aligns with X’s efforts to balance accessibility with financial sustainability. To tackle spam and reduce bot activity, X introduced the “Not A Bot” subscription method, which charges users a subscription fee for actions like posting content, replies, likes, reposts, and quoting other accounts’ posts.

With these forthcoming premium subscription offerings, X is looking to further diversify its revenue streams and enhance the user experience. However, the specific details and launch dates for these subscriptions remain undisclosed.

Although the exact impact of these new subscription offerings on X’s future remains to be seen, it is evident that Musk is on a mission to reshape the platform’s identity and user experience, driving it forward as a versatile digital space.