Hyderabad: The South Africa-born American entrepreneur Elon Musk's takeover of the microblogging platform, now rebranded as 'X,' has marked its maiden year, ushered in tempestuous changes and scores of controversies. In a roller coaster ride that has left both users and industry insiders stunned, Musk's unconventional policies and decisions have laid out a roadmap of sorts to rediscover the platform's identity, which many still remember as Twitter. And not to forget, these have left many users wondering about the platform's future and their place in it.
The world's richest individual, Musk completed the purchase of Twitter, now rebranded as 'X', on Oct. 27, 2022. This acquisition was marked by a complexed series of events that hogged the media limelight as "one of the most tumultuous tech deals ever."
The billionaire initially expressed his intention to buy Twitter in April 2022, for a staggering $41 billion, an offer that was initially accepted by the Twitter management of that time. However, within the span of a few months, Musk had a change of heart after he alleged that twitter has misrepresented the extent of bot accounts on the platform, which ultimately led to a legal battle between the two sides. After a series of negotiations and shifts in stance, he finally secured ownership of the micro-blogging platform.
On Oct. 27, 2022, Musk entered into Twitter's San Francisco headquarters with a white bathroom sink and a grin, claiming to make the erstwhile Twitter the coolest and most enjoyable place on the internet. His arrival as the brand new owner of the digital townhall brought with it a plethora of policy changes. From firing the CEO and other top executives to rebranding of the platform, the tech enthusiasts witnessed it all.
Company's leadership shuffle- One of Musk's initial moves was the appointment of Linda Yaccarino, an American media executive, as the new CEO of Twitter after removing then Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal. This choice was met with significant backlash from the Twitter community, as it marked a drastic change in leadership.
Re branding- The decision of company's leadership shuffle shocked the user only to be prepared for the biggest change to the platform. Perhaps the most divisive decision was the rebranding of Twitter as 'X.' This name change eliminated decades of brand recognition and transformed the way users interacted with the platform. The iconic blue bird was replaced with a generic 'X,' and the familiar actions of "tweeting" became "posting," while "retweeting" became "re-posting." This transformation left many nostalgic users disoriented, still trying to get familiar with the changes.
Algorithm- Another significant alteration under Musk's ownership was the platform's algorithm, designed to ensure that Musk's voice remains prominently featured on a daily basis, considering his colossal following of 161 million users.
Limits on daily reading- In an attempt to combat data scraping and system manipulation, Musk imposed a temporary limit on the number of tweets that accounts could read per day. Initially, verified accounts were restricted to reading 6,000 tweets per day, while unverified accounts were limited to 600 tweets per day. New unverified accounts faced a stricter cap of 300 tweets per day. While these limits were later adjusted, they triggered a wave of criticism and dissatisfaction from users.
Monthly user fees- Musk introduced the concept of charging all users a monthly fee to access the platform, now referred to as 'X Premium.' This initiative, which met with limited enthusiasm, was justified by Musk as a measure to combat misinformation and reduce the prevalence of fake accounts.
Poop emoji responses- In a bizarre move, Musk announced that the company had set up an auto-response system for its press team's email address. Journalists inquiring through this email address received nothing but a reply containing a poop emoji, with no text. This unconventional approach to media inquiries was seen not just as a departure but also a psychological move against the media.
All this transformations have not been without controversy. Since Musk's takeover in October 2022, a number of notable figures abandoned Twitter, accusing him of permitting what they termed "unwelcome" voices and expressing concerns about his management style.
In the midst of controversial updates and changes to the platform, Musk has been hailed for his decision at times too. From paying the creators on X twice a month, launching the beta of audio/video calling to removing legacy check marks and removing child porn, Musk garnered some love from the users.
'Empty cage fight call'- One of the most amusing episodes in Musk's X tenure was his public challenge to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of META, to a cage fight. While Zuckerberg accepted the challenge, the exchange ultimately consisted of online taunts rather than a physical showdown. Zuckerberg later stated that Musk wasn't serious about the cage fight, and the spectacle was put to rest. However, the online battle still exists with both Musk and Zuck constantly bringing new updates to their platform only to boost the rivalry.
Musk has left no stone unturned to showcase the online rivalry to the world. In January 2023, Musk posted a poll for the users to decide whether Instagram is depressing or not. The post read, "Instagram makes people depressed & Twitter makes people angry. Which is better?"
As Musk's Twitter takeover marks one-year, 'X' stands at crossroads. The platform has experienced declining user numbers and ad revenue, and its massive debt has led banks to secure Musk's $13 billion loan. The radical changes initiated by Musk have left many users disoriented and dissatisfied, and it remains uncertain whether these transformations will prove beneficial in the long run.
The 'every time in trending' owner, Elon Musk has also expressed aspirations to transform Twitter into an "everything app". While Musk's controversial policies and decisions have garnered considerable attention, they have also raised concerns about the platform's direction. The top leadership at 'X' remains optimistic about the future, but the turbulence of the past year has left both users and industry observers wondering what's next for this once-familiar micro-blogging platform.
