Elon Musk seems to have new plans for his social media platform X. He wants to expand his platform X beyond just messaging and create an “everything app” like China’s WeChat, where users can do various activities like checking bank balances, applying for jobs, watching live streams, shopping, and even finding dates. Musk discussed these plans in the company’s first big meeting.
As reported by The Verge, Elon Musk stated during the meeting, “We’re changing the company quickly, shifting from what it used to be, Twitter 1.0, to an all-encompassing everything app. It will offer a wide range of features, allowing users to do almost anything on our platform. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t use other apps, but the key missing element is a single app that covers everything.”
The news media has published the full transcript of the meeting. In the meeting, Musk highlighted the company’s achievements for the year, which encompassed various features currently in beta or alpha testing. The company plans to roll out these features gradually over time, reported the publication.
At the top of the list is the audio/video calling feature on X, an enhancement that falls within the realm of social media. Musk also pointed out the enhancements made in video streaming, which include vertical scrolling, long video uploading, and an improved algorithm. These changes, implemented in the past few months, have contributed to the platform’s improvement.
During the meeting, discussing ad revenue share for creators, Musk stated, “This has made a big difference to the lives of many people. We’ve paid over $20 million to creators, and we expect that number to rise significantly. Our number of creators has increased by more than an order of magnitude, and that’s just since the middle of this year. In less than six months, we’ve seen a 10x increase in creators.”
Musk has another ambitious plan for the platform, which involves a job search feature named X Hiring. This feature is being positioned as a rival to LinkedIn, enabling companies to list job openings, receive CVs, and inform candidates about their interview selection. Musk mentioned, “We’ve also introduced the initial stages of recruiting, somewhat like a competitor to LinkedIn, essentially. Whether you’re an employer offering jobs or a job seeker, this will be a great place to find talented individuals. I’ve historically done a lot of recruiting on this platform.”
During the meeting, there were hints about X Dating, a potential feature for finding matching individuals (similar to Facebook Dating). Musk emphasized the challenge of enabling such discoveries.
Video live streaming could become a part of X in the near future. Musk mentioned, “I believe that video livestreaming will be exceptionally significant for sporting events, political happenings, and situations where individuals are present at the scene. Instead of relying on media coverage, you can have people right on the spot doing a livestream or sharing videos.”
As per HT Tech, Musk is also considering transforming X into a platform resembling PR Newswire. The company intends to introduce a news distribution service called X Wire.
The publication reported that Musk mentioned, “In reality, the necessity for PR Newswire diminishes. We are essentially a PR Newswire. Hardly any individuals actually subscribe to PR Newswire. If a company intends to disseminate information, we are, by a large margin, the best means to do so.”
Reportedly, Musk also discussed the idea of making the entire platform a subscription service, priced at $1 per year. He emphasized the need for this change because AI bots are increasingly challenging the “are you human” test and can manipulate the platform. He stated, “We are conducting an experiment to observe the implications of a mere $1 per year, which amounts to 0.3 cents per day. Sometimes, I get this absurd thing where it is like, How will people in poor parts of the world afford? I’m like, they are somehow on the internet. They have an electronic device, and they are on the internet, and a dollar a year is 0.3 cents a day. This is affordable for anyone, obviously.”
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Updated: 01 Nov 2023, 05:19 PM IST
